NICU Necessities

I thought I would have plenty of time to think about what I wanted to pack and carry in my diaper bag once Little Mister was here.

Little did I know that my diaper bag would come in handy a whole lot earlier and need to hold a whole host of other necessities.

Every day that I travel to the NICU you would think that I am moving in.

I have tried to narrow down what I carry each day but it's not going well.

Because I spend a large chunk of my day (a day in the life post coming soon) I seem to need a lot of things in the NICU.

Here is a general run down:

1.  Diaper Bag : We were kindly gifted our diaper bag in our 'shower' (that we didn't attend-recap of that coming soon as well).  It has been a lifesaver!  I have been very pleased with the way it's worked out, plus it's cute to boot!

2.  Lunch box(es) : I carry 2 every day.  One I fill with milk bottles and one I fill with actual lunch.  Though the cafeteria isn't that bad, I try to take my lunch so that I don't eat fries every day.  I do get a Diet Dr. Pepper every day, it's sadly (or not!) the highlight of my day.  

Funny story - after I delivered the nurse asked if she could get me anything and I said, 'oh my gosh, I would LOVE a Diet Coke!'  She looked at me and said 'we have Diet Pepsi...'.  I think actual fire might have come out of my eyes.  All I had all day long was ice chips and a half a grape popsicle.   

Thankfully Diet Dr. Pepper is pretty good but nothing satisfies like my Diet Coke...

3.  iPad : My mom gave me an iPad mini for my birthday last year and never have I used it SO much.  It is the perfect size for reading, which I do a lot of while pumping and snuggling Little Mister.

4.  Hands free bra :  I went a week pumping without this thing and I am not sure why I did.  Literally THE best money I've ever spent.  I can do just about anything while pumping with this thing on.  Floyd has taken to sitting with me while I pump so thankfully this bra lets my hands be free to pet and snuggle him.

5.  Leggings : While I managed to get on jeans over the weekend for dinner out, I spend 99.9% of my time in leggings and work out gear.  Which is just fine by me because it's all the better for snuggling in ;)

6.  Boppy : I recently picked up a boppy and it makes feeding and holding Little Mister SO much easier.  This is one of those baby items I thought might just be hyped up but it is really worth it! It hugs your body so well and provides a great support to hold a baby.  

7.  Camera : Duh ;) while I have about a million photos of Little Mister on my phone, I have enjoyed having my real camera there to catch some very special photos of the babe.

8.  Chapstick :  The NICU is as dry as the Sahara so this is a must

9.  Good, thick lotion : See above

10.  Patience :  The past 3+ weeks have been the slowest and fastest of our lives EVER but above all else, patience is key.  The days go quickly and slowly there but in order to keep our sanity, we know that we must have a whole lotta patience.