What I Wish I Had Packed in my Hospital Bag
From someone who had absolutely nothing packed
Have you started the part of nesting yet where you are trying to figure out exactly what you need packed in your hospital bag? I obsessed over this for a few weeks. My plan was to pack my hospital bag right after I had my baby shower so that I would have everything I needed to include.
That did not work out as I planned. Instead, I went into labor eight weeks early with absolutely nothing packed and my baby shower still two weeks away.
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That taught me some important lessons about life and things not going according to plan. Things not going according to plan is a theme that has continued throughout my son’s life so far, and he’s already a year old.
Laboring so early also taught me that most of the pre-baby videos and articles I consumed before my son was born were dead wrong. You don not need all of the things that people say you need. The hospital really will provide everything you need to have a baby and to care for your postpartum needs.
What does the hospital not provide that still might be beneficial to have on hand? What do I wish I had packed as someone who had nothing packed for the hospital?
Disclaimer: Each hospital is slightly different. Your hospital should provide everything you need to labor and take care of yourself *down there,* but feel free to ask your doctor or call your hospital if you want a specific list of what will be provided to you specifically.
There are a few things that the hospitals simply don’t provide that we are accustomed to having. And of course, they can’t provide the non-essentials. The budget costs and theft would be ridiculous!
Here’s what you really want:
Snacks
The hospital will feed mom, but maybe not your support person/the father of the baby. They won’t provide anything until you deliver too. Just because you can’t eat, doesn’t mean your support person has to starve! Think about how long some women labor too – days. Brings snacks.
A long phone charger (or two)
Who doesn’t love taking pictures of their adorable baby? You’re going to want your phone charged and nearby so you can take all of the pictures and call your loved ones. Most hospital stays are two days, so be sure your phone can last that long. I say a long phone charger because you’ll spend a lot of time in your bed and you probably won’t be near an outlet.
Headphones/Earbuds
Luckily, your baby won’t be active enough to try to grab these off your head (yet). There may be a time where you are bored in your hospital room. Your baby is sleeping, you can’t sleep, and you want to listen to something. This gives you that option without all of the nurses knowing exactly what you are listening to. To each their own, but you may want a little privacy in a situation where you have very little. Your support person will thank you too.
A hospital type gown
You will obviously have a hospital gown from the hospital. I lived in mine for my whole stay since I had nothing packed. But those gowns are hard to breastfeed in, and it’s hard enough for you and your baby to learn that skill without adding a fussy wardrobe. Plus, the hospital gowns are itchy!
Get yourself a similar set up for after your baby comes. This gown is like a hospital gown, but improved. You can actually close the back and breastfeed fairly easily. Definitely labor in the gown from the hospital, because it’s messy, but then have a little comfort! You probably won’t want to be wearing pants yet anyway…
A thin robe
This is one of the things my sister ended up bringing me while I was in labor. I was so glad she did. Especially being stuck in the hospital gown during my stay, my back end was cold and exposed! The robe helped me feel covered as I walked the hospital halls from my room to the NICU and back. It also kept me warm, but not too warm.
Silver Nipple Shields
This will save your nipples. The nipple cream the hospital provides will also be wonderful. You can bring your own nipple cream too if you know a brand you like, but I found the one provided worked fine. The silver nipple shield was the biggest help.
Nursing Pillow
People say you either like the Boppy or the My Brest Friend pillow. I don’t think that’s true. I used both and needed them both at different times in my breastfeeding journey.
When I first started nursing my baby when he left the NICU, I needed the My Brest Friend pillow. My baby would only nurse in one position (cross cradle) and this pillow offered the best support. When he started letting me hold him in other positions (cradle), I needed the Boppy pillow.
Don’t feel like you have to get both pillows, as you can just use a regular pillow the hospital has or you have at home. But I found them helpful and will definitely bring one with me to the hospital if we are blessed with another baby.
Clothes to go home in
You don’t need underwear yet. The hospital will send you home with some special underwear anyway. But I do think there is value in having another outfit to go home in other than the one you came with. The one you came in might be ruined from labor, depending on how that went.
Or, like me, you might just not be able to put on pants for a while. I had zero core strength. Thanks, hubby, for helping me put pants on! I even had sweat pants and couldn’t do it. I recommend a dress – even in winter.
Toiletries
You can bring whatever toiletries your heart desires, but I would recommend a toothbrush, tooth paste, chapstick, dry shampoo, and deodorant. I know some women like to shower as soon as they can, but I just don’t see the appeal of showering in the hospital bathroom. If you do, probably bring flip flops too.
Just a few items for baby
Bring a sleeper or two for the baby to go home in. I recommend the Carters brand, as they have little elastics on the ankles that really help keep the sleeper in place.
This you may not need, but baby nail clippers can come in handy if your baby is born with long nails. The hospital won’t have any and you can still get scratched even if your baby doesn’t move much. You definitely don’t need the fancy electric one with multiple heads that people on the internet swear by. You really just need regular baby nail clippers. It goes faster that way anyway.
Bring a pacifier. You really just need one. Your baby will probably take whatever one you give them first, so the brand doesn’t really matter.
Bring a velcro swaddle. Swaddling with the hospital blankets is a learned skill and, unless you have practice ahead of time, you will struggle with it. I was asking the nurses to swaddle my baby for weeks. (Again, my baby was in the NICU. You probably won’t be there that long.)
A car seat
Finally, you will need a car seat to go home with your baby. Even if your car seat claims that it fits babies that weigh four pounds, don’t believe the marketing.
We almost couldn’t bring our baby home from the hospital because the seat we had, which said it held four pound babies, couldn’t get the harness tight enough for the hospital’s liking.
My poor husband went out in a blizzard to fetch a new car seat the morning we were supposed to take the baby home.
Go to a real store. Pull the harnesses as tight as you can. Buy the one that goes tightest. You don’t know how much your baby will weigh, but if they weigh on the lighter side, you want to be able to bring them home.
This is the one we ended up being able to bring our baby home in.
Why pack minimally?
It is best to pack light. It is hard enough to get everything out of your hospital room when you leave without lugging around several bags. Even if you get a cart to move things, there is a chance it won’t all fit.
Don’t make my mistake. I thought, since I had nothing packed when I went into labor, we would not have much to carry out upon my discharge. But family and friends all brought us various gifts and items during our stay, and it did not all fit on the cart we were allowed to bring down to the car. We did not want to make multiple trips to the car and back, so we ended up having to leave beautiful flowers behind. Again I say, don’t make my mistake! Pack light.
In Summary
The hospital will provide all of the postpartum items you need, but the items on this list are a nice luxury that I wish I had packed in my hospital bag. Did I miss anything crucial? Let me know in the comments below if you know of something else a mom might want to bring in her hospital bag.
