What You Should Actually Pack in Your Hospital Bag

My original plan was to create a, ‘what’s in my labor hospital bag’ post but it’s amazing how distracted you get the closer to your due date. I wonder why… Ha! There are tons of blog posts out there that have different lists for what to bring to the hospital with you when it’s labor time. I definitely did my research on what others thought was smart to bring however, I’m about to tell you what is ACTUALLY necessary.

I gave birth to my baby boy, August, on January 5th, 2021. If you’re looking to read about his birth story you can check it out here –> August’s Birth Story. At about a month prior, I started deciding what I wanted to bring – in case I needed to order anything or went into labor early. It’s hard not to start packing when you are so excited for your new arrival to get here!

Let me first start off by saying that every hospital experience is different so you should pack what makes you feel comfortable. What I noticed after my labor and hospital experience was that I didn’t require a whole lot of stuff during my 3 1/2 day stay. That being said, what you’ll see is a stripped down version of what you ACTUALLY need and if you choose to add more then power to ya! I’m going to go specifically through the items that I brought that were helpful and items that I’d say leave at home.

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FOR MAMA & DADDY

Specifically For Pre-Postpartum (labor time)

When I arrived at the hospital, I immediately got the epidural which forced me to stay lying on the bed for the duration of my labor. That being said, the majority of what I used was during my postpartum time. However, here are some specific items for pre-postpartum (during active/transitional labor):

• Birth Plan Document
  • This is pretty self explanatory. We gave this document to them immediately when we arrived at the hospital. We used the template provided by our hospital; printed 3 copies: 1 for us, 1 for the OB doctor, and 1 for the birthing team
• Message oil/lotion & ball
  • We brought these in-case I needed to use them for active/transitional labor. I got a physical therapy message ball from Dicks Sporting Goods that my husband could use if necessary. Due to the fact that I got the epidural immediately – I didn’t need to use these.
• Small Fan
  • Tons of people talk about bringing a small fan and I did (I get hot really easily) however, I didn’t use it because the nurses/doctors had my room at the perfect temperature for me. Unfortunately, it was very cold for them and my husband so – bring extra blankets if you like it colder!
  • Here’s the one I brought –> Small Fan
• Motivating Music Playlist
  • If you’re like me, you did something else to motivate yourself to get that baby out so this was a great idea! Make sure you give this playlist to your support person so they know when to bring it out to help you!
• Swim Trunks (For Dad)
  • At our hospital, men were not allowed to be naked if you were going to be using the tub for birth so, Zach had to bring his swim trunks in case we were going to be going that route.
• Pillows & Blankets (Mostly For Dad)
  • For Mamas, you get tons of pillows and blankets from the hospital so unless you want something specific/special you shouldn’t need anything
  • For Dads, it’s best to bring good pillows and blankets as you will be sleeping on an uncomfortable couch and if you’re anything like my husband, forced to be in a chiller environment; extra blankets are a must!

FOOD & BEVERAGE

This topic can land in both the pre-postpartum category and postpartum. Since I had the epidural, I wasn’t allowed to have any food or beverage besides clear liquids or jello. We knew this going in so we packed a 4 pack jello however the hospital has this in case you forget. We brought some water bottles but the hospital provided some really nice water bottles that we still use today! Here’s what we brought (mostly for Zach):

Prior to going into the hospital our dinner consisted of Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes which isn’t very energy boosting. If you haven’t read my birth story post, I was in active/transitional and pushing for 16 hours with the epidural. This was after having no sleep and early labor for 36 hours.

Looking back, I would have brought more jello (even though the hospital provided this) because I had zero energy for the pushing portion of labor. They had to give me apple juice half way through pushing just to give me a little bit of sugar to get me through.

For the support person, our hospital said they could have 1 free meal from downstairs. My husband didn’t use this until we got to the postpartum floor and just ate from the snacks we brought. Speaking of free meals – the hospital gives the mom-to-be free meals the entire stay. SCORE. Another good idea was to bring cash for vending machines. If your support person didn’t want to go to the cafe then he could just get a quick snack there.

Toiletries, Makeup & Extra Clothes

Prior to experiencing labor, I had imagined doing my makeup and hair everyday and putting on cute outfits to take photos with my new baby. Boy, was I in fairytale land. When you reach the postpartum stage all of your energy disappears and you have very little motivation to want to dress up. Thus, all the extra clothes I brought just filled up space in my suitcase that I didn’t use at all. However, I did changed into my going home outfit which wasn’t great but we were in the middle of winter so wearing anything other than my yoga pants and a nursing top was out of the question.

I found out that my shoes I wore into the hospital no longer fit properly (due to swelling) leaving the hospital. So, I wish I would’ve brought a second type of shoe. As far as makeup goes, I did manage put some on for our hospital photos because I was determined to look as nice as possible for those!

I read that bringing an eye mask was a smart idea because the nurses needed lights on during their nightly routines. I brought an eye mask however, my nurses were kind enough to let us have a majority of the lights off so we could sleep. Thus, we did not need the eye mask. I also didn’t sleep much so needing the mask for that reason was also why I didn’t use it. That being said, if for some reason you cannot sleep unless it’s pitch black then I’d bring one.

When it comes to extra clothes for spouses or your support person, it would be the same. My husband brought a very minimal amount of clothes because he is a simple man but also – you don’t need to bring your whole closet because it’s just not necessary! The only thing I would encourage is bringing a nice pair of slippers! So here’s what’s actually needed:

• Toiletries
  • Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Shower supplies (body wash, shampoo/conditioner), hair brush/comb, face wash/wipes, lip balm
    • I brought dry shampoo and face wipes for ease
    • It’s amazing how necessary lip balm was
      • My hospital provided this for me but if you want a specific kind/type you should bring your own
• Minimal amount of makeup (only if necessary)
  • I only used makeup for special photos on the last day
• Pajamas, Slippers & Socks (Mostly For Dad)
  • For Mamas, I stayed in my hospital gown the whole time. They have plenty of extra gowns and I just got a new one whenever I wanted. It was easy to use the bathroom and nurse so, I didn’t see the need to wear what I brought.
• Going home outfit for both
  • Think about the season you’re in. Wearing a cute dress leaving the hospital is a nice idea but not when it’s negative and snowy outside.
  • Think about the fact that you’re tired & you just want to be in your own home so, wear something that you feel comfortable in
    • I wore my maternity yoga pants and my new nursing top I got from my husband for comfort plus, we were just going home – there was no need to look fancy

TECHNOLOGY TO BRING

For me, the technology was one of the most important things to pack in our bags! I wanted to bring everything that could record this moment for us. I mean after all, you created life don’t you want to document it as much as possible? I’m also obsessed with photo taking so anything that takes photos was in our bags.

For such a life changing moment I feel like you need an assistant who is there taking photos and video for you because you tend to forget doing that. We brought our phones, digital camera, go-pro and the polaroid however, we only used our phones and the polaroid. It’s a good thing our phones are just as good as digital cameras these days! Here’s what technology we brought:

• Cell Phone & Charger
• Polaroid & Film
• Digital Camera, Charger, & Batteries (backup)
• Go-Pro & Charger (backup)
• Camera Stand to take photos without the help of nurses
• Extension Cord
  • This was highly suggested by several people and bloggers but we didn’t use it because our charger was long enough and reached to our beds just fine. However, it’s still a good idea to bring one just in case it isn’t.

ALL EXTRA FOR MAMA & DADDY

Some things I didn’t mention above are items that aren’t really necessary but could make your hospital experience a little more memorable!

• Mama/Daddy Baby Photos
  • We got this suggested to us from one of our classes. You and your spouse bring in your baby photo and while you’re in the hospital you can compare whose features your new arrival took from. After this, we copied our baby photos and added them into August’s baby book for fun!
• Special Mama, Daddy & Baby Outfits
  • We decided to order special family outfits to use in our hospital photos. We got our set from Etsy but you don’t have to spend a ton of money to create a cute look! If anything – I’d say just getting a special named item for your new baby is a must! Like a hat or a swaddle!
  • Here’s where you can get my set –> Matching Family Set
• Books, games or other downtime activities
  • Like I mentioned above, there will be downtime when baby is sleeping so, if you aren’t up for sleeping while he/she is or if you have a lot of downtime BEFORE baby arrives than perhaps a book or game is an option! That being said, my husband and I slept during our downtime so, we didn’t need anything extra.
• Thank You Cards (For The Staff)
  • This isn’t mandatory but, during your downtime, it could be a nice thing to write any thank you cards for the nurses that you have. They switch shifts all the time so you just have to figure out when is most convenient to give it to them. I’ve also heard people give goodie baskets for the whole team. Lovely idea if you are able!

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My Thoughts On Postpartum/Nursing Supplies

As I did my research on what items to pack, I noticed items such as nursing pillow, nursing bra (if you’re breastfeeding), Frida mom supplies and so forth on those lists. I chose to pack these items mostly because I didn’t want to be in a situation where I needed them but didn’t have them. [Better safe than sorry]

After having experienced labor and my hospital stay, I can now safely say that you don’t need any of that. However, I want to remind you that after the crazy labor experience I had, I didn’t feel like changing or using anything besides what they offered. So, I went braless, used the hospital pillows, the mesh underwear, pads & cream that they provided. Of course, this isn’t to say that you can’t use what you bring; it’s just easier in my opinion.

Luckily, my hospital allowed us to take everything that we didn’t use from our room home with us. So, I had an entire bag full of postpartum products to use when I got home. But, I’ll be writing a post all about my postpartum products and the items that I used when all of my hospital products were gone.

FOR BABY

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Let’s be transparent here… You don’t need anything for baby besides a going home outfit and your carseat during your hospital stay. That being said, what I list below are things that we brought because I wanted to be prepared if I was going to take a ton of pictures.

Our hospital double swaddled our baby for the whole stay. These swaddles were provided by the hospital so even though several lists out there say to bring multiple swaddles – we didn’t use a single one. In fact, we were told that we could bring one of those swaddles home with us! The hospital also gifted us a halo swaddle sack! Another item on these lists out there say to bring a hat because otherwise you get stuck with the one they have. I actually really liked the hat they had and they also gave us 3 other options in case we didn’t like that one. Like the swaddle, we got to take home the hat we chose and it was so cute we used it in our shadow box we made of memorable hospital items!

MUST NEED BABY ITEMS

• Going Home Outfit
  • I knew right away that I wanted August to come home in something white/ivory and when I found this outfit at Kohl’s it was a no-brainer! Unfortunately, he could not wear the sweater in the carseat because it made it too bulky and unsafe. So, make sure you think about bulk when figuring out what to put your little one in!
  • I got the sweater, onesie, socks & pants from Kohl’s. The hat is from Old Navy and mittens from amazon –> Mittens
• Carseat
  • You get to bring this into the hospital to put baby in and get assistance from the nurse however, they cannot assist in putting the carseat into the car.

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EXTRA BABY ITEMS

• Preemie Outfit
  • It’s recommended to bring one preemie outfit just incase!
• Baby Book
  • If you are awake during downtime… you can take this time to fill out your newborns baby book!
• “On The Night You Were Born” Book
  • A nurse suggested to bring this book to the hospital to have all the nurses sign it as a keepsake for your new baby. I LOVED this idea. Unfortunately, my husband and I were so distracted that we forgot to do this. Next time hopefully!
  • Get the book here –> On The Night You Were Born
• Letter Board
  • We used this for our announcement pictures to display his name, birth date, weight and height.
  • Get the letter board here –> Wooden Letter Board
• Extra Swaddles, Hats, Mittens, Receiving Blanket, Special props for photos, & Outfits for photos
  • All these items are not necessary but like I mentioned above – I brought them because I didn’t know what kinds of pictures I wanted to take in the hospital. So – these are optional! Keep in mind that my hospital provided the swaddles during our stay. The other thing about swaddles is that you can’t put your baby in the carseat with it on so, they would only be used at the hospital.
  • The winter season required us to bring mittens and a receiving blanket for our car ride home but we did not use these in the hospital.

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Final Thoughts

It’s amazing what all goes into packing for a delivery hospital stay! I cannot tell you how excited I was to get prepped and ready. That being said, when you pack so early it’s difficult to pack your everyday items so here’s a couple tips…

Tip#1: If you plan to pack early but cannot pack all your everyday items, I suggest putting a list together of – “Don’t Forget” items and put it somewhere in plain sight. We used a chalkboard to write down this list. We also put the phone number of the hospital and clinic at the bottom of this list so that we weren’t scrabbling trying to find that either!

Tip#2: Another idea if you don’t feel like putting a really long ‘Don’t Forget’ list is that you could get duplicate items such as cheap toothbrushes, travel shampoo/conditioners, body wash, toothpaste and so on. That way you don’t have to worry about items like these and you can focus on the bigger items that you can’t have duplicates for.

I know that this post was quite intense and long but it’s important to know all the details to make the best judgement! In the end it is what is comfortable for you, your support person and your new baby. So, I hope this list helped you figure out what is best to bring when you deliver your baby! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below or shoot me an email!

Until Next Time,

Looking for something a little different? Check out Baby O’s Gender Reveal Party

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