After much research and desperately not wanting to overpack, I’ve come up with a list of items I’m happy with. I think these items will be necessary for a successful stay in the hospital but also make my stay more comfortable especially being a first-time mom. I’m going to pack my stuff and the baby items in my Storksak bag that I featured on my Instagram a while back. My hospital bag is packed and this is what I’m bringing:
Hospital bag clothing I packed
Since I have a feeling most of pre-delivery l”ll be in the hospital gown I’m mainly packing for after delivery. My focus is comfort and functionality and warmth (I’m always cold in hospitals)
- Comfy, soft robe
- Loose-fitting sweats for leaving home…I’m bringing a grey loose maxi dress since it’s been super hot in Chicago and I’m delivering in June (probably light since it will be warm outside). These will be dark colors because every mama I know said you def don’t want to see the stains haha.
- Grip socks that are warm
- Shower shoes
- A couple of nursing tank tops
- Pj pants
- Postpartum undies: I heard the hospital gives you some but I’ve gone ahead and purchased my own as well
- A big cozy cardigan. I was gonna go with a hoodie but I figured easy access for the doctors and baby
- my own hospital gown (I’ll probably change into it after delivery at some point)
What I’m bringing for our little girl
- The car seat: We actually just had our virtual safety check for our car seat and have it installed and ready to go in my car and we will be installing an extra base in Bryan’s car so whichever car we decided to take we will be good.
- Breastfeeding Pillow: our doula said this will be great to have to practice while in the hospital. I’m sure the nurses in the hospital will be there to help a new mom 🙂
- 1 Burp cloth: I’m sure they have more stuff at the hospital
- A couple of swaddles: the traditional kind and a velcro one.
- An outfit to go home in: this is the only thing clothing-wise I’m bringing for the baby because the hospital has little onesies.
- A pacifier: not sure if I’ll use one right away but why not have one
- Formula: I was debating bringing formula because I’m going to try and breastfeed but can’t hurt to have a little with us. I’m sure the hospital has some and we are still deciding which we want to go with so if it’s different than what the hospital has then I’ll bring some. Fingers crossed I won’t need it.
Hospital bag toiletries I packed
- Travel Sized ONLY: I’m so happy to get to use some of my travel-sized products since I haven’t been traveling since 2019… I have quite a bit of product.
- face wash
- toothpaste and brush
- hairbrush
- Ponytail holder
- shampoo + conditioner
- lots of body lotion + hand cream
- lip balm
- moisturizer
- eye cream
- hand cream
- pads: my goodness the pads lol super duper overnight pads…jeez
- nipple cream: not sure if I’ll need it since I’ll only be breastfeeding for a day but you never know
- sheet mask
- cream blush ( i like using on cheeks, lips, eye to give the look of makeup with minimal effort…. in case you want to look a bit more presentable in your hospital pic)
- concealer (just in case you want to look your best)
Electronics I’m bringing
- Charging chords + an extension chord (extra long ones for both Bryan and me)
- both our iPads (downloading some movies) + charger
- a speaker to play some of the playlists I’ve made
- iPhone charging case
Other essentials I packed in my hospital bag
- My doula said we should bring some essential oils we like and scent a dryer ball with them as some medical professionals don’t like it if you use any diffusers.
- Snacks: bars, pretzels crackers, candy to suck on, coconut water (more hydrating)
- A no-drip water bottle
- our birth plan
- a couple of changes of clothes for Bryan
- electric breast pump
- nursing pillow
- hakka
- playing cards in case i get induced ( which is seeming more likely by the day)
- If you or your birth partner have a hard time sleeping I would bring your own pillow and blanket…hospital ones aren’t the best.
If you want to see a whole video on this check out my instagram IGTV here:
xo,
What do you think?