Before we get to the actual list here are a few of my thoughts/things I have learned after delivering 2 babies in the hospital. There are so many lists out there that want you to believe that you need to pack enough stuff for a month long trip to a foreign country. As a chronic over-packer (hey, I like to have options!) I've learned over time that lugging 50 lbs. worth of stuff for a 48ish hour hospital visit is not worth the frustration - especially when you only end up actually using 10% of it! I've seen lists that include bringing your own towels, pillows, eye mask, ear plugs, toilet paper and 8 pairs of underwear - newsflash you're not using any toilet paper after a vaginal delivery! (Not to mention the hospital DOES provide toilet paper believe it or not!) AND that hospital mesh underwear is aaaaamazing and way more comfortable than anything you could bring yourself. Even when it comes to pads - I promise you aren't going to be able to use anything but the hospital grade ones for several days (at least) after delivery! The hospital provides pretty much all of the true essentials. So why bother packing an entire package of overnight pads when the hospital has all of that? Eye mask and ear plugs? Really? Honestly, at this point I just treat it as if we were going to a hotel for a night or two (TP included), and not leaving the hotel. I mean, we're not going to Vegas or anything here people! I probably won't even bother packing a razor this time around (although, have I ever...?) because the last thing on your mind after having a baby is shaving your legs. Even brushing/fixing my hair is pretty low priority. I would much rather lay in bed a snuggle baby/nurse/take a nap! There's really not that much more stuff required than what you would need if you were having 2 couch/movie days in a row at home, in workout/comfy clothes - truly!
Okay now let's get to the good stuff!
So here is basically how I split up the packing: I have two bags for myself - one is for the actual labor and delivery and the other bag is for our postpartum hospital stay. With any birth - but especially natural birth - you need to have a lot of options for things to use during labor when it comes to relaxation techniques, distractions and just things to help you through. Since making multiple trips to and from the car wasn't exactly an option the last time, it's important for us to have to carry as few bags as possible into the hospital initially and then Ryan can go back out to the car once things have settled down and we are moved to recovery. So this first bag is pretty much everything that we would need right off the bat and maybe for the hour or two immediately following delivery. (Items with a star are things that won't be packed until we are headed out the door to the hospital. I'll expand on this a bit more below...)
Labor and Delivery Bag
- wallet*
- headphones
- flip flops (not your fancy pair!)
- personal hospital gown or bra/clothing to be worn during labor
- basic toiletries and toothbrush* (don't forget hair ties and bobby pins)
- phone and charger*
- speaker and charger for music
- camera/video camera
- snacks*
- birth plan/goals/wishes
- other preferred personal items for natural labor/birth (for me this includes rosewater room spray, essential oils and diffuser, birth affirmations/Bible verses, photo of my happy place - a beach in Hawaii, and head massager,)
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| Labor and delivery bag (clockwise-ish from top left): Toiletries bag, headphones, birth affirmations, bralette for labor (I'm trying to get out of wearing a hospital gown this time around hehe!) flip flops, rosewater room spray, camera, essential oils (bringing WAY too many but oh well!) and head massager (never actually used that but it feels so good I always want to have it available just as an option)! |
This second bag contains things that won't be needed until after we get moved to recovery.
Postpartum Bag
- 1-2 nursing bras (NOTE: If this is your first baby, I recommend buying 1-2 "nursing sleep bras" like this or something like this 1 size up from your pregnancy sized boobs. It doesn't have to fit that great, an anything wireless is ideal since you just want to be comfy. Definitely don't go crazy and buy a bunch of options until a few days after your milk comes in and your boobs are no longer rock-hard playboy style watermelons. You think I'm joking...)
- 1 pair long comfy pants
- 2 pairs loose comfy shorts
- 2-3 nursing friendly shirts (I prefer to wear my own clothes as much as possible as opposed to the hospital gown)
- 1 pair of socks (I have never worn socks in the hospital, but I'll bring some just in case. They also have socks there should more than 1 pair be needed)
- memory foam seat cushion (those hospital beds can be so hard and really hurt your butt - this is my first time packing this but after my last baby I told myself this needs to be #1 on the list for the next time!)
- going home outfit**
- hairbrush**
- makeup**
- robe and pj set
- nipple cream and/or soothie gel pads
- peri bottle (the hospital provides a peri bottle, but I am bringing THIS ONE with me this time bc I wanted one that actually works upside down [P.S. A peri bottle is what you use to wash off "down there" post childbirth - because toilet paper/any sort of contact is not an option for a good while!])
- nursing pads (just a few - you won't really need many until your milk comes in)
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| Postpartum bag (clockwise from top left): Socks, t-shirt and button up/nursing friendly shirt, nursing bras, nursing tops, going home outfit, robe/pj set, 2 pairs comfy shorts with 1 pair long comfy pants and in the center are the soothie gel nipple "pads", peri bottle and nursing pads. |
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| Seat cushion for the hospital bed! |
There is a potential for things to be very hectic and mentally chaotic when it's time for us to leave the house for the hospital if we are rushed, so I don't want to have to rely on my own brain/thought process in the moment! As I mentioned above, items on my list with a star next to them are things that don't make it in the bag initially because I'm still using them on a daily basis. Once everything else has been packed, I jot down those remaining (unpacked) items out on a sticky note and place with each bag. When I do go into labor, these last minute items can be easily and immediately thrown into the bags so all that's left is loading into the car. Here are those remaining items:
*Last minute items to grab for L&D bag
- wallet
- toothbrush
- phone and charger
- snacks and water bottle for hubby and snacks/drinks for me for after labor
**Last minute items to grab for Postpartum bag
- hairbrush
- makeup
- going home outfit/other clothing items that might have been worn and washed recently
As far as baby's things go, I usually have a very small bag with a few baby items (or keep them in my own bag) but again, the hospital provides nearly all of the essentials. We don't pack diapers or wipes and we usually end up mostly using the hospital's blankets and some of their baby clothes. This is what's left that we usually bring with us for baby!
Baby's bag
- 2-4 onesies and/or layettes
- 1-2 pairs of socks and scratch mittens
- 1 lightweight muslin swaddle blanket (just in case)
- wubanub/pacifier (some hospitals provide pacifiers, some are stingy. We usually bring our own "special" one and then take the one our hospital provides)
- going home outfit
- any other personal/special baby items (I have ordered a special swaddle with matching headband, and 1 special hat for us to bring to the hospital.)
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| This is probably MORE than enough to pack for baby!! (Clothes, swaddles, pacifier, hat, scratch mittens and socks) |
Lastly, this is not a list of items that MOST people need to worry about packing, but based on my history we will have a car delivery kit packed in the trunk for the last few weeks of my pregnancy. While I am still mentally preparing myself for an 18 hour labor just in case (hey anything is possible!) if things go any faster than they did the last time we won't be making it to the hospital. This list is still a work in progress, and SHOULD we have a car baby at any point, we certainly (hopefully) wouldn't be on our own long enough to need most of this stuff, let alone much else. Again, this list is probably not something that MOST people would even need to think about, but since we almost didn't make it to the hospital last time, we need to be prepared just in case.
Car kit
- plastic sheets, tarps or vinyl table cloths
- bulb syringe
- old (but clean) towels/blankets
- latex gloves (I keep these around in our kitchen for when I cut up onions, so we already have some on hand)
- ziploc bags for dirty items and/or for the placenta (in the unlikely case that it would delivered before we are at the hospital or paramedics have arrived)
- trash bag(s)
- adult diapers (also handy to have just in case my water breaks while we're out and about!)
Whew! Okay that was just supposed to be a short little post with a simple list but I guess I ended up expanding on my thought process. Don't let packing the hospital bag be a stressful process. Just remember - even if you forget something it's only for a short period of time and the hospital has everything that you would truly need. Thanks for sticking with me! (And P.S. Hubby packs his own bag - usually just a few clothing items and some toiletries.) Happy packing!!
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