The Ultimate Hospital Bag List Part 2!

Alright guys…here is part two! This covers toiletries and any extras you might need. The last two parts will be things for baby and extra tips and tricks so stay tuned!

Toiletries:

·         We went to Target and got the travel sizes for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and razors.  That way we wouldn't care if they got left at the hospital...

·         Nursing pads

·         Lanolin cream for your nipples!!! You will get sore no matter how well your baby latches and this is because you are nursing so often, about every two hours...

·         Makeup!!

·         Hair bands

·         Our hospital had a blow dryer in the bathroom and but check with your hospital because you might have to get any other hair tools cleared with them.

·         Lotion.  Dry air in the hospital leads to dry skin!

·         Chap stick!!  We happened to have some, and for good reason, all that breathing during labor makes your lips SUPER dry!

·         Glasses (if you wear em)

·         Contact Solution (if you need it)

Extras:

·         Your I.D.

·         Your "birth plan" if you want one, the hospital won't ask you for one or anything it’s just for you.

·         Breast Pump!  Take it and leave it in the car.... If, for whatever reason, your baby doesn't latch and you need to pump you will want to use your own.  The hospital has them that you can rent and stuff but you'll want to use your own anyway...

·         Nursing Pillow! (Boppy/My Breast Friend)

·         Birthing Ball if you want one (they are more for natural births). 

·         Your favorite juice or sports drink/bottled water whatever!  Great to have during your stay or while you are in labor.  I'd suggest, though, something other than water since the hospital will give you water and you will want to replace the sugars and stuff that you burned while delivering so Vitamin Water or something is better. Maybe something caffeinated for the Dad... He will need it. Also, if you want the epidural you will need to ask the nurses about fluids and things that are allowed once you get one. 

·         Your favorite hard candy.  We took Tootsie Pops, cause I love them and they are like the only thing other than Popsicles that they will let you eat once you are admitted.

·         Bag of snacks.  We took things like granola bars and crackers.... little things that we could keep in the room for when you get munchies at 3:00 in the morning while trying to figure out the breastfeeding/diaper issues!

·         Your own pillow! Same for the hubby! And a blanket for him since sometimes the hospital blankets they give the Daddy's suck.  They pretty much give the Mommy all the good stuff.

·         Cameras and chargers for the camera (nothing worse than a dead camera when you really need it!)

·         Phone and charger!

·         Movies?  Our hospital had DVD players so we took some movies!

·         List ready to go of the local eateries around the hospital that you and Scott love.  This way yall can send people out to pick food up for you!

·         Gum or mints. Visitors won’t want to smell your nasty breath and neither will that sweet baby! haha!

·         An iPod or something for music if you want it.

·         You prob. won’t need it, but the list of family or friends you want to call and brag about how much cuter she is than their kid!

The Ultimate Hospital Bag List from a new Mom!

My college roommate and BFF, Natalie has a sweet baby girl in August.  She was nice enough to email me a list of things she needed for her hospital stay, so I thought I would share it with yall!  I know that there are a million hospital bag lists all over the internet and Pinterest, but here’s one more from a new mommy.  I’m going to break it up a little bit, but this is a list of clothing you might need for your stay!

The Hospital Bag List- Part One

Clothing:

·         Granny panties.  Some that you don't care if you have to throw away.  I actually didn't use mine till I got home but you may need them so take them.

·         Fluffy Robe!  Even though those hospital gowns are great (pause for sarcastic sigh) you will feel better having something to wrap up in that is yours and you can always throw it in the washer when you get home to get the hospital yuck off of it.  Also, fun tip, ask for two hospital gowns, wear one with the opening in the back and then put the other on over top of that one with the opening in the front! That way while you are laboring you won’t worry about messing up your own robe and your backside won’t be all exposed to the world!

·         Your own comfy clothes for after delivery.  Nightgowns are the best because if you deliver vaginally you will have to clean yourself every time you use the bathroom so pants and shorts are a bit difficult. And button downs are ideal for nursing.  The hospital gowns they gave me I actually wore the entire time cause they were pretty comfortable and they had nursing openings in the front.  I actually took way too many clothes I went through bras and socks the most.

·         Nursing bras!  I have a couple of Sports Nursing Bras that I wore during labor and it was super comfortable! 

·         Socks (some you don’t care if they get messed up)

·         Slippers/house shoes or flip flops

·         Something nice to wear for pictures. Nothing fancy just a black or grey shirt or dress will do (since those look best in pictures) this goes for the Dad too!

·         Your going home outfit.  Comfort is key with this one.... jeans are prob. not the best idea.

·         Comfy clothes for the Dad!! Remind him that he needs pajamas or something cause the nurses will be coming in at all hours during the night... AKA no nakedness!

·         Shoes that he can easily get on and off. 

·         And again for the dad to be.. take something to pass the time since labor takes a while!  Maybe a couple of books that he read during down time while you are laboring.

26 Weeks! Last week of the 2nd trimester...

How far along? 26 weeks and 6 days..we are in the double digits now..92 days to go until due date and last week of the 2^nd trimester!

Baby's Development:  She is about 9 inches tall and right at 2lbs…about the size of an English hothouse cucumber.  Baby Sophia’s eyes have been closed so that the retina could develop, but they are now starting to open and her immune system is rapidly developing, too. Brain wave activity is also kicking in at this stage in development and she can hear and respond to noises with a possible increase in pulse rate or activity. Baby is also continuing to practice breathe by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.

Maternity clothes?  Yep..I spent a good 20 minutes trying to find a non-maternity dress to wear to work today to no avail.  My bed looked like my closet has thrown up and I ended up in pants a t-shirt.

Weight Gain? 6 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight, but we will see what the Dr. says next week. 

Am I Showing? Definitely.  However…I still find myself surprised sometimes when I look down and I see a belly.  I think I was waiting to have a legit bump for so long and now that I do..I don’t know what to do with it! It definitely catches me off guard sometimes.

Sleep?  Uggh…let’s not even go here.  At least I’m preparing myself for a new baby…there’s the bright side.

Exciting Moment? We got the rug for Sohpia’s room this week.  Appropriately enough…the style name is “Sofia.”  It’s meant to be, I tell you.  I love it…it’s squishy and you can rub your face in it if you wanted to.  We also got a new fridge this week! Woohoo! Our old kept leaking water and the ice maker no longer worked, so it got moved to the garage as the drink fridge.

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? None yet…still lathering on Burt’s Bees belly oil.  That stuff goes a long way! I’m only on the second bottle since I found out I was pregnant and it is still 3/4ths full.  Not sure if it’s working or not, but I’m gonna keep using it!

What do I miss? Sleep and my clothes fitting… first world problems, I know, I know.

How have I been feeling? I have some aches and pains, but nothing crazy.  The indigestion/heartburn has increased and I can never get comfortable to sleep at night because I am always trying to flip over when my hip/sciatica starts hurting.  I tried the pillow in between the legs thing and it didn’t do much for me.

I am normally a very cold-natured person, but the last week or so I feel like I am always hot! I even turned off the heat last night…something I never do! I am always the one turning it on!

I am not feeling as stretched out as I was a couple of weeks ago..I think my body is getting used to the belly, but I am still feeling full very easily after I eat and if I eat too much I stay uncomfortably full for a very long time!

Movement:  Yep…still pretty consistently. Her movements will vary..one week they will be super strong all day long and the next week, they don’t feel as strong..it’s back and forth. I can also tell that she has moved locations.  I was feeling a lot of movement down low for a while, but now I feel it in the center on my belly, unless she has hiccups which I still feel low.  I guess she has flipped cause she was breech at our 20 weeks appointment.

Food cravings:  I am all about some sweets/baked goods and pastries right now.  I am trying to limit myself and get some salads in, but man is it difficult! I am still drinking my smoothies in the mornings and I have added a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood, to it along with my spinach. I forgot how much I loved that stuff!

Food aversions: None, really.

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, happy, happy! And tired…

Looking forward to:  Our first couples shower this weekend for our local friends.  We are also having our very talented friend, Jessica White take some maternity pictures for us before the shower.  She did some of our engagement pictures and they turned out great, so I am excited to see how these turn out! We are taking them in the town square again…they are filming a movie there right now, so I hope we will still be able to do them! My Dr’s appointment is also next week.  Although I am nervous about it because it’s my glucose test appointment, I feel like every appointment is one closer to having Sophia!

25 weeks...into the double digits!

Bare belly! Out of control!

How far along? 25 weeks and 6 days..we are in the double digits now..99 days to go until due date!

Baby's Development:  My uterus is about the size of a soccer ball right now and baby is 9 inches and more than a pound and a half….about the size of a rutabaga…whatever that is! Her skin is starting to turn pinker because capillaries are starting to form under the skin and fill with blood. Blood vessels are also developing in the baby’s lungs.  Nostril are also starting to open up this week and allows little one to practice taking breaths

Maternity clothes? All pants..half and half on shirts, although the regular ones are starting to get shorter and shorter.

Weight Gain?  According to my scale, I am 6+ lbs over my pre-preg weight.

Am I Showing? There is no denying this bump! I am nervous to see how big it’s going to get in the next 14ish weeks…I’m already feeling pretty stretched out and I still have the last trimester left!

Sleep?  I’m still waking up about every 3 hours or so..not fun at all. It’s starting to take longer to get comfortable when I wake up and rolling over takes quite a bit of effort. Plus, my hips are always hurting when I wake up in the morning.  It’s getting fun, guys!

Exciting Moment? This was a pretty low-key week for us.  We had some friends over this weekend to watch the Falcons game, so even though we lost..we had fun with them!

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? Not yet *crossing fingers*

What do I miss? Getting a full night’s sleep, not having the hip/back pain

How have I been feeling? I’m definitely getting nervous and anxious about being closer to the end than the beginning and I still have a bit of a ways to go!  I am trying to enjoy every moment and every little kick or roll I feel.  I know that there are so many women out there that will never be pregnant or get to experience it and I know how lucky and blessed Matt and I are, so I am trying hard to live in the moment and not waste this time away.  I do that too easily sometimes..I am always excited about the next phase and I am not a patient person (clearly…Matt and I got engaged after dating for a month and got pregnant 2 months after we got married!). But I am trying to enjoy the moments before Sophia gets here just as much as the ones after she gets here.

It also feels weird to not be able to move around as comfortably as when I’m not pregnant. I also heard that you’re really tired during the 1^st and 3^rd trimesters and during the second one, you get your pop of energy.  I never got much of a “pop” but I can start to feel the exhaustion of the 3^rd trimester coming on.  I think it has to do more with the crappy sleep I get than anything else!

Movement: Oh yes! She’s very active and quite strong.  I love watching my belly jiggle around when she moves.  She also gets hiccups quite often.

Food cravings:  Ice cream and baked goods..but I’m trying to stay away from those or limit how often I indulge.  I have started making a green smoothie in the mornings for breakfast.  I normally do fruit, greek yogurt, organic milk, spinach, and some agave nectar.  I also borrowed my Mom’s Breville juicer, so I am trying to get some greens in by juicing a couple of times a week in the evenings.  I’m still working on recipes..the first one tasted like pickles and kinda bombed.

Food aversions: Nope, just watching out for indigestion and making sure I am eating smaller meals so I don’t get uncomfortably full.

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to:  Getting closer to the third trimester J

24 weeks

How far along? 24 weeks 6 days

 

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about 1.5 lbs right now.  That sounds SO big compared to the poppy seed she was at like…6 weeks, but she still has a ton of growing to do! She is also about 8.5 inches long. Her little face is also almost fully formed. Still no baby fat yet and her skin is kinda translucent.   She is gaining about 6 oz a week at this stage. She is also able to hear all kinds of things in there, including voices, music, and dogs barking. Sections of her lungs are expanding and she is starting to produce lung surfactant, which will keep her lungs from collapsing after birth.

Maternity clothes? Yep! Even though leggings and yoga are starting to sound nice 24/7. Some of my non-maternity shirts are starting to get too short for my liking, but I can wear a maternity tank top with them to make them last a little longer.

Weight Gain?  According to my scale, I am now 6+ lbs over my pre-preg weight.  At my dr’s appointment, I hadn’t gained anything since my 20 week appointment.  The midwife did day that if I don’t gain anything at my 28 week appointment, they will do another growth ultrasound just to make sure everything is still good.  But she said that since I just had my 20 week ultrasound and everything looked great, she’s not too worried about it.

Am I Showing? Definitely!

Sleep?  Not much has changed here..still so-so.  Sometimes it’s great, other times it’s not.  The humidifier I got didn’t do as great for my sleep as I was hoping.

Exciting Moment? My dr’s appointment this week.  Although it was just a check up, so there wasn’t much to it, I feel like I’m progressing more and more with each one.

Gender:   Girl!

Stretch marks? Still none yet..

What do I miss? I miss being able to eat normal sized meals without feeling uncomfortably full.

How have I been feeling? Pretty good all things considering.  I mean..I am growing a human, so it’s probably not going to be comfortable!  I am feeling some of the typical pregnancy aches and pains, especially back pain.  My ribs are also sore by the end of the day.  I am feeling stretched out for sure!

Movement: For a couple of days, movement wasn’t as strong or as often.  I mentioned that to the midwife to see if it was something I should be concerned about.  She said as long as I am still feeling her every couple of hours that I shouldn’t worry.  Of course the day after the appointment, Sophia was punching and kicking all over the place!

Food cravings:  Nothing crazy this week…

Food aversions: I think all of my aversions has disappeared, but I do have to watch what I eat so I don’t get bad indigestion.

Rings on or off? On! Hopefully staying that way for a while!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, but still easily irritated!  

Looking forward to:  There isn’t anything soon on the horizon.  No big milestones or anything.  But our first baby shower in a couple of weeks..so that’s exciting!

23 weeks

How far along? 23 weeks 6 days

Baby's Development: Baby Sophia is a little over a pound, the size of a mango amd growing right along! In the next 4 weeks, her weight (and mine) will double! You can now hear baby's heartbeat through a stethoscope and her skin is reddish in color due to the developing blood vessels. 

Maternity clothes? Oh yea! Still mixed in with regular clothes.  All pants are maternity at this point.  I tried to wear a pair of pre-pregnancy pants with a rubber band…HAH! That was a joke…it was so uncomfortable!

Weight Gain?  I am 5-6 lbs over pre-preg. Weight according to my home scale.  We’ll see what the Dr says this Friday.

Am I Showing? I think this was the week I officially “popped.” I kinda gauge it by how pregnant I look in the morning when I wake up since there isn’t an added food baby yet. ;)  I’ve noticed this week that the bump is significant and there is no sucking it in the mornings anymore. I’m seeing more people glance at my belly as I’m walking around the office, too.  I was interviewing someone this week and she was like…”Congratulations!” as soon as I walked in.  It would have been a little awkward if I wasn’t actually pregnant. haha

Sleep?  Sleep is getting a little better.  I think I am going to get us a humidifier this week as well.  I am so congested in the mornings, so I think that it will help.

Exciting Moment? We went to the Chik-Fil-A bowl for NYE with some coworkers of Matt’s and we had such a good time! It was Clemson vs LSU and although I could care less about either team, it turned out to be a great game! We indulged in some GA Dome snacks while we could still claim that it was the “holiday season.” New years day, we just lounged around and relaxed for the day.

I have really enjoyed the holidays with Matt this year. It has been pretty low key for us and I am glad we have gotten this time to relax with each other before these next few months leading up to Sophia’s arrival. I am definitely excited for next Christmas with her, though!  Although I can’t wait to get into the Christmas spirit and celebrate it with her, I am going to try and focus on not going overboard with presents (yes…I am thinking about this even though it is a year away). She will still be young and there isn’t going to be much she actually NEEDS (or we have room for in our house!). Between Matt and myself and her grandparents, I am hoping she doesn’t get TOO spoiled! J I am going to have to implement a one toy in, one toy out policy or something! haha

Gender:   Girl! Sparkles and tutus!

Stretch marks? Not yet!

What do I miss? Nothing this week. J

How have I been feeling? I am starting to realize that time is moving quickly and she will be here before we know it!  I am so excited for the baby showers we have coming up and I know that the busy weekend will make these next 4 months fly by! I am obviously excited, but I am starting to think about the labor part too and getting nervous about it.  I’m sure that’s normal and I will be thinking about it more and more as we get closer to the day.  My friend Natalie sent me a hospital bag list the other day and it really made it start to feel a little more real. Let me know if anyone is interested and I will post it on the blog.

I am trying to make more of an effort to go to the gym after work at least 3-4x/week.  It’s hard sometimes because I work really far from where we live and most days I don’t get home until about 7 because of traffic.  I’ve gone 3x in the last week, and it’s given me a lot more energy and is helping me sleep better at night, so I am going to try and keep it going.

Movement: ALL.THE.TIME.  She has started to kick down, which is such a weird feeling I can even describe.  I can also tell the difference between her rolling around and her kicks.  I am still mostly feeling movement down low, but today she is all over the place and I am feeling her on my right side and about 2 or 3 inches above my belly button as well. 

Food cravings:  Pretzels with cheese, chocolate milk, ice cream, fruit (still eating my apple a day!)

Food aversions: I have to watch what I eat because I still get heartburn easily, but no real “aversions” to speak of.

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Still happy…but stupid people really irritate me these days! lol

Looking forward to:  Our doctor’s appointment this Friday and our first baby shower coming up in Feb!

Week 22 in Review

How far along? 22 weeks 6 days


*Side note...we will be having a baby this YEAR! YAY for 2013!

Baby's Development:  According to WTEWYE, Sophia has officially broken the 1 lb mark and she is about 8-11 inches long.  Her sense of touch is starting to develop and her gripe is also getting stronger, maybe even grabbing onto the umbilical cord! Eyesight is getting better and now eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes! All pants and some shirts.  I got a couple of gift cards for Christmas, so I used those to order some more essentials to get me through the next couple of months from Old Navy and I am waiting to get those in!

Weight Gain? I'm about 5 lbs over my pre-preg weight according to my scale.  I have a dr's appointment on the 11th, so we'll see what they say.

Am I showing? Yep! The belly is  a-growing! There is no sucking this thing in now.  My belly button is definitely flattening out, too.  I don't know if it will "pop" or not, but it's getting there!

Sleep? It's still so-so, but it is what it is.  My hips start to hurt if I lay on one side for too long, so that has a tendency to wake me up a couple of times a night, in addition to having to use the restroom.

Exciting Moment? Just trying to enjoy the holidays and the time off.  We finally got the guest room cleaned out.  We had a ton of stuff to donate and put in storage and it feels so nice for all of that stuff to be out of the house!

Sophia had the hiccups this week and Matt got to feel those! He was also laying on my belly one night and got kicked in the head!

Our NYE plans included the Chik-Fil-A bowl with some friends.  My friend Whitney got to feel her kicking at one point during the game when she was having a dance party.

We also updated our Babies R Us registry with some little girl things! We still have to work on our Target one.

We have some baby shower dates! YAY! I am SO EXCITED! Our first one is scheduled for Feb. 2! WOOHOO!

Gender: Sweet baby GIRL!

Stretch marks? None yet..I am lathering up in Burt’s Bees belly oil and thick lotion every morning!

What do I miss? Not having heartburn often and not always feeling full like I do now.

How have I been feeling? Still dealing with bad heartburn/indigestion.  I can definitely tell that my stomach is being squished.  I was ok just taking Tums as needed, but I've had to take a Zantac a couple of times this week, too.

I'm also starting to feel uncomfortable.  Nothing crazy, but just a general discomfort.  I'm sure I look quite funny rolling around and trying to get out of bed..it's starting to take some serious effort! I also always feel full.  My appetite has seriously decreased these past couple of weeks.  I am still full after a meal for hours and I get full pretty quickly when I'm eating, too. I'm also still feeling out of breath.  I feel like it's way too early for me to feel like this! LOL

Movement: YES! and I love it! She moves all the time and the kicks are getting stronger...so much fun!

Food cravings: Loving some chocolate milk right now!

Food aversions: Still chicken…especially if it’s a while chicken breast. Shredded chicken is ok now… and marinara sauce.

Rings on or off? On! Hopefully staying that way for a while!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, but still easily irritated!  

Looking forward to:  Getting the clothes that I ordered! It's the little things...