Baby Registry/ Hospital Bag Must-Have's

I am sitting here writing to you just shy of 37 weeks pregnant and with the worst acid reflux ever. I feel bad for the folks that have heartburn symptoms regularly because this is terrible. Tim and I went to a Loons soccer game a couple weekends ago, neither of us are really soccer fans, but we live so close to the stadium, we thought it would be a fun date night. And it was all fun and games until I got my first hint of sciatic pain, or at least I think it was. It was a shooting pain in my right glute, I could barely walk because every time I lifted my right leg the pain shot up me. The fact that I accidently bought standing room tickets only didn't help, so I had no where to sit down to get the pressure off my leg. Nonetheless, I told Tim I would definitely do another soccer game but after this babes is out.

It's becoming increasingly harder to eat food, I am envious of the pregnant folks who have ravenous appetites in 3rd trimester because that is most definitely not my experience. I don't know if I am not hungry because the acid reflux is so uncomfortable, or because I have less and less room in my stomach as her giant bodies grows. Maybe a bit of both. The reflux seems to be sporadic, doesn't necessarily happen around when I eat, sometimes it's a couple hours after I eat, before I eat, when I eat.... really keeps me on my toes. It's a lovely burning sensation in my throat and often my food will come up, not to the point of barfing, but definitely straight up the esophagus! Yum. So that's cool. Anyways, that's not what I am hear to talk about, just figured I'd give you a little bodily function update incase you were curious.

Ok, I will stop complaining now. Let's move on to the good stuff.

I thought I would share some of my baby registry/ baby product must-haves. Not that I have any idea if I will actually like these things, but they align with my style, quality, and lifestyle the most. So hopefully she will like them too.

Skin care/ toiletries

As far as baby and mom skin and body care goes, these are my favorites. Most of everything you find here will be the most natural, non-toxic, gentle on the bod items I can get for us.

Mama Earth Nipple Cream- from what I've heard, nipple butter is a must for breastfeeding as you navigate the land of the cracked and swollen nipple.

Mama Earth Perineal Balm or Spray- great for before or after birth for any discomfort you feel in that area or if you get as lucky as me and get hemorrhoids before or after birth

Mama Earth Baby Wash- can you tell that I like this brand?

Frida Mom Postpartum Essential Kit- I've been told that disposable underwear, a peri-bottle, and ice packs are helpful, this handy little kit had everything so I grabbed one. I've also been told you get a lot of this from the hospital too, of which I plan on stealing, but most woman have said the stuff isn't the greatest.

Nursey/Baby Items

Snuggle Me Organic Lounger- I'd like to have her on the floor, or in something that she has free range of movement, more than a bouncer or other contraption so we got one of these. It's a great item. It also doesn't take up a lot of space.

Car Seat/Stroller Combo- this was a shot in the dark, Chicco is a good brand so we thought we'd try it out. We did buy an extra base so we have a base in each vehicle. Feels like it would be a pain in the butt to keep moving it around.

Clip-On High Chair- have I mentioned I hate clutter? the thought of a bulky high chair sitting around, and then needing somewhere to store it makes me cringe. This seemed like a more minimalist-style item.

Ergo Baby Carrier- I plan to baby hold as much as possible, but I know a carrier of some sort is needed so we went with this one.

Play Mat- back to the concept of floor/tummy time, and having free range of her body. We got a nice floor mat that will be in the living room. It's expensive but she will also spend a lot of her time here so it was worth it.

Boba Wrap Carrier- I've had multiple friends tell me how much they loved this in the early days.

Clothing Items for Mom

Kindred Bravely Nursing Bra- this thing is very comfortable, I may or may not have already worn it a few times. I bought 2 of these. I have been told having a few nursing bras is helpful just for easy access to the ta-tas.

Labor/Nursing Gown- I wanted something to slip on at the hospital, or for something loose and comfy to wear home from the hospital. This was amazing! Very soft, comfortable, and boob access.

Other Baby Accessories- again, all these items are going to error on the non-toxic, natural side of the spectrum. I mean, they are in her mouth a lot so I'd like to not have too many funky materials.

Bottles- We went with Dr. Brown's bottles, I will probably get the glass ones instead of plastic. I plan to breastfeed exclusively for the first few weeks ( maybe!), and then introduce a bottle since at some point she will be in daycare and needs to be comfortable feeding from one.

Pacifiers- I am not sure we will use one, but wanted to have one on hand just incase.

Teething- Eco-friendly/bpa/toxin free products

Baby Monitor- we went with the HelloBaby one, it's not as expensive and pretty basic. Other mom's have reported liking this one! I also wanted a WIFI- free one.

The Hospital Bag

We just started putting one together, but this is the list we've made from what we think we will need and other suggestions from moms. I like my own things, many hospitals provide everything you need, and even if you didn't have a hospital bag, you

would probably be just fine but I like a little preparation.

- Toiletries- taking a shower or bath post-baby with my own stuff sounds delightful

- the Frida Mom Postpartum Kit, nipple cream, and perineal spray that I linked above

- Babies wear home outfit

- Mom's wear home outfit- something loose and comfy

- Labor gown- I bought my own, and a nursing bra. You obviously get a hospital gown but I thought being in my own clothes sounded better.

- phone charger, a book and headphones- incase you want to tune out everyone :)

- Slippers- I had like 10 people tell me this!

- Birth Plan/Preference and a couple copies of it, if you did one.

- Car seat- locked and loaded! ( ours is linked above)

- Partner's change of clothing

- Pillow- again, totally unnecessary but having my own things brings me comfort

- my straightener- I feel better with my hair looks nice, what can I say.

- a cup with a straw- this is something we learned in our birthing class. It's important to stay hydrated during the process and apparently there is nothing more annoying than having to drink from a bottle or something, so straws make it a little easier.

- VivaRays- duh, I don't go anywhere without them. This is my affiliate link, by the way. You can use code brandisheehanhealth for 15% off your pair. Hospital lights, especially at night sound miserable so this is how I protect my sleep and sanity.

-LMNT- back to the important of staying hydrated during birth, I will make sure I have a stash of my favorite electrolytes on hand.

- Ten's Unit- I have had one of these for years, a few people have told me they are wonderful during labor to help ease the contractions, or if you have back labor so I am bringing it along!

- Essential Oils- I *plan* to labor in the tub for a bit. Water has always been very calming to me, and it's extremely hard to hold tension in the water.

Lastly- the number one suggestion when I polled IG, SNACKS! ALL THE SNACKS. Maybe I will do another blog about what we are bringing with, because right now, I haven't gotten that far yet. But, I probably don't need to tell you hospital food is dog shit and a vending machine will get expensive fast, especially if you are there longer than you planned. From what I know, maternity rooms all typically have a refrigerator in them so we'll bring a few items.

That's it for now! Remember, I literally have no idea what I am doing, but I enjoy researching, planning, some preparation even if my plan goes nothing how I envision, talking to other mom's and making lists. This blog is a combination of all of that.

Enjoy.