As you may have noticed, we’ve had a brief hiatus from posts here at LBW. That’s because, well, I had a baby! Her name is Emerie Reese Davison, born October 27, 2018, and she’s a pretty mellow newborn…as long as you don’t get in the way of her and food. (Which is to be expected, because she IS my kid, after all.) Without pivoting to full mommy blog, parenthood is a new part of my life, so every once in a while, we’ll post something that applies to anyone who’s starting (or growing) their family, too. This is one of those posts, just because I’m strangely fired up about it.

You see, during my last trimester, I read at least a dozen books and blog posts to find out the absolute “must-haves” for a hospital bag. I crammed an entire duffel bag full of things — from a reusable water bottle to a Boppy and multiple pairs of cushy socks — only to unzip the stinkin’ bag twice during my entire 3-day stay: once, when I was first admitted, and again as I was leaving. I barely needed a thing.

The reality is that most of your needs are taken care of at the hospital, and most of the nice-to-have things listed online I couldn’t care less about when I was actually admitted, trying to learn the ins and outs of, you know, having a baby and caring for her. Still, there are a couple things that came in handy for me — and a few that in hindsight, I wished I’d had. Take this with a grain of salt, and fill your bag with what matters for you. 

What I Actually Used:

• Toothbrush (The hospital has these too, but the ones at mine were really low-quality. I preferred my own.)
• Travel-size shampoo, conditioner, deodorant
• Detangler (Not just for toddlers. Being bedridden most of the time, my hair was a veritable rat’s nest, and I didn’t have the energy to fight with it every day.)
• Wet Brush (Or your go-to hairbrush — I like this version because it detangles my baby-fine hair without tearing it out.)
• A flowy outfit to go home in (You won’t want anything restrictive, even if they’re maternity skinny jeans. Trust. An oversized sweater and a maxi skirt were just the thing for me.) 
• Cell phone charger (AKA your lifeline when you’re in a single room for two or more days. I brought a journal and pens, but I never even pulled them out of the bag. It was much easier to take notes and record things using my phone.)
• Google Home Mini (Some people rave about aromatherapy and other essentials to bring the baby into the world with and create a relaxing environment. I didn’t notice scents, but plugging in this portable smart speaker and using my phone as a hot spot allowed me to stream my favorite songs throughout my stay.)
• Car seat (You’re not going anywhere without it, so make sure you have it.) 

What I Wished I Brought: 

• A glam robe (I brought a practical, hotel one that I never used. The robe isn’t really for lounging at the hospital; it’s for the second the hospital photographer pops in and wants to take photos of you and the baby, and you’re a hot mess but have absolutely zero energy or desire to dress up. Throw on a robe, brush your hair or pull it into a bun, and you’re good to go. Or ask them to come back another time, though in my case, they showed up 5 minutes before I was going to be discharged, so it was now or never.)
• A cute swaddle blanket (This is totally for the photography session. We brought cute outfits, but when the time came, Em just wanted to be bundled up, and all we had were the hospital’s blue-and-pink-striped receiving blankets. It’s the perfect opp to show off that killer crochet work your grandmother did, or put that Aden + Anais fancy muslin number to use.)
• Baby nail file (The hospital has just about everything else — diapers, wipes, and aspirator included — but a baby nail file came in handy for Emerie’s claws. Baby mittens also work well here, but since Em used her hands for soothing herself, I didn’t like to keep them on all the time, and it was easy enough to file her nails smooth as she slept.)