What To Pack????

I've been thinking that I should start this packing for the hospital thing. With twins you just really never know....they could come tomorrow, they could come next week or they could come in 4 weeks.....who knows. Only God and them, I suppose.

I googled "what to pack for the hospital" but then realized that instead of searching through all of these pages to find the best list, why not go to Pinterest.....isn't that what Pinterest is kind of all about? I mean, people find these great things and "pin it" and then you can look it up. Genius!

So, I headed over to Pinterest and found some pretty good lists. The best one I found was this one......

http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2012/5/21/hospital-bag-what-to-pack.html

It could be because I found her post HILARIOUS in some parts.....read the section about the gum. I don't think Nolan would appreciate me saying that to him. I'm not even sure what that smells like, and I'm positive that I don't want to know! But anyway, I would hate to say something offensive. 

Also I polled my Facebook friends....I mean, it's been 5 years since I did this. I have several friends who just had a baby. So I thought, who better to ask, these gals have just been through it. The most common answer was chap stick, followed closely by hair ties. I can see both of those things being necessities! 

So, what am I packing? Well, I took the list from pregnant chicken and picked out what I thought I would need the most and I added a few suggestions from friends and family and I had a few of my own things that I felt were pretty important. So here we go....

1. Pillow-I did take my own pillow when I was at the hospital with Georgia. It's helpful. I did not take one when I was at the hospital with Violet and while I really wasn't sleeping and really didn't care about anything else at that time, I do remember being uncomfortable and my neck hurting a bit. I'm going to recommend that Nolan take his own pillow too. Although, he can sleep pretty much anywhere, anytime and under any condition, he might as well be as comfortable as possible. 

2. Flip Flops-I already bought a brand new pair before even looking at any list. This was something that I didn't take the first time or the second time around. It will be nice for the shower and to slip on to walk around the room. 

3. Warm Socks-I have two pair of brightly colored warm socks that Georgia got me for Christmas last year and I think that these will be perfect. My feet get cold and if I remember correctly, the hospital is about the same temperature as a meat locker. I think they have the thermostat set on deep freeze at Community North. Now my little toes will be toasty warm!

4. Nursing Bra and Nursing Tanks-well we all know what these are for and I'm a modest gal for the most part. I don't want anything showing while friends and family are in the room. I remember feeling like I didn't care who saw what after Georgia was born....I had just given birth for goodness sake, who cares about anything else? But then the next day rolled around and visitors came a calling....by that time, I was ready to be modest again. 

5. Nursing Gown-the first time around I packed a couple of different gowns and wore those all the time. I think this time I will only be wearing the gowns at night and change into some comfy, but real clothes during the day. After Violet was delivered, I did get out of bed and change into some real clothes and it made me feel more human. A change of clothes might not make me feel more human after having twins, but it can't hurt. So, I will still pack a nursing gown or two, because I don't want to wear those terrible hospital gowns after labor. YUCK!!!

6. Robe-I like to be cozy. I like to be wrapped up. I took a robe with me when I had Georgia and it was so nice to have. Again the modesty thing. If we have some late night or early morning visitors, I can always wrap up in my robe and things are all good! 

7. Underwear-yep, those mesh ones the hospital gives you serve a purpose, but after a day of wearing those, I'm ready for a good ol' pair of cotton undies. 

8. Pads?-I'm on the fence about this one. I'm all about using the free stuff from the hospital, but really it feels like you are walking with a pillow between your legs. So, I will probably pack some. They don't take up much room so why not?

9. Nursing Pads-again, why not? It's better to have them than not I say. 

10. Toiletries-it's always better to use my own shampoo, conditioner and whatever else. So this is a must for me. Plus my hair is crazy and my skin is sensitive. I would rather have stuff that I know will chill out my frizzy hair and not make my skin red. 

11. Nipple Cream-AGAIN, why not? I've heard that it's just best to start using this right away to prevent chapping...it's certainly not going to hurt anything, but not using it could certainly hurt a lot!!!!

12. Gum-as advised by Pregnant Chicken, I will bring gum. Not only for myself but for my dear loving hubby who I would hate to accuse of having dragon breath in the middle of labor. I think all parties will be happy it's there. 

13. Snacks-this will be good for Daddy and if I deliver late in the night, like I did with Georgia, I don't want to get stuck with a gross sandwich that was made 3 days ago or something like that. Georgia was born at 11:20pm so by the time that everything was said and done I was STARVED! I had been in labor since 6pm or so the night before. I do remember Nolan's mom fixing us eggs the next morning, but I don't remember eating a lot that day. I mean, when you are having contractions, eating is not really on your mind-at least it wasn't on my mind. But my point is, I ended up eating some lunch meat sandwich and applesauce after Georgia was born because I was famished. And it wasn't the most appealing meal, so having something with us will solve that problem. 

14. Magazines or Book-I remember taking a book with me for Georgia's birth, but I never opened a page. Now the thought of a People magazine or something that I could just flip through while playing the waiting game of labor might be a good idea. So, I can catch up on all the celeb gossip and not have to think too much about it...it's something to pass the time. 

15. ID and Insurance Card-DON'T FORGET!

16. Techie Stuff-all that stuff that I just NEED! Nolan and I both have laptops. Not sure if we will bring both or just mine. Lots of times we bring both when we go away from the house for an extended period of time. We are spoiled. I will also probably bring my MP3 player and some head phones. When I was in labor with Georgia the Cubs were on TV. I didn't care, but it might have been nice to listen to some music instead of watching the game. Our cell phones and a charger are a must have. It's not like we go anywhere with out them anyway. AND you all know that I will be bringing my camera and it's charger. Can you imagine if I forgot that? Someone would totally be making a trip to my house to snag it for me!!!

17. Going Home Outfit-something comfy for myself to wear....yoga pants and comfy shirt, maybe a cotton dress since it mostly likely will be hotter than a goat in a pepper patch that day. (I got that little saying from the radio...cracked me up!)

18. Outfits For Hospital Stay-like I mentioned before, a couple of pairs of pants and some shirts will be nice to have to help me feel normal again. 

19. Gift For The Nurses-this was mentioned by Pregnant Chicken and I think it's a fantastic idea. These nurses do SO MUCH and most of it can be kind of gross. It seems like a little bit of candy can go a long way to brighten their day and to shout out a big ol' THANK YOU!

So I don't know...I feel like I'm going to be taking enough stuff for a week long stay. I hope it's not a week long stay, that's for sure. And while some of the stuff I might not need or use, I feel like it's better to bring it along than to be there in the midst of everything and think, dang I wish I had a People magazine to look at.

You'll notice that not everything I listed is in the photos...all that stuff will just have to be packed when it's time to go!