Ivy’s Pink Bag | NICU Edition

Before the medical equipment, there was a little pink diaper bag

8.29.2026
22 — A Personal Blog

Before Ivy’s trach, ventilator, feeding tube, and emergency equipment became part of our daily life, there was a little pink diaper bag. It held everything we needed.

Diapers. Wipes. Bottles. Burp cloths. Pacifiers. Blankets. Tiny outfits.

The ordinary things you expect to find in a baby’s diaper bag.

There was something comforting about packing those things.

A clean outfit.

A fresh diaper.

A bottle.

A little blanket.

They were tiny reminders that underneath the wires, monitors, and hospital equipment, Ivy was still just my baby.

I wanted to bring the things that made her feel like a baby, even when our surroundings looked nothing like the beginning of motherhood I had imagined.

The Things I Packed Without Thinking Twice

I always wanted to be prepared.

Along with the diapers and wipes, I carried extra clothes, feeding supplies, pacifiers, hand sanitizer, and whatever else I thought Ivy might need during our time at the hospital. I kept important information close, too—medical information, emergency contacts, and lists of things we needed to remember.

At the time, I didn’t realize I was already learning one of the realities of having a medically complex child: Preparation becomes part of everyday life.

You learn what you need.

You learn what you don’t.

You learn what absolutely cannot be forgotten.

And you learn to pack for the possibility that the day may not go exactly as planned.

Then the Diaper Bag Started to Change

As Ivy’s medical needs grew, so did the things we carried. Eventually, our diaper bag couldn’t hold everything anymore. The simple baby supplies were still there—diapers, wipes, clothes, and blankets—but now they shared space with feeding-tube supplies, medications, suction supplies, and other medical necessities.

Our outings required more planning.

Leaving the house wasn’t simply:

“Do we have the diaper bag?”

It became:

“Do we have everything Ivy needs?”

Her feeding supplies.

Her medications.

Her emergency information.

Her medical equipment.

The things we once thought of as “just in case” became things we needed every time we left home.

When a Diaper Bag Becomes a Medical Bag

Eventually, medical equipment became a much bigger part of our lives.

Ivy had a tracheostomy.

She needed a ventilator.

She required suctioning.

She had a feeding tube.

And we had emergency supplies that needed to be accessible wherever we went.

Our bags became bigger.

Our checklists became longer.

And my definition of being prepared completely changed. I learned to keep backup supplies, emergency airway information, suction supplies, feeding supplies, medications, and important medical information organized and ready. It wasn’t about being paranoid. It was about being prepared for my daughter. Because when you’re caring for a medically complex child, you learn very quickly that the little things matter.

What I Wish I Could Tell a New NICU Mom

If you’re a new NICU mom reading this, please know that you don’t have to know everything right away.

I didn’t.

I didn’t know what I would eventually need to carry.

I didn’t know how much our lives would change.

And I certainly didn’t know that I would become comfortable carrying equipment and supplies I had never even heard of before becoming Ivy’s mom.

Start with the basics.

Diapers. Wipes. A change of clothes. Feeding supplies. A blanket. Your baby’s comfort items. Then let your baby’s needs teach you what comes next. You don’t have to build the perfect bag on day one. You just have to learn your baby.

What Was Once Ordinary Became Part of Our Story

When I look at that little pink diaper bag now, I don’t just see a bag.

I see the beginning.

I see the mom who walked into the NICU carrying diapers and tiny clothes, not knowing what was ahead.

I see the hope I carried with me.

I see the transition from ordinary baby supplies to medical equipment.

And I see how quickly motherhood can become something completely different from what you imagined. That little bag reminds me that before there was a trach, a ventilator, a feeding tube, emergency equipment, and endless medical supplies, there was simply Ivy. And me, learning how to be her mom. Looking back, I had no idea how much our bag—and our life—would change. But this was where our journey began.