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When my son, Henry, arrived 6 weeks early we were not very prepared. I had just purchased a pair of black pajamas and my husband, Corey, asked me if black was a good idea. I considered what we’d be doing in the hospital during the birth and thought he was probably right. I decided I’d take the pajamas back to Target and exchange them for something that would hide stains better. Once I got the new pajamas, I would pack my hospital bag.

Unfortunately, my plans never made it to fruition. The very next morning, Friday, January 19th, my water broke and we threw a bunch of junk in a bag as we rushed to the hospital. While I was in labor, I ended up sending Corey home to pick up more items we had forgotten. We then ended up being in the hospital for 3 weeks as Henry grew in the NICU. During that time we had to make a few Target runs as I was frantically trying to figure out what I needed. I needed new clothes because my maternity clothes were too big and my regular clothes were too small. I needed nursing bras and tank tops. I needed a pumping bra (we ended up buying a sports bra and Corey cut holes in it to allow my pump to go through…it actually worked so well I never got an actual pumping bra). Needless to say, beyond the early delivery and the unexpected hospital stay, I felt frazzled as I was trying to cram my life into a bag.

This time around we are having twins. We are hopeful they will not come as early as Henry, but the reality is they could. No one knows why Henry was early, but he was and twins often arrive early anyway. While I cannot predict their delivery date, I CAN be more prepared. This isn’t my first time and I know more about what to expect and what I actually need. And luckily, I have many of the items we purchased the first time and can still use this time around (Henry is only 16 months old after all).

As I pack my hospital bag I wanted to share the items I am purchasing that I know I need (or I know I WANT). I hope if you are a new mom or a seasoned mom you find this list helpful!

Cozy, Soft Pajamas

Find here: https://amzn.to/2K3O8wo

I bought these pajamas for a few reasons.

First, they are super soft and there’s nothing better when sitting in a hospital bed after delivering a baby (or babies in this case) than feeling cozy and comfortable.

Secondly, they are not black. The black pajamas I bought before and ended up wearing for the hospital stay after Henry was born weren’t terrible, but as you can imagine, a lot of milk, spit up and other unmentionable things do show up on black. This striped pattern is not only cute (and slimming?!), but hopefully offers some nice camouflage of all of the random liquids that might be covering me.

And finally, I simply love pajama sets! I don’t have enough to rock them every single night, but whenever we have guests or go on a trip I feel very adult when I get ready for bed and slip on some super cute PJs. Seriously, everyone comments on them. I guess most millennials are still wearing t-shirts and shorts to bed. Even though I bought these in XL to comfortably fit my post pregnant body, I know I’ll still love wearing them once I’m back to (hopefully) pre-twin-pregnancy weight.

Slippers

Find here: https://amzn.to/2EUT0zW

When Henry was born I wore my beloved Toms to the hospital. However, no one told me that once your water breaks it continues to leak until you deliver the baby. So imagine me, water broken, walking into the hospital in soaking wet pants and this fluid running into my shoes. Yeah. I know, it’s a gross image, but THAT’S REALITY. I hate to say it, but since we stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks (in the NICU with Henry), I wore mostly just socks and those Toms. Yeah, gross. But I honestly just didn’t care.

However, hindsight is 20-20 and I definitely care now. Hence, these slippers. Who knows the circumstances of my labor and delivery this time around, but whether we are in the hospital for 2 days or 2 months, I will be walking around in these soft, rubber-bottomed slippers. They will keep my feet warm and will allow me to walk into the public restrooms in peace.

Also I will not wear these to the hospital if my water decided to break again. No, now I have a pair of washable flip flops that will be on call for that situation.

Robe

Find here: https://amzn.to/2EUT0zW

I recently was gifted a robe and now I am obsessed with robes. I love waking up, slipping it on and roaming my home or out to the mailbox in peace. However, the robe I own is long, large and very soft (really, as a robe should be). It just doesn’t feel like the type of robe you’d wear at a hospital. It also is so large it would take up all of the room in my hospital bag, forcing me to bring another bag and inevitably making my husband frustrated by how many bags I’ve packed.

As I was scanning Amazon for my cute pajamas, I rolled across this robe. Not only do I love the look of it (okay, navy maybe is the same as black in terms of stains, but I’ll deal), but it is specifically designed for labor and delivery. And yet, it appears so “normal” I know I will continue to wear it past my breastfeeding days.

First off, it’s summer and so I love how it’s short with mid-length sleeves. The material is thin, but does not feel cheap or stretchy.

There are breastfeeding openings to allow for discrete feedings (so you don’t have to open your robe up), but they are also nicely hidden by the belt holding the robe closed.

Then in the back there are small snaps which allow easy access for an epidural (something I will be opting for). I don’t know that I will be wearing this as I am actually in labor, but I love knowing that I CAN if I choose to.

The snaps in the back are also discrete, if you didn’t know they were there, you’d probably not notice them at all.

Finally, this robe has the one essential all women love: pockets. Thank you, yes.

I do have the other standard stuff in my hospital bag, but I really do think less is more. I like to think of myself as a mid-maintenance kind of woman. Not high-maintenance where I’d be full-faced make-up, curling my hair, in my floral robe with matching personalized swaddles for the babies, but also not low maintenance running around in sweatpants and amniotic fluid in my shoes (well, not this time). No, I am now mid-maintenance, I’ll put a little effort in to feel comfortable and approachable. I’ll swipe on mascara in the mornings and I’ll keep my hair down (which hopefully I will have conveniently washed before I deliver). I’ll go to the effort of posting on Instagram, but I will look very average and normal.