Practical and Straightforward

Note: I am not currently affiliated with any of these brands or products. I make no money off these recommendations.

What Not to Buy

• Diapers – You don’t know when baby is coming home so you don’t know what sizes you’ll need. If you choose to buy diapers, get size 3 and up.
• Newborn Clothes – Buy 1 or 2 cute items to bring your joy and remember how little your baby is. Just know that unless you have a preemie, there is a good chance they will never wear it.
• Feeding Gear – With the exception of a breast pump (see below), you don’t know what your baby’s feeding situation post-surgery will be. They may be able to breastfeed or maybe they need an NG tube for a time. Maybe they need an NG tube for a LONG time. You also don’t know how they will tolerate breastmilk or formulas. Feeding related purchases are best done as more information becomes available.

What To Buy

The Basics

You can find literally thousands of baby registry recommendations online for the typical baby. I won’t waste your time in repeating someone else’s work. You’re still going to need the essentials like a place for baby to sleep, be changed, travel, etc. But keep it simple in the beginning.

For Baby

Now for the stuff you came here for! These are the things that make a difference in the hospital.

• Button Down, Footless Sleepers – Immediately post-surgery your little one will look more like tubes and wires than baby. Attempting to put them in clothes will be futile. Our baby was 2 weeks old before he ever wore clothes and even then, he still had oxygen, an NG tube, a pulse ox monitor, and his monitor stickers. Button down sleepers in a size bigger than he needed was an absolute must. Most heart mama recommended button down sleepers to me but I’m here to tell you to BUY FOOTLESS sleepers. The nurses need to do regular vital checks which includes feeling the baby’s feet. The big toe is also a favorite place to put the pulse ox monitor. It’s just easier and less disruptive to their precious sleep if their feet are accessible.
• WubbaNub Pacifier – It’s important in a hospital to use the pacifier as much as possible to preserve the suck reflex. This is especially true if your baby is not eating right away. Our baby was not fully orally fed until 6 weeks post-op. The benefit of the WubbaNub Pacifier is the stuffed animal can help prevent the paci from falling out. You can prop it or swaddle it with them. As an added bonus, WubbaNub makes an adorable Heart Warrior Bear complete with zipper scar, just like our little heart warriors.
• Muslin Swaddle Blankets – The honest truth is those flannel hospital receiving baby blankets are just the worst. They are rough and scratchy and WAY too small to keep a wiggly baby wrapped inside them. It’s like trying to wipe with half the toilet paper you actually need. Unless your specific hospital unit gets blankets donated, the flannel is what they are likely to have. Ew. Save yourself a headache and bring your own swaddle blankets. They double as a fantastic spit up rag which you will likely need as severe reflux is common in heart warriors. I recommend 6-8 at least. Say it with me, “MORE MUSLIN BLANKETS IS MORE BETTER!”
• Warm Cute Blankets – This is where you can really brighten the space. Get your swaddles but also get several cute cozy baby blankets to lay over them. I say several because they WILL get soiled and you don’t have time to pop down to the laundry more than once a day.

• 2 Laundry Bags – I liked having a mesh bag with a string attached. There’s going to be a lot of laundry and if you want your stuff to remain your stuff you’ll provide a laundry bag in sight of the hospital crib. Have a 2nd so you can swap the bags when you’re ready to do laundry.
• Homemade Artwork – Do not underestimate or skip this step. I am a no-frills kind of person and did not do this at first. I came in one day to my child’s room and the nurses had taken time to decorate his bed with cheery homemade artwork. I was stunned by the impact it had on my morale. I commissioned my sister that day to do some word art to display the meaning of my son’s name. I started taping people’s cards to the window. This is also a wonderful and easy thing to tell people you need. If your baby is a newborn, it’s not for them. IT’S FOR YOU! Put encouraging things in front of your eyes. It helps more than you realize.

For You

• Comfy and Fun New Clothes – I can’t emphasize enough how much you’ll want loose fitting clothes at the hospital. You don’t get to go home and rest in the postpartum because you have a job to do! The more your clothes model pajamas the better. I wore my maternity leggings and a SLEEVLESS tunic top like this one here. I bought it in 3 different colors and made it my uniform. I know what you’re thinking, “Sleeveless?! Hospitals are igloos!” Yeah, the igloo is on the next item below. But you know where it doesn’t feel like an igloo? Next to a baby incubator. They turn that sucker up to the surface of the sun. Meanwhile you’re having a post-partum hot flash and think you might actually pass out from the heat. Get some layers and wear a sleeveless shirt.
• Nursing Friendly Sweatshirt – There is no place so COLD as the pumping rooms. Why?! Maybe they want to encourage your nipples to pucker up or something.

• Comfy Pajamas with PANTS – This is a personal preference but I really like not accidentally flashing the nurses in my sleep. But you do you.
• Quality Breast Pump (if you plan to pump) – Most insurance plans will cover this item. I plan to talk about my pumping journey more in depth in a later post but I’ll put an unsponsored plug here that I loved the Spectra S2.
• Pumping Gear – This includes pumping bras, breastfeeding friendly clothes, travel bottles of dish soap, milk storage bags, etc.
• 2 External Battery Packs – The last thing you should be thinking about is your phone battery or strategically positioning yourself to be close to an outlet and your baby. Save yourself a headache and get some external battery packs. Always have one charging.
• Charging Station – This Anker charger has seen me through all my hospital stays. It is a powerhouse charger that can charge multiple devices at once. Hospital outlets are often in weird places and the long cord allows you to over to a window ledge or table.
• Bluetooth Headphones – To each their own but I prefer the neckband headphones. Doctors are always popping in and out of the room and I liked the ability to pop the earbud out of my ear without wondering where to safely put it. But if you’re married to your AirPods, don’t let me break up a happy union.
• Tote Bag with Pockets – My mom gifted me a bag like the one linked and it was hands down the best gift I received. There are pockets everywhere to keep me from losing the essentials after stuffing all my extra crap into the middle section. I put absolutely everything in there, including my pump from time to time. As a bonus, get a distinct pattern to help your husband out. “Go get my bag.” = Marriage Disaster. “Go get my bag with the black and white flowers on it.” = Marital Success!
• Water Bottle – This seems self explanatory…
• Gift Cards – This one too.
• Memory Foam topper – This was actually a recent addition to my list after 3 years and 8 overnight hospital stays. Those couch/beds are comically uncomfortable. Except it’s not funny at all. Someone in manufacturing is playing a bad joke on us parents. Or is it some kind of cruel test to see if you’re tuff enough to hack being a heart mom? You’ll feel a little ridiculous hauling this up to your baby’s room but after being in the hospital enough times, you stop caring about that.

Ignore What “Is” and “Isn’t” Okay

This is my gift to you. I hereby set you free from expectations and “shoulds”. Take my memory foam topper for example. The first surgery I went through I’d have been self-conscious grabbing a kiddie wagon and hauling that thing from my car up to the 7th floor of the hospital. Not now.

The funny thing is, I like to think of myself as a minimalist in most contexts. I don’t have a lot of clutter, and nothing thrills me more than tossing something into the trash or donation bin. But this isn’t the time for minimalism. This is the time for the kitchen sink. Now there’s a thought! “Hubs! Get me a dolly for the sink!” If there is something that would make your life easier, get creative and make it happen.

Comment below if you have a hospital problem you’re stuck on and maybe I can help. Or if you’re a seasoned hospital warrior I’d love to hear what items made the difference for you!