Packing for the Hospital: Pre-Packed Labor and Delivery Bag!

Just 38 days until Ladybug's due date! Time to pack my hospital bag! So continuing my Virtual Baby Shower, meet Babytime Bags!

Without a doubt, packing for the hospital has been one of the most exciting parts of pregnancy for me. It's up there with decorating the nursery. To me it's like packing for a big vacation. We will leave our home as parents-to-be and return with a new little munchkin. SO EXCITING!
It took everything in me to keep from packing my bags at the start of my second trimester. When I'm planning a vacation I love to shop and get my bags organized weeks in advance. Of course the daily hygienic things I keep out until the day before, but sometimes I go as far as to buy new travel-sized things just for the trip. I keep adding to the bag as I go and it's just a fun thing I like to do to build up the excitement of my impending trip!

It's the same way with getting ready for my trip to bringing Ladybug home, but trying to remember everything for this trip can be a little stressful, especially since there are so many things to remember: Birth wishes letter, my adorable hospital gowns, Ladybug's special hats... Plus all of the regular stuff people bring like shampoo and toothpaste.

Problem solved with one of the most glorious things I've seen in all of my pregnancy, the pre-packed labor hospital bags from BabyTime Bags.

The woman behind them is Nia. When she was pregnant with her first son she was under an enormous amount of pressure trying to find a house to buy and she ended up on bedrest for the month prior to his birth due to her high blood pressure.

She wanted to pack her hospital bag herself and just couldn't leave it to her hubby to do (which can't we totally understand?) Being the web-addicted person she is, I tried searching for pre-packed hospital bags. Figuring out what to put in the bag was a bit overwhelming too, so she was hoping this would help.

"I searched high and low with all manner of search terms and only came up with one company {which is still in business and shall remain nameless}," she said. "I wasn't that enthused with the bag and was even less so when I received it. But it served it's purpose and I added a ton of stuff to it."
"I'm a crazy multi-tasker and had been trying to come up with a business to start, but was still looking for that business idea that filled a void. Voila! I realized, 'Hey, there have to be other mommies-to-be out there like me, and there's only this one company and they aren't that great. And I know I can do it MUCH better.' And from there Babytime Bags was created!"

She wanted to start her own business(es) because she knows how hard it is to juggle a family and a career where someone else calls the shots. "As so many other mompreneurs have discovered, while you may work harder when you work for yourself, it's more rewarding and can be done easier when your time and location is flexible," she added!

So check out her marvelous invention! They sent me a bbLux bag, stuffed with all sorts of goodies! In fact, so much awesomeness I decided to vlog about it! So watch to see the goodies!

I love love love it so much! There's also a letter inside that has a reminder of other things to pack that aren't included. Knowing that I'd need to fit my birthing ball and my hospital gowns in too, (plus bows, blankets and hats for Ladybug... Oh, and my husband's stuff) I did get an additional bag to go with it to pack the extra things they suggest (and more). I got this adorable coordinating duffle from The Groovy Mommy Etsy shop! She was so sweet too, and the bag and monogram was only $25! So... if you need more space, check her out. They could match any Babytime Bag you get (my little discovery!)

Nia has been married for 4 years to her law school sweetheart and they have one son and another on the way (our due dates are close!!).

She loves to travel, especially to Barbados, and doesn't have pets cause she says her 3 boys are enough, but she has some great new mama advice for me!

{New Mama Advice}

"I think the best piece of advice is not to be afraid to let stuff go. Don't try to do everything you did before AND get adjusted to a little one all at the same time. That is hard to do when you are a multi-faceted, hard-working, multi-tasking person and you're used to doing everything {and doing it well}! But until you get the hang of it {and that could take a year or 2} it's okay to focus on baby/family and get to the other stuff when you can. Delegate {especially to hubby}. Make sure you get rest. And enjoy every second of your little one."

Great advice from a great mama! So, would you like one of these awesome bags?

{Get One}

The cost of a Babytime Bag is nearly HALF of what you would pay if you purchased everything individually that is included in this must-have carryall (not to say how much time you will save!). Also, as you will soon find out, this bag will come in handy with your new little one because you can never have enough bags.

They are fun and stylish for one, two, or even three trips to the hospital. Later, your Babytime Bag can be used as a stylish diaper bag or an additional bag for overnight trips. Learn more about Babytime Bags by following @BabyTimeBags on twitter or "liking" Babytime Bags on Facebook.

You can buy one of these on sale from Babytime Bags. She's giving my readers a 10% discount UNTIL the end of the YEAR! Woohoo! Use the code: "FUTUREMAMA10" at checkout!

{WIN One} GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Or take your chances here first at winning a bbBasic Bag for free! What's in it?

A gorgeous and versatile quilted luggage piece by Quilted Keepers® in one of three vibrant patterns, embroidered with thebbPram logo and personalized for the mother-to-be.

Te bbBasic comes with many practical and indulgent items, such as*:

Evian® face spritz Preggie Pops® Altoids® mints fluffy socks headband and scrunchie organic lip balm hand mirror clock "who to call" list template a Milkband® Lansinoh® cream

Lansinoh® breast pads pen and journal all-natural toothbrush & toothpaste all-natural mouthwash little twig organic body wash little twig organic body lotion plush slippers flip-flops luxurious sleep mask and ear plugs laundry bag bbReference Guide For New Mothers

And that's just SOME of what's in it, not to mention the adorable diaper bag you get to keep! So.... Want to win one of these bags valued at $125!?

{To Enter to Win}

Check out Babytime Bags and let me know your favorite bag and color in the comments section.

{For Extra Entries: Leave an additional comment if you:}

-Leave a piece of New Mama advice (I'm gonna print them on cards later!)
-If you RSVPd to the shower

-Leave a comment on my Youtube video or subscribe to my Youtube page

-Follow @babytimebags on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway with a link!

-"Like" Babytime Bags on Facebook and write a wall comment telling her you saw her on my blog!

-"Like" Baby Makin(g) Machine on Facebook

-Email subscribe to my blog and confirm your email subscription

-Subscribe to my blog using this feedburner

-Vote for my bog on Top Baby Blogs (it's way easy) 1X pr day

-Vote for my blog on Babble

-Add my blog or giveaway button to your blog (1 each)

-Comment on one of my posts on my Project Pregnancy Blog
-Post about this giveaway on your blog

-Unlimited comments for commenting on any non-giveaway post during the giveaway duration

Contest closes June 8th at 11:59pm. Random.org will choose the winner!

Good Luck!

*Thanks Babytime Bags for sending me a product to review and for sponsoring the giveaway. No monetary compensation was accepted. Opinions expressed are mine alone.*