Packing a Hospital Bag for Twins
Babette Bevan, COO Milk Snob
In 10 days (or less!), we will be adding not one, but TWO babies to our family! These are words I never thought I would say, but it is feeling more real with each passing day, and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome our two little miracles. We have a 5-year-old daughter, so this will be our second and third—but even with having some experience under my belt, I don’t know that I’ll ever feel FULLY prepared (but does mom ever feel 100% prepared?)! I am currently in full nesting mode, so I’m busy cleaning, prepping, and organizing anything I can get my hands on. I packed my hospital bag based on advice from other mamas of multiples and can give an update on what was helpful after the babies arrive, but here is what is currently packed in my bag:
Medela Pump in Style with MaxFlow- Caveat: I haven’t used this yet, but I used a Medela pump with my first baby and really liked it. A friend recommended the MaxFlow because of the increased suction (which is always a good thing!). I am not planning to exclusively breastfeed, but if all goes well, I would like to breastfeed andsupplement with formula.
Hands free pumping bra – I purchased this zip-up pumping bra from Amazon, and it worked so well with my first. I pumped at work and was able to easily put it on/take it off without having to wear a pumping bra all day. I’m planning to use this with the twins, and I’ve heard pumping is necessary when you first have twins, regardless of if they are in the NICU. It helps to build up your milk supply, and I’m all for that, knowing that I will have two little mouths to feed instead of just one!
Nipple balm- There are so many good options out there. I have the MotherLove nipple cream, but in my experience, you honestly can’t go wrong with any choice—and it can’t ever hurt to have it on hand, just in case.
Milk Snob nursing covers- I just purchased our new Summer Stripes pattern (x2, of course) for the twins. I have them in my bag, ready to go when we leave the hospital and also to use as a nursing/pumping cover for those first few days with nurses in and out. This is a must-have for me, and I’m also looking forward to getting a cute picture of my husband walking out of the hospital carrying two car seats! Dads of little Milk Snob babies are the BEST!
Milk Snob Calm n’ Cuddle pacifiers- I know some experts recommend against pacifiers due to nipple confusion at the beginning, but I’m taking a few pacifiers just in case. And if they don’t use them in the hospital, I’m pretty confident that they’ll be obsessed with them after a few weeks! Every baby that I’ve seen at our photo shoots absolutely LOVES our pacifiers, and if they’re anything like our daughter, they’ll be little pacifier snobs I can’t wait to try them out, plus they are so cute. I’m bringing 2 of my favorite colors we offer- Breeze and Fig.
High-waisted post-c section underwear- I have a 2-pack from Motherhood Maternity, but again, from what I’ve heard, I don’t know if you can go wrong. My friends who have had c-sections have said that as long as they’re high waisted, that’s all you need! I didn’t have a c-section with my first, so this is unchartered territory for me, but I’ll definitely be using all of the high-waisted things post-partum.
Panty liners- no need to explain more, am I right? The things we go through!
Going home outfits- I have 2 ribbed onesies for the babies to wear home, from LittleOneShop. I’m also bringing a few preemie onesies and a few newborn onesies, since we aren’t sure exactly how big they’ll be. There’s also always a chance that one twin could be smaller than the other.
A loose dress to wear home- I will be wearing a loose maxi or midi dress home. When I came home with our daughter, I wanted to wear something tight that would “hold it all in” (we’ve all been there!) but this time around I’m a little weary of anything that might be uncomfortable with stitches and am planning to wear something loose. Our daughter was also born in January, rather than April, so the weather should be much nicer now that it’s springtime in Dallas!
