So truth be told - I didn't wait till the last minute to start packing my hospital bag. I was one of type A Mom's if you will. But I like to be prepared & firmly made up my mind that in my 3rd trimester - I was going to focus my time on relaxing and enjoying the beach and basking in all the early nesting tasks that I had accomplished earlier in my pregnancy. I had the babies clothes all washed & organized, nursery done, Dad's hospital bag packed, Mom's bag packed, freezer meals stocked - pure bliss. I took a lot of time researching & asking other Mom's what they packed. From the first trimester, I had a list saved in my notes app on my phone & slowly checked things off as I made the purchase of things & added them to my bag. While I packed plenty of things just to be safe - there were many things I did not use & many things I'm glad I did pack because I actually used them! Here's a summary of the things I actually did use & a list of things I wish I would have thought to bring!
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Things I ACTUALLY used...
(Starting from the left)
Depend's Women Diapers - I admittedly I didn't pack these - but I wish I had! I actually packed the Frida mom underwear that's popular amongst Mom's on the internet. While at the hospital, I just used all the pads & everything they had to offer. However, the pads they had & the set up you have to use in the Frida mom underwear - the pads shift around & can cause you to bleed all over & leak on clothes/linens. I felt like I was constantly stressed about the pads moving around & worried blood would leak on my clothes or bedding. I made an online order for these Depend diapers & loved them! I can easily toss them out, they have great coverage & are super comfortable!
Nightgown - I saw many suggestions on clothes for hospital bags, but nothing beat this nightgown! It was comfy, lightweight, easy to go to the bathroom in, easy to pull up for the nurses if they needed to do any checks of any kind & I didn't feel overly exposed.
Lotion - I felt the hospital was very dry and my hands and feet kept getting dry. Having lotion on hand was great - I simply just bought a travel size one.
Face wash - I brought my face wash, vitamin c serum and moisturizer - I'm glad I did because shortly after labor I did my skin care routine and felt like a million bucks just from that alone!
Hello sign - obviously a staple for the birth announcement! I asked the nurses to write his info on it too because I felt they had better handwriting than me! lol
USB Travel Fan - this little guy was a saving grace! I felt like I was SUPER hot during my time at the hospital especially during labor. We had this lil guy constantly going & it lasted a long time! I originally bought it for the baby stroller, but decided to toss it in the hospital bag as well when I saw it was suggested from other Mom's. We brought a back up fan as well for when this one needed charging & I'm glad I did that! However, if I could do it over again - I would have bought another one of this exact brand because it lasted longer than the other back up fan we brought which was a different brand. Don't forget to bring the fan charger & a outlet plug for it!
Stanley - the hospital gives you a water cup - but it's trashhhhh. It kept leaking everywhere on me when I was in a semi-laying down position, didn't keep water cold and ran out quickly. Bring our own tumbler!
Ipad - I'm soooo glad we brought our ipad! While the hospital had a TV - the channels were crappy! The hubs & I watched all kinds of movies on it & he played games on it while I was sleeping.
15ft chargers - A staple! The outlets in hospitals are hella far away and these super long cords were great!
Neck pillow - I threw this in last minute for my husband just in case & so glad I did! While I was trying to progress further in labor - he remained in the chair next to me and this neck pillow made him more comfortable during that time. I used it myself too a few times!
Slippers - I'm not one for socks especially in bed! However, hospitals require you have something so you don't slip. These were comfy and easy to throw on and off when I was getting up to go to the bathroom!
Lip Balm - I never knew my lips could get to dry, but dangggggggggggg did they! Must be the hospital air! I had multiple just in case I lost track of one!
Door Dash gift card - On our baby registry we registered for a few gift cards - coffee, food and DoorDash for the hospital and for maternity leave dates as a family. I'm so glad we did that! After I gave birth we DoorDashed Chick-fil-A & it was glorious! Definitely a gift idea I'll keep in mind for friends or family in the future when they have a baby! Hospital food is garbage & the gift card is nice so no one has to leave the hospital to go get food they can have it delivered right to the hospital. And if Mom & Dad don't use it while at the hospital - they can use it when they're home on maternity leave or we've had a few nice picnics or outings grabbing coffee or a sandwich thanks to the generosity of other people and their gifting of a gift card!
Packing cubes - these were great for separating my clothes, my baby's clothes, my husband's and other items.
Peri bottle - I know hospitals typically supply them, but mine room they had forgotten one when restocking it, but I quickly had my husband pull mine out because I had heard the hospital ones are garbage anyway. I really like this one & purchased 3 total - one to pack in my hospital bag & one for each bathroom in our home. This one is under $10 and I know the Frida Mom one is a popular brand one, but it's more money at $12-$14 & basically the same thing as this cheaper one!
Of course there are other things I used - bras, makeup, etc. but these featured items above were main items I found I used that I thought would be worth sharing! I'll be honest - I didn't really change during my time there because my nightgown just worked. I didn't do my hair because welp I didn't feel like it. I didn't do makeup until we were going home the next day after labor. So just to keep that real with you!
Other random things I'm glad I packed -
A book - I love to read and I got tired of tv and being on my phone.
Snacks - I was allowed to eat up until my epidural - I actually had a few meals while in the hospital too including sushi lol! <--- From a local spot not the hospital cafeteria just to be clear! I also had packed a tote with applesauce pouches, candy, Cheez-its, rice krispies etc. because our hospital was very small with a tiny caferia with limited options. My husband was grateful for the snacks I packed.
Things I wish I would have brought...
A tripod for photos
A book light - I found myself reading while I was waiting for labor to continue to progress and I actually finished a book while there! I wish I had brought a book light so I could have read later into the night. Of course I could have turned on the hospital lights, but they were too bright once on.
Tip -
I had an ongoing check list in my notes app on my phone shared with my husband. We check marked things as we packed them in our bag & this way he knew everything that was in our bags once we got to the hospital. Once I got my epidural, I was limited on my mobility & having the checklist note shared with him helped him to know for sure what was in the bag once he started looking for stuff! On that note I also had our emergency contacts - Dog sitter, family & our birth plan should certain events unfold - all for his access should he need it. Completely recommend for anyone having a baby soon! Communication is key & sometimes we need things written down (or typed out in text!) so we don't forget in the moment!
Hope you found this helpful!
XOXOXO
Mrs. Northern Belle