What’s in My Hospital Bag

Let me tell you, packing your hospital bag for labor and delivery makes things feel pretty dang real.

I’m officially in my 36th week of pregnancy and my bags are FULLY packed…like not missing a thing! At least, I hope I’m not missing anything… Let me tell you, I did A LOT of research of what I needed to pack. The more you look around, the more you’ll find that people really vary on what they pack. When forming your own list, I recommend the following:

1. Ask your healthcare provider first. Between my midwives and my birth class instructor, I learned there were things that the hospital provided that I shouldn’t bring and even things that I’m not allowed to bring that a lot of #influencers typically bring.
2. Gather resources from people who had/are planning to have a birth similar to your plan. Are they birthing at a hospital? Birth center? Going natural? Planned c-section? These are all really important questions to ask before taking someone’s advice.

My Birth Plan (ish): On that note, when you read through what I’m packing, know that I’m planning for a natural birth center birth that is tied to a hospital. So while there’s the overarching goal of a natural birth, the center still abides by standard hospital protocol since it’s under the same roof.

To keep it easy, I’m going to break down this post by bag. We have one for me, one for baby and one for my husband. Ready? Let’s get packing!

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Mom’s Hospital Bag

Let’s start with the bag itself! I used my AWAY Bigger Carry On that I’m OBSESSED with. I purchased this before my honeymoon and it’s the best. We have a full review of AWAY here, but if you’re interested in buying, you can use my link for $20 off!

For packing cubes, I use a combo of the AWAY cubes and these ones from Amazon.

Okay, moving onto the categories!

Clothing

When it comes to clothing for myself, I decided to keep it fairly simple and focus on comfort more than anything. My list:

• 2 button-up, long-sleeve nightgowns
• 2 nursing bras
• 1 bathing suit top (for laboring in the tub)
• 2 pairs of grippy socks
• 2 pairs of cozy socks
• 1 pair of athletic socks (for going home outfit)
• 1 pair of joggers (for going home outfit)
• 1 crewneck sweatshirt (for going home outfit)

Postpartum

I know the hospital will provide a lot of this stuff, but I want to have my own options there just in case I don’t like the stuff provided. Most of my stuff comes from this Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit, but I’ll link stuff individually below! On my list:

• Frida Mom Updside Down Peri Bottle
• 2 Frida Mom Instant Ice Maxi Pads
• Frida Mom Perineal Witch Hazel Cooling Pad Liners
• Frida Mom Witch Hazel Healing Foam
• 2 Frida Disposable Mom Postpartum Underwear
• 4 Always Discreet Postpartum Underwear
• Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter
• Lansinoh Disposable Nipple Pads

Toiletries + Other

Snacks

Snacks are 100% a personal preference, but I thought it would be fun to share some ideas with you in this picture. I picked up most of this stuff through Thrive Market (they make it so easy to have pantry staples within days!). You can use my link to get 25% off your first purchase!

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Baby’s Hospital Bag

I decided to keep baby’s stuff entirely separate from us using my Fawn Design Diaper Bag! I figured this is easy to just toss to the side until he arrives. Plus, the diaper bag itself is super easy to carry since it’s a backpack! What I packed for baby:

• One newborn sized footie sleeper
• One 0-3 month sized footie sleeper
• Few pairs of socks
• Announcement outfit
  • Custom onesie with his name from Cheerily
  • Lou Lou and Company Essential Newborn Bundle (comes with a beanie, swaddle and mitts)
• A few diapers (I’m trying Coterie to start, you can get $15 off your order using my link)
• Wipes
• Velcro swaddle
• Burp cloths
• Car seat cover
• Baby book (for footprints!)
• Pacifier and clip
• Nail clippers and file

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Dad’s Hospital Bag

For Patrick’s bag, we used our Lo & Sons Catalina Deluxe Tote because it can attach onto our suitcase and it fits all of his things perfectly. We’re also using this as our bag for important documents since it will be easily-accessible. In this bag we have:

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That’s what’s in our hospital bags!