“What’s in my hospital bag” has been the most highly requested blog post since having Wyatt. She came early, so I didn’t have time to pull this post together before her arrival. Fortunately, I can make it that much better having gone through the experience because there are a lot of things I packed that I didn’t end up needing. If you’re a first time mom, I hope this blog post is helpful for you. I used my other blogger’s posts as a resource while packing and would have been lost without their knowledge. I already feel so much more prepared having gone through the experience to know what to pack for baby number two. If you think I left something off that I should have included, let me know in the comment section of this post!
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When packing for myself, there are several things that I was so happy I brought. To be honest, I used almost everything on this list, but the items I was so thankful I had were a pretty delivery gown (I used THIS ONE), a couple sets of nursing friendly PJs (I lived in pajamas since we couldn’t leave our room), THESE postpartum leggings (it was nice to have something to hold in my stomach after delivery), and a portable phone charger (I used THIS ONE and it was a lifesaver since outlets are not close to the hospital bed). If you plan on doing your makeup at all in the hospital (I only did mine for going home), then I highly recommend a light up makeup mirror so you don’t have to stand for a long time doing your makeup.
Items I didn’t use for myself were prenatal vitamins (my hospital gave me a vitamin everyday with the rest of my medicine), long robe/cardigan (I was too hot after delivery to need layers, but could still see a need for packing this), non-slip socks (hospital provides these), nipple shields/cream (I wasn’t at hospital long enough to start needing these, hospital can always provide this, too), and my Fridababy Postpartum Kit (this was an absolute necessity once I got home from the hospital, otherwise the hospital provides everything you need for recovery/healing).
For Drew, we were really happy we brought along some extra sheets/blankets for his bed. What hospital provides is not comfortable and if you’re going to spend a couple days at the hospital, you’ll want to male sure Dad has a good setup. We unfortunately ran out of the house too quickly and forgot our pillows, so that was a huge disappointment for us. We really wish we had our own pillows. In addition, I highly recommend bringing a cooler with waters and snacks. The cafeteria isn’t always convenient for visiting (especially with COVID), and you’ll want some easy grab snacks on hand for when you get hungry.
From Drew’s list, we didn’t use camera/tripod (our iPhone did the job and our nurse was sweet to offer to take photos for us), non-slip socks/slippers (personal preference for him, but he didn’t need these), games/speaker for music (we were too preoccupied taking care of Wyatt and soaking up our time together that we didn’t need games or music, we also weren’t in the hospital very long). I know some people want a bluetooth speaker for playing music during delivery, but we never thought to get ours out. We watched TV and napped instead.
A lot of items on the list above are provided by the hospital, but if it’s important for you to have ‘cute’ things for baby for photos or personal preference, then you may want to pack some of your own. A couple of things I was so happy I had were our own swaddle blankets – we love THESE (hospital ones are not very comfortable), our Boppy nursing pillow (this made the first couple of feedings so much easier), a changing pad cover for her bed bin (they only provided a scratchy sheet and she was way more comfortable with the changing pad cover), and a portable nightlight (this was essential for late night feedings so we didn’t have to turn on the bright hospital lights, loved that it dimmed and changes to night mode, too).
From baby’s list, we didn’t end up needing non-scratch mittens because we used THESE onesies that had built in hand covers to prevent scratching. Also- as much as I love my baby barefoot dream’s blanket, we really didn’t need it since the swaddles also served as soft blankets. Last but not least, we didn’t bring our halo sleep sack swaddle but I wish we had thought to bring this. I think she would have slept a lot better at the hospital if we had because she loves it at home.
Hopefully you found this post helpful. As always, if you have any questions about anything on our lists, feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me a DM on my instagram (@baileyschwartz).
