Birth Center Packing List

Before my baby's arrival, I wondered what I would need to pack in my "go bag" for the big day. I Googled packing lists and scoured Pinterest - though I did find a few good birth center bag lists, I mostly found hospital bag lists which didn't quite fit the bill. I wouldn't need three days worth of clothes, for example, since most birth center moms go home 6-8 hours after delivery. Now that my baby has arrived, I thought I'd share a quick list of what I ended up using. Hopefully someone else will find it helpful!

**Super important thing I didn't do but wish I did** 

I wish I had walked my husband through what was in the bag!!! I remember being frustrated having to explain to him what compartment to look in to find what I was asking for. Also, if he knew everything that was in there he may have offered some of the items without being asked.

And without further ado, here is my Birth Center packing list. I managed to cram it all into the diaper bag!

Birth Center Bag Items

• Baby supplies
• 1 Swaddle
• 1 Hat
• 3-4 Diapers
• Baby wipes
• 2 Outfits for going home - one newborn size, one 0-3 months in case I had a big baby (thankfully for my body she was newborn size!)

• Mom supplies
• Labor clothes - I had packed a comfy sleep bra and soft t-shirt, which I ended up changing in to before we even left for the birth center. I unfortunately had like a billion hours of warning to get ready at home
• 1 Robe - wore this robe while still at the birth center after delivery, while family was in the room visiting
• 1 Going home outfit - I chose a comfy maternity dress with leggings in case it was cold out. I was due at the end of September so I figured it could be pretty warm or a bit chilly... it ended up being over 80 degrees that day so no leggings for me!
• 1 Sweater in case it was cold, did not end up using
• 2 Pairs comfy granny panties
• 1 Nursing bra - I brought nursing pads too but did not use. Not enough milk on day one to need them!
• 1 Hairbrush - also did not use but probably should have before pictures, lol
• Hair ties - I also thought I'd use a soft headband to keep the hair out of my face during labor, but I ended up not caring
• Toiletry bag - mine included deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and chapstick. I checked with the birth center ahead of time to make sure there was shampoo and body wash for my shower after delivery - much needed after Baby pooped meconium all over me!
• Check with the birth center ahead of time to see if you need to pack pads or a peri bottle, but most places provide these for you (mine did so I did not pack). You'll want to get some pads for home though!
• 1 Phone charger
• Dad supplies
• 1 Change of clothes - we packed a pair of shorts and t-shirt
• Toiletries - just deodorant and toothbrush
• 1 Phone charger (or not, if you have the same phone)
• SNACKS - this is what I was most glad I packed!! Exactly which snacks I ate is a bit of a blur, but I know I ate a bunch of them. Just things I could have little bites of helped - I sure needed the energy after 30 hours of early labor contractions! Don't forget to include some snacks for hubs too!
• Vitamin water/Gatorade/other electrolyte drinks
• Peanuts
• Protein bars/granola bars
• Dried fruit
• Chex Mix
• Apple slices
• Ice pops (these weren't packed in the diaper bag - we had them in a small cooler with the post-delivery meal, more on that later)

• Soothing stuff for labor - I packed rose-scented lotion and made special playlists, but I didn't use them! I played Pandora on my phone for a bit early on and after that I was too distracted to care! If you have a favorite pillow or something you may want that, though
• Last but not least, a couple plastic grocery bags - we ended up throwing dirty clothes in these to take home

Finally, here are a few non-bag items that we prepared:

• Carseat in car!
• Post-delivery meal - this may be unique to the birth center we went to, but we were told to plan ahead for what meal I'd want to eat post-delivery, in case it was the middle of the night with not much open. I prepped and froze meat sauce in advance to reheat and brought spaghetti to cook - there was a kitchen with pots and pans was available for our use
• I kept a trash bag and towel in my trunk in case my water broke in the car, did not end up using

And there you have it! I tried to keep it minimal because I hate schlepping stuff around that I don't need, but it still ends up being a pretty long list. What did you bring or wish you brought??

2017 Goals

Yikes, looks like my last post was my 2015 goals, so I'm a little behind on this blogging thing to say the least. I'm pretty sure I did write down 2016 goals somewhere, but apparently not here. Well, I've made some progress on my goals from 2015 and 2016, which I'll take a moment to brag about:

• I did a dead hang chinup!!! Super proud of this one. I even did it on more than one occasion! 
• I did four writing prompts in 2016, which is way more writing than I ever do so... baby steps. Very, very small, baby steps. 
• I updated my Etsy shop photos, banner and logo, and made a bunch of new crocheted items. Maybe more posts on that later.

And now, a moment of silence to commemorate the fallen goals of the last few years:

• I was doing so well with Duolingo (every day for almost a year) - but I fell off the wagon. I don't really have a specific reason to speak another language so am losing my drive to continue with the lessons. 
• Have not been regularly doing anything musical. I should probably just accept that this is no longer a priority for me. 
• Did not improve at keeping in touch! Hard fail on this one.

And finally, new goals for 2017. I'm really throwing down this year:

• Fitness Goals:
• Do two dead hang chinups in a row.
• Move more regularly - I do pretty intense workouts 3x per week, but I feel like I barely move the rest of the day due to sitting at my desk for work. For this one I'm aiming to just do short (10-15 min) daily exercises or dance breaks. I already started a mini-workout calendar for January.
• Etsy Goals:
• Find five favorite crochet patterns to sell in multiple colors. Basically I want to hone in on my favorites and offer more color selection rather than just having a bunch of random stuff.
• Sell 10 items on Etsy.
• Reading/Writing Goals:
• Read 10 books.
• Write 4 blog posts. Yes, this counts as one! #progress
• Do 6 writing prompts. This may overlap with the blog posts if I decide to post any short stories here. 

And with that, I promise my next post will not be 2018 Goals...