Hospital Bag & Baby Favorites!

Hi friends!

I can’t believe our precious girl is finally HERE! 🙂 I didn’t get this out before she arrived, but wanted to share what I packed for the hospital and some of our favorite baby items we have loved for all three of our babies now and a few new ones I’m excited to add in for baby number 3!

Now- before I get into the material items, let me share a few other things that I “packed” with me for delivery day!

Humility. This has been one of the greatest things God has taught me in all three of our children’s births to that I have learned to “pack along” with me for the hospital. Births, for almost every woman, won’t go as planned. Even if your birth story is nearly all that you had hoped it would be, chances are, there were parts of your birth story that took you by surprise or you hadn’t “envisioned”. For me, every one of our children’s birth stories have had hiccups and gone down different paths of God’s choosing than I would’ve chosen. With our oldest, I had hoped to have a totally natural birth, and I ended up having her via emergency c-section. With our son, he had a small stint of needing to get some extra testing done in regards to his heart because he initially failed one of the tests. And with our third, what I anticipated being another repeat c-section with little to no hiccups and a quick recovery, ended up being a 6-day stay at the hospital due to our little lady needing to head to the NICU after she was born to heal after taking in extra fluids into her lungs on her way out into the world. All three of these birth stories did not go the way I had prayed they would, but God has shown me in each of these stories of our precious children entering the world that, His ways are not ours. His ways are perfect, because He is perfect. His ways are kind and loving, because He is kind and loving. There is nothing outside of God’s sovereignty- He rules and reigns over all, in all, and sustains all things (Colossians 1:15-20). I came back to this place in Colossians where Paul talks about the centrality that Christ should hold in the life of the believer, and it brought me great comfort as we waited to head home with our little girl after a very long week.

2. Dependence. Another thing that God has taught me to pack along with me for the hospital a little bit more with each birth of our three children. Dependence on Him. Dependence on His word. Dependence on the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us before the Father, helps us in our weakness, prays the things we ought to but don’t (Romans 8:26), and is our helper that Jesus sent to us after he said it was to our advantage that he go away and send the Holy Spirit to us right now (John 16:7). Along with things not always going as planned as we think about what our delivery days will be like, with each pregnancy, God has worked in me to wring out the self-sufficient, type-A nature of me that likes to think I can handle/control all the things- when that’s just not true. God reminded me many different times as we were in the NICU with Charlee that the sufficiency of Christ as the sustainer of all things is enough (Col. 1:15-20) and I can trust that God truly is a better caregiver and Father who reigns sovereignly over every single aspect of every single part of our Charlee girl’s life.

3. Contentment. Along with humility and dependence, God has reminded me to pack contentment for the hospital. Contentment not just in things like my circumstances, but more so contentment in Him. Period. Contentment in Christ. If Jesus is sufficient in all things and preeminent over all things (Col. 1:15-20) then my contentment must be found in Him first and foremost. And out of the overflow of that, therein lies my contentment in my circumstances, both good and bad. In my failure to find contentment in Him first and foremost, God has taught me and grown me and sanctified me. Many times during our last hospital Labor Day for Charlee I was tested by the circumstances God placed us in and where my contentment was found was also tested. Like I said, in my failure, God showed me that my contentment can not be in my circumstances, my contentment can only be found in the Creator over all circumstances. I pray that one day like Paul I can say that I have learned contentment.

Philippians 4:11-13

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

So, it is my joy as I share God’s work of the sanctification, the ongoing learning of contentment and dependence and humility through each birth of our three children in hopes that it glorifies Him and encourages you. I pray that you would take these three things along with whatever else you deem necessary for the hospital and for your baby. I pray you’d take these three things with you always in all spaces and places God maY have you. These things mentioned above- in the hospital and everywhere else the Lord takes me, are essential. Essential in my relationship with Jesus. Contentment in Christ alone. Humility to release control over my life, my childrens’ lives, my husband’s life, our family, my circumstances- good or bad, and everything else before a Holy, Sovereign, Good, and Covenant Keeping God is essential. Depending on Him for all things and in all things is essential. My relationship with Christ is essential. It’s the greatest, highest joy I must continually pursue and strive for in life. I thank God He has used Charlee’s birth to clearly remind me of that.

With that, below is my short list of some hospital and baby favorites. I don’t get all fancy with things. We’ve kept the same swing we’ve had that we got when Collins’ was born. I’m really only sharing the tried and true items we’ve loved and used for every baby of ours and just a few new things I picked up that have been wonderful to have.

Poppy Pillow – have loved and used this pillow for nursing at home for all three babies and just picked up this organic little green leaves cover for the pillow I already had before Charlee was born. If I didn’t already have the whole pillow, I probably would’ve gotten this pretty floral one 🙂

2. Vornado Baby Sensa – Dakota found this one and we have loved this Vornado baby brand for both C + T for the fans/noise machine and air purifier machine we had in their rooms (that’s now in Charlee’s nursery) and this is awesome because it is a space heater that comes with a monitor that attaches to the crib and senses the air temperature in the room and kicks on whenever the temp is not set at the temp you want it to be in the room.

3. Munchkin Owl Light – I have used this for all three babies now for those middle of the night changings. One way I have always tried to help our kiddos get their days and nights down is by not overstimulating them in the middle of the night when they need to be changed or fed in those early days/months. I do not turn on any big bright lights, I don’t really engage with the baby as far as talking to them goes, and I try to keep them as warm as I can (that Vornado Sensa space heater above makes for the PERFECT spot to set Charlee on the floor a few feet from to change her in the middle of the night so the warm air keeps blowing on her as I’m changing her!). This little owl light gives just enough light and I love that Iyou can move it around the room with you, and it’s a cute nightlight for them when they get a little bigger. It also automatically shuts off after 15-20 minutes if you haven’t already shut it off. Love that!

4. Hatch Baby Light – another great little night light for the nursery, and as they grow and the time to rise and time to rest schedule you can set up with these has been a game changer for both Collins and Tommy. We have these in both of their rooms too and these are so nice for them knowing when it’s rest time, when they can get up from rest time, and same for bed too. You operate the settings right from your phone on the app, so you can adjust the time, night light color, and sound for the sound machine option quickly and easily. There are a couple versions of this, one that also has a digital clock on the front and one that doesn’t . Tommy has the clock one and the girls have the one without the digital clock, both are very similar so if you don’t care about having the digital clock, I would go with the other one because it’s a little cheaper and they are so similar!

5. Battery Operated Stroller Fan – this is a new item we got for our third summer baby and we have already used this so much, especially on hot soccer nights watching big sis play! You do have to recharge it every so often, but we love that it has three fan speeds and it also has an LED light with a couple brightness settings, so would be a great thing to keep on their carseat in the car if you’re driving at night too!

6. Angelcare Baby Bath – love this! Our little lady took her first bath this past week in it and I love how upright and secure she was in this bath. We really like it and glad we made a swap from our old one!

7. Dockatot – I got this when we had Tommy and use it all the time for her now too when she comes with me to work and I need a spot to lay her down. It is an awesome portable and lightweight lounge for babies!

8. Halo Sleepsacks – hands down one of my favorite baby products ever. These make swaddling your babe up so easy and takes very little time to do with minimal moving your baby around, so this is especially nice for those middle of the night feedings when they fall back asleep and you have to lay the baby back down without disturbing/waking them back up!

9. Medela Quick Clean Steamer Bags – THESE!!! Such a game changer for cleaning all your pumping parts. I’ve shared about these a few times on my IG stories. You add your quickly rinsed pumping parts into the steamer bag with the water noted on the bag, put it in the microwave for 3 minutes, pour out the excess water, and then set your hot and steam-cleaned pumping parts out to air dry. Another great item for middle of the night, but also for all the working moms out there!

10. Haakaa – Speaking of pumping, this is another new item we picked up this time around. I haven’t used it a ton yet but when I have, it is awesome!!! It is a manual breast pump that suctions to the other side you aren’t feeding your baby on and collects milk/let down as your baby is nursing! It is extremely easy to use, easy to clean, easy to take with you on the go, and easy to pour out to freeze!

11. Bamboobies – and for when I’m not pumping or using the haakaa…. THESE for the other hours in the day. Reusable, washable nursing pads. I’ve been very happy with them so far!

12. Pajama Set – I love this pajama set and have it in two colors. I’ve had them from previous Nordstrom Anniversary sales, but the functional buttons make this pajama set so easy to nurse and very nice for those middle of the night feedings.