What I Packed In My Hospital Bag
The uncertainty of labor and delivery can be nerve racking whether you are a first time mom, or a second/third/ or fourth time mom. Getting your hospital bag packed can be one thing to tame down those nerves during the last few week wait. For me, I did not know when I would go into labor (late, early, or on time). Because it was my first baby, I honestly was so nervous about all of the uncertainty of labor itself and the pain that would come with it. To read about little Scott's birth story, click here. I researched until the cows came home about what to pack in my hospital bag to ensure that everything was covered while we were there. I am a major planner, and felt like this was one thing that could really put my mind at ease amongst all of the unknown.
My Packing List
Snacks! I am putting this at the top of the list because they were so clutch for us, the nurses, and our visitors! Delivering at 3 am and having food for after was awesome...because lets get real no one slept that night!
Cute robe for labor and recovery. No mine didn't get ruined, and it was 1,000 times more comfy than the gross hospital ones. I got mine at Pink Blush Maternity.
Button down PJ's for nursing
Flip flops for the shower
Comfy socks. I wore my Yaktrax slipper socks and got comment after comment about them. I think 3 of my nurses went out to buy some after their shift LOL. See them here.
Going home outfit. I just packed a maxi dress for this because I was still pudgy and there was no way I wanted to slide into jeans! Afterall, I just had a baby. Keep it comfy and simple.
Outfit for pictures at the hospital. I used the maxi dress I packed to go home in, because I only wore the dress a short time for pictures.
Toiletries: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, tooth brush toothpaste, mouthwash, razor, and makeup.
Chargers for phones with a longer cord
Phone
Pineapple Juice (encourages milk supply) and sure enough mine came in on day 2!
Sweatshirt for nights because hospitals are not the warmest
Lose fitting shirt for daytime x2
Towels
Pillows x2 (White cases might get confused with hospital pillows) bring your pillows with printed cases.
Blanket 1 or 2
Essential Oils: Lavender, and Frankincense
Packing List For Baby
Car seat- can't take baby home without it!
Diaper Bag with going home outfit (you wont need your own diapers the hospital provides them).
Labor and Delivery pre-registry sheet all filled out and ready to go. I was in labor and did not want to deal with filling forms out the day my water broke!
Some cute swaddles for pictures
Socks and Baby mitts
Wipes
Burp cloth
Packing List For Hubby or Significant Other
Clothes: Short sleeve, long sleeve, sweats, socks, underwear, and toiletries!
Blanket
Snacks (mentioned above)
Change (vending machines: if you did not bring snacks!)
What I wish I would have packed more of:
-More clothes for my husband. I just packed him an outfit or two, but wished I would have put in warmer clothing for him as well as more socks than we thought we needed.
-One more blanket. I only brought one throw blanket and wished I would have brought two.
What I Did Not Need:
- So many baby clothes. I was not sure how big our baby would be, so I brought a few outfits. Really unnecessary, because he was in a diaper and a swaddle 90% of the time due to all of the poking and prodding that the nurses have to do at first. Keep it simple!
- Head massager- LOL
-Too many clothes for me! You really need: robe, button down pj's for nursing, a few pairs of socks, flip flops, 1 nice outfit for hospital photos, and your going home outfit.
Keep it simple, and good luck Momma!
xoxo Lauren Nicole
