I've had a few questions regarding what we're packing in our hospital bag, AND I can tell YOU that as an expecting Mom this exact topic was all consuming during my second trimester. I have no idea why, but I obsessed and obsessed over what to pack, what I really needed, what baby needed, what was too much, etc. I looked up countless articles on Pinterest, compared lists, chatted with the wonderful mommas in my due-date group on Facebook, and of course asked my best friends for their experience-based advice.

You're probably laughing at me right now, and honestly I am too LOL!! You see, I'm a typical Type-A personality - - I need to know all the details, and I mean allllll the details (HA!), I need to craft a plan / make a list, once I know something is on the horizon, there is always a sense of urgency to prepare. Not doing these things literally gives me anxiety LOL! So if you're like me, you get it, and if you aren't, then please, cut the Type-A people in your life a little slack - they're just dancing to their own beat.

All that being said, my hope is that this post will help some of you decide what to pack in YOUR hospital bag.

First up - the main decision is whether you want to feel completely pampered in your room, or if you want to go more minimalist. We chose the minimalist approach for a few reasons: 

-though the delivery suites in our hospital are glorious and spacious, the recovery rooms are TINY so we don't want to trip over excess baggage...

-we also don't want to feel like we're loading up for a week long international vacation when the time comes, but instead would rather be able to grab one bag, the carseat and take our excited happy little behinds to the hospital...

-fortunately for us, we live about 5 minutes from our hospital so should we truly need anything, either Hubby can run home, or one of our parents can go grab something for us...

After you make your decision regarding minimalist or extra, the next step is to make a list of what to pack. I categorized my list in the following categories: My necessities, Hubs necessities, Baby items, and Misc. So without further ado, here's what we packed:

Mommy:

-2 pairs of pants (1 pair of yoga pants for comfort, and one pair of post partum leggings)

-2 nursing tank tops

-1 zip up hoodie (or a cardigan)

-1 robe

-1 pair of flip flops to wear in the shower

-1 pair of slippers to wear around the hospital (totally throwing these away afterwards so I don't bring home hospital germies)

-1 pair of socks

-nipple cream

-travel toiletries (toothbrush, glasses / contact case and solution, shampoo, conditioner, razor, lotion, deodorant, brush, hair ties, hair spray, basic makeup)

Daddy:

-2 pairs of boxers

-2 pairs of gym shorts

-1 pair of sweatpants

-2 tshirts

-1 pair of flip flops for the shower

-1 pair of socks

-travel toiletries (toothbrush, body wash, deodorant)

Baby:

-1 sleeper

-1 swaddle / matching headband for a cute photo

-1 pacifier

-1 burp rag (just in case)

-1 going home outfit

-2 pairs of mittens and baby clippers / nail file (in case she comes out with talons, HA!)

-2 hats (1 for going home, and 1 for baby to wear for a bit and then have Hubby take home to let the kitty smell so she will be familiar with baby's scent when we bring her home)

-1 carseat

-1 blanket (for swaddling or to cover carseat on way home)

Misc:

-cards and iPad for entertainment (should we need it)

-quarters for the vending machine

-snacks (protein bars, my Mommy FUEL, and some raw nuts)

-phone chargers and earbuds

-old throw blanket (for hubby since the pullout chair he'll be sleeping in is not comfortable)

-essential oil diffuser and oils (taking lavender for calming, and peppermint should I need to smell it for nausea)

All of these items fit in a duffle bag (particularly a Thirty-One bag) the size of a carry on. I pack his and her toiletries in separate ziplock baggies for easy access. I also packed all baby items in a ziplock bag to help keep them organized (baby things are so tiny LOL). Again, I'm a hospital germophobe so I opted to pack these items in a duffle bag that can be washed when we get home versus a rolling carry-on that's much more challenging to disinfect....and that's it! After all of our research and reviewing list after list, we settled on taking just what we might truly need. Our thoughts might be different if we lived farther away from the hospital, but for us, this works well. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! And on that note - I'm signing off!