How to pack your hospital bag is a hot topic for first time moms. I am currently pregnant expecting my first child with only 8 weeks until my due date! It is an exciting time and also a little nerve-racking as the date gets closer to meeting our baby boy. I’m that crazy personality type that likes to plan ahead. The nursery is ready, the stroller, highchair, and key items are set up. You might be like me and already set up too. Or you might be pulling everything together at what feels like the last moment. Either way, let me make it easier on you and let you in on the need-to-know information. I’ve done all the research so you can take out the guess work. Of course, you can add more to your hospital bag if it makes your heart content. However, I want to share with you the essentials. I’ve Googled, YouTubed, and even asked my own doctors, nurses, and practitioners, what do you really need to pack for the hospital? Here are the answers I’ve found.
check out (89) Sarah Lavonne – YouTube for everything you need to know about birthing and what to expect during labor and delivery. She is a lifesaver!
How to pack your hospital bag, step one:
Choosing your Hospital Bag
So, to start out, you should be choosing what bag or bags is going to work best for your travels to and from the hospital. I divided the essential must-haves into 3 categories, for mom, for partner, and for baby. What works best for me is having a large suitcase on wheels for mom and partner items, and a backpack for baby. Think about it, you’ll be leaving the hospital with an additional person that needs to ride home in a safety car seat. That adds quite a bit to carry. So, make it easier on yourself and your partner/support person. wheels and easy to carry bags are a must! You’ll notice I mentioned a large suitcase. You may be thinking to yourself, “But I want to be more minimal.” Trust me that I am sticking to just the essentials here. There are some bigger items that I will mention later on in this post. But also consider that the hospital will be giving you after-birth-care-items to take home with you. Again, you want the excursion out of the hospital to be an easier one.
How to pack your hospital bag, step two:
Phone Charger
The first Item that comes to mind, that I’ve heard repeated by literally everyone, is bring a phone charger, a really, really, long phone charger! I bought two ten-foot phone charging cords, and a charging port with two USB ports to fit both cords. That way, my partner and I could charge and use our phones at the same time. The inside hospital scoop is that the outlets in the labor and delivery room can be pretty far away from the hospital bed. So, you’ll want that extra reach. Labor and delivery can also take a lot longer than expected. Like hours and days longer than expected. You will want your phone for entertainment while you wait. You also don’t want your Phone battery to be dead when baby is born and it’s time to take pictures of that extremely small new love of your life. Buy and pack a very long phone charger. You’ll need it!
How to pack your hospital bag, step three:
Pillows and Blankets
Before I head too deep into this post, I’ll mention the larger items you’ll want to fit into your bag. Pillows! either a pillow for yourself, or if you’ll have a partner or support person with you, bring two! All the labor and delivery nurses and doctors I’ve listened to swear the pillows at the hospital are not really pillows at all. I’ve heard them be called, “made of cardboard” or ” made of crunchy plastic”. Either way, they are thin, crunchy, and uncomfortable. Of course, utilize the pillows at the hospital to prop yourself up and get yourself into the position you want to be in. In fact, get the nurses to give you as many pillows as you can. The suckers are so flat they easily get absorbed into the hospital bed. However, absolutely bring that pillow from home that is going to actually be comforting for you and make sure to use a pillowcase that is a dark color or has a pattern. You don’t want your pillow to get confused with the other pillows and have your pillow lost by the hospital staff. So, say no to your white pillowcase. But do say yes to bringing your own pillow! While we are on the subject of bedding, also bring a soft blanket or two for your stay. The hospital “blankets” are also scratchy and thin. Try to make your stay as cozy as you can to have a positive birth experience.
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How to pack your hospital bag, step four:
Shower Sandals and Non-slip Slippers
I’d say this next item can be some-what subjective based on your own comfortability with sanitation and hospital germs. It was recommended by my OB though, and I’ve heard many others mention it as well. It is something that I myself have decided to pack. Flipflops or slide-on sandals to wear when taking a shower after the birth. Despite what you may believe about the sanitation of the hospital it is a place of many germs and it was suggested to me by my doctor that standing in the hospital shower barefoot is not advised. The hospital floor in general should not be treated the same as your floors at home. Additionally, to the shower sandal idea, I am also packing, easy slip on, good traction slippers, for walking around the hospital floors. Now, the hospital will provide you with slippersocks so you don’t fall during your stay. Your own, easy to put on, slippers are just so much cozier. Also, as I mentioned, easy to slip on. If you are pregnant in your third trimester you know how difficult it is to put on socks these days. The good news is that flat sandals and slippers don’t take up a lot of space in your hospital bag. They should definitely be considered an essential.
How to pack your hospital bag, step five:
Snacks
Maybe one of my favorite topics these days – snacks! Hospitals do provide meals during your stay while cafeteria hours are open. They are not a 24-hour restaurant, however. Keep in mind that the hunger after giving birth is real! especially if you plan to breastfeed, know that you will need the extra protein and calories to keep up with your supply. In the middle of night, when the room is dark, and the cafeteria is closed, hunger may strike, hard! Remember you are only allowed liquids during labor. After birth though, you’ll be so ready to eat. Pack dry foods that do not need to be refrigerated. It would be suggested to bring, granola and protein bars, dried or gummy fruit snacks, crackers, beef jerky, or anything of that nature that you can think of. Bring some of your partners favorite snacks also. I’m personally packing goldfish crackers for my partner and lactation cookies for myself.
How to pack your hospital bag, step six:
Mom Specific Essentials
We have gotten what I would consider the top four most suggested items by doctors and experienced moms alike out of the way. Now, let’s discuss some of the basics specifically just for Mom. I had previously mentioned that the hospital will gift you with care items for after the birth. Some hospitals give more than others, but all hospitals will give you key items. I will explain key items the hospital will gift you more at the end of this post.
After Delivery Clothing
As far as basics just for mom, let’s talk about what the hospital won’t give you and what you’ll need to bring. You will need clothes for after the birth. You will be given a gown to give birth in and it will get messy giving birth. So don’t worry about bringing your own pretty gown for birth unless you absolutely feel compelled to. They will supply you with as many gowns to wear as necessary throughout the birthing process. So, you do not need to bring any clothing for that part of the adventure. Do bring clothes for after the birth, however. You can stay in a hospital gown at that point if you would like. But, after the birth it would be more comfortable to be in your own attire. keep in mind that the staff will still need easy access to keep checking on all your lady parts. The best recommendation for clothing after birth? Nursing bras, nursing night gown/dress and a lightweight robe.
No Need to Pack Underwear
No need for underwear unless you have some comfortable full coverage and possibly high-rise undies picked out for the event. Otherwise, the hospital will provide you with super cool disposable mesh panties fully packed with a giant diaper of a pad. There will be bleeding. Expect lots of bleeding!
Going Home Outfit
The only clothes left for you to pack is an outfit or two to go home in. I’m personally packing a warmer outfit and a cooler outfit. Because I live in the Pacific Northwest the weather will be a bit unpredictable at the time of year that my baby is expected. I am personally packing a lightweight zip-up hoodie, a pair of sweatpants, a large T-shirt, a Stretchy tank top, some loose-fitting lounge shorts, and a pair of socks. Some things to consider besides the weather when picking a going home outfit is that you will still have a big belly and sort of still look pregnant after birth. It takes time for your body to contract and tighten back up. So lean towards over-sized and comfortable clothing. You did just create and push out a human being. So, prepare for lounging and healing your body after delivery. Another thing to consider is the diaper of a pad you will be wearing. I almost packed my maternity leggings before it was pointed out to me that it would not be so flattering over the jumbo diaper undergarments. My advice is sweatpants, loose fitting sweatpants!
Toiletries
The hospital is not a hotel but expect that you will be spending the night there. They will supply you with a little shampoo and conditioner, a little bottle of lotion, soap, a toothbrush. These are fine if you are cool with their hospital quality toiletries. I find it important to bring my own toiletries that make me feel comfortable, clean, and more put together after the grinder birth is going to put me through. I will be bringing deodorant, a hairbrush, hair-ties, dry shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, face cleanser and lotion, and not a lot of makeup, but the basics to make me feel human again and just presentable enough to make me feel good and cleaned up for pictures with my partner and baby. There is absolutely no shame in bringing your entire set of makeup to do up a full face. No shame at all! I just know I will be too tired for all of that. But I am definitely packing some.
Peanut or Birthing Ball
I extremely encourage bringing your own peanut or birthing ball. All hospitals are different, some will have them, and some may not have any available. Either way sanitation comes to mind again. I think it’s best to be safe than sorry. There are many different ways that using a peanut or birthing ball can benefit and assist in the labor experience. But more about that possibly in another post. I purchased a peanut ball that comes with a pump to inflate it once we are at the hospital, so it is easier to pack and inflate then deflate and repack for the trip home.
You can bring any items that comfort you as the birthing person and new mom. These are just the basic essentials you should think about packing.
How to pack your hospital bag, step seven:
Partner Specific Essentials
Similar to the mom specific essentials, your partner will need a pair or two of outfits for going home in, some shower Sandals if they decide to shower while at the hospital. However, it probably won’t be as essential for them to shower as it is for the person doing the messy work. They should probably have non-slip slippers. Something the hospital won’t be supplying them like they will be supplying you, is underwear. You could be there for one night or a couple nights. I would suggest packing 2 or 3 pairs of underwear for your partner just to be safe. Whatever toiletries your partner will need. My fiancé is not fussy at all. So, I have just packed deodorant and a toothbrush for him.
I was able to pack our top four essentials along with mom and partner essentials into the large suitcase with wheels. This is why having a large suitcase that also has the ability to roll is so important.
How to pack your hospital bag, step eight:
Baby Specific Essentials
Baby Clothing
When you start focusing on items to bring for baby, it is easy to go overboard. Who can blame us? We’ve been growing baby inside our bodies for months just waiting for the moment we get to finally lock eyes with our bundles of joy, and gift them with all the cute baby items we could possibly buy. So many cute baby clothes! Just remember that you have so much time to spend life with your baby and dress them in all the outfits you’ve been imagining them in. For the hospital though, just pick a couple outfits for bringing baby home. It won’t be known what size the baby will be until after their arrival. Bring an outfit in newborn size and one in 0-3 months just in case your baby is on the bigger side. Ideally, you’ll want clothing that covers their little feet for the ride home. A zip-up sleeper, or an outfit with footed pants is perfect. Do not worry, the hospital will have all other clothing baby will need during your stay at the hospital. Including little baby beanies to keep their heads warm.
Diaper Bag
Besides packing clothes for your baby’s first trip home, you really won’t have to pack anything else. The hospital will provide you with everything you’ll need for your stay, and you can also grab some extras on your way out. For myself, I’ve decided packing the diaper bag to bring to the hospital. My diaper bag is a backpack style for easy travel. My reason for packing the diaper bag is so that my diaper bag is just ready to go for whenever. But I’m also thinking of the trip home. As mentioned by others, baby might need a diaper change on the ride home if your trip is a bit far from the hospital. So, I’m packing some diapers and diaper cream, extra swaddles, changing pad, burp cloths, and other diaper bag essentials. The hospital will provide you with some of these items as well. Take as much with you as you can to add to your baby bag stash!
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How to pack your hospital bag, step nine:
The Last Things to Consider
I’ll mention here, some other items to consider when packing your bag for the big day. Nursing items so you can practice breast feeding with the help of your labor and delivery team. Don’t be shy about asking for a lactation consultant at the hospital. Consider packing your breast pump, milk storage bags, your Haakaa milk catcher, and breastfeeding pillow. You’ll also likely want to pack your postnatal vitamins and any other vitamins that may help you with lactation, healing, and postpartum contractions. Think about any other personal items that may comfort you through the laboring process. Some people bring Music, special lighting, or soothing scents to smell. Taking pictures of the baby and your family is a sweet moment. Lots of moms choose to pack name and birth date signs or special blankets to add in photos of baby. Anything that makes the moment more comforting and special to you are things you should consider to pack.
Provided by the Hospital
Earlier in this post I mentioned that the hospital will provide you with important postpartum care and other essential items for mom that you should not worry about bringing. Some hospitals will provide more than others. Every hospital will provide you with these essentials. Sleep soundly knowing you will definitely be able to expect these things: Disposable mesh underwear, giant pads, Dermoplast spray for numbing your lady bits, peri spray bottle, witch hazel pads, nipple cream, and Padsicles which are basically ice pack pads. You can always call your labor and delivery ward at the hospital for more details about what they will supply. But you will definitely receive the items mentioned above.
