She’s here! She’s here!

Ever Joy Elder was born on October 17th at 11:10 am weighing 8 pounds 11 oz, and measuring 21.5″ long. We are all in love with her!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me sharing our birth story. I didn’t mean to, but it turned into a week-long saga 😂 Until I have the capacity to write it out for yall here on the blog, I would love for you to check it out on the gram HERE and HERE.

While it was all still fresh, I wanted to share a list of items that I brought with me to the hospital along with some things I prepped beforehand for postpartum that I’m SO GLAD I DID!

Items I’m glad I packed for labor….

6 ft phone cord – You don’t know where the outlets are, and you’ll want to have a full charge to chat with family/friends and take photos.

Cotton dress to labor in – If you don’t have to wear a hospital gown, I suggest something comfy and black (you can’t see anything you might get on it).

Black nursing sports bra – I brought 2 — one for laboring in the bath and one for the rest of the time.

Essential oil diffuser – ask ahead if your hospital allows this, but with both my hospital births, I gained a lot of brownie points with the nurses by diffusing peace + calming. Plus, it feels like home and sets a great atmosphere. I also diffused a “labor blend” of frankincense, ylang-ylang, lavender, and roman chamomile. To make it easy, I put it in a dropper and placed 6-8 drops each time we refilled it. I think this scent will forever remind me of labor.

Peppermint oil – Great oil to boost energy or if you are feeling nauseous. I had my husband put this on the back of my neck and just let me sniff it.

Other oils I used consistently: valor on my wrists for confidence and bravery, CBD calm roller for all the calm vibes, clary sage around my ankles to help keep my contractions going, and my labor roller (3 drops helichrysum, 3 fennel, 1 peppermint, 4 ylang-ylang, 3 clary sage in a 5ml roller).

Ningxia red packets – Another young living fave, these 2oz packets of superfruit juice helped me.

Labor aide drink – I made this a week or so before I went into labor and just kept in a big water bottle in my fridge. When it was time to go to the hospital, I just stuck it in my bag, along with a big water bottle of water.

Honey sticks – I read on several blogs people talking about honey sticks. I’m so glad I ordered them. – they were really the only snack I wanted to eat while in labor. They gave me just a hit of energy and sugar. I also had a Lara bar and some peanut butter crackers while in labor. I packed a HUGE snack bag, but what we didn’t eat, I just transferred to my postpartum/nursing basket!

Also, don’t forget chaptstick, hair rubber bands, a killer playlist (here’s mine from spotify), cozy slippers, a blanket + pillow from home (make sure to put a non-white pillowcase on it so you don’t leave it behind accidently).

Items I’m super glad I packed for post baby….

I packed 2 smaller bags for our trip to the hospital and I’m glad I did. I had one with everything I needed before baby, and one for after. Even with my oils and toiletries.

With me in recovery I had: again my pillow, nursing pillow, and blanket from home. It was just nice to have my cozy things, and a nursing pillow is a MUST!

Helichrysum oil – multiple people told me to bring this amazing skin support oil and I’m so glad I did. It’s really great for postpartum bleeding. So right from the beginning, I put a couple of drops on my abdomen often.

I also was so glad to have my claraderm spray. Even though I had a c-section, I did labor for a long time so I needed the support “down there.” I spray this amazing skin supporting product right on my incision now that my c-section glue is off.

I didn’t take a shower or change out of the hospital gown until the next day, but when I did I was so grateful to have my new nursing tank, nesting olive robe, cozy house shoes, and super comfy pj’s.

I also packed travel sized version of my toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, face wipes, toothbrush + toothpaste, deodorant….and also some makeup!

OH MY GOSH YOU NEED THIS! Seriously, this little nightlight was (and still is) a game changer. It’s the perfect amount of light for the middle of the night nursing sessions. Just keep on your nightstand!

Things I brought for the baby…..

This was the fun part. I loved getting to buy new things for Ever Joy. It’s amazing how in just 3.5 years, there are all sorts of new brands and baby items.

Ollie Swaddle – While the nursery nurses did most of the swaddling, when it was just us in the room I’m glad we had this go to swaddle.

Knotted gowns weren’t a thing before, but now we are obsessed! We got one that matched her wallpaper in her room for those sweet hospital photos. *we also love knotted gowns from Lou Lou and Cozys

Also for photos, we loved the Caden Lane name sign! They have lots of options here.

Baby blanket – I am obsessed with ours from Stella and Lu. I picked up the fabric and it’s so dreamy. Most nights I actually sleep with it haha.

Nursing pillow – you really need one of these if you plan to breastfeed. I’ve had this Luna Lullaby one with all my kids. I love the shape of it, and it’s super cozy. Multi purpose!

I also brought our diaper bag with all the things (just in case) – but it mostly was a place to hold the things I would normally have in my purse, including thieves hand sanitizer, wallet, mask, lip gloss, burb cloth, diapers + wipes!

Don’t forget to pack a comfy/cute outfit to wear home — I wore my dwell and slumber caftan.

Alright – whew! I really wanted to share what I packed while it was all fresh. Postpartum will be the next little series we do. But in review……

Things I didn’t bring, but wish I had:

my eye mask for sleeping, my immupro (sleep support), bath towel (the one was fine, but sorta wish I had a bigger fluffier one!)

If I would have known I would have a c-section, I would have brought a belly binder.

Things I brought and didn’t need:

my frida bottle, haakka, own diapers + wipes, shower shoes.

I hope this was helpful for you! Send this to a friend, bookmark it for later, or make your list now. Happy birthing!