My Hospital Bag: What You Really Need

 My Hospital Bag

Before I started packing my hospital bag I watched a ton of YouTube videos about what people brought with them.

It helped some but what helped the most was of course going to the hospital and figuring it out for myself. I wanted to take the least amount of stuff possible so here is what I took in one medium-sized suitcase. (Husband, myself, and the baby)

• 1 light jacket
• 1 terry cloth robe
• 1 pair of black maternity leggings
• 1 pair of black sleep pants
• 1 nursing tank top
• 1 loose T-shirt top
• Flip flops for the shower
• 2 pairs of cheap slippers (We had them from the hotel on our honeymoon. One pair for each of us)
• Uno cards
• A small adult coloring book and colored pencils
• 2-night masks
• 1 pair of earplugs
• 2 T-shirts for my husband
• 1 pair of sleep pants for my husband
• 3 tank tops for my husband
• A pair of jeans for my husband
• The basics: socks, undies, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hair ties, hair brush
• 1 gown for my son (0-3)
• A going-home outfit (Newborn)
• 1 newborn outfit
• 2 sleepers (0-3)
• 3 hats
• 3 pairs of mittens
• 3 pairs of socks
• A baby fingernail file
• All of our charging cords
• My son's baby book for foot/handprints
• A folder with my birth plan and insurance papers.
• Nursing pads
• 2 nursing bras without underwire
• A small wallet with the basics: ID, insurance cards, a few dollars, and our debit card
• My favorite pillow in a bight pillowcase (So that the hospital couldn’t mistake it for theirs)
• Treats in a big Halloween bowl for our nurses
• Snacks and hard candy for my husband

Related Post: Breastpump Reviews

That’s everything I brought and honestly, I used a lot of it but the few things I didn’t use really got in the way. Here is what I didn’t use

• Shower flip-flops. My hospital was very clean and I ended up with a C-section so I really didn’t care enough to put them on.
• Adult coloring book. While I thought I would get bored I did but I couldn’t have colored because of my IV.
• Night masks. I thought the room may be too bright for my husband but once our son was born and in the room with us, he was out like a light.
• Earplugs. Again I thought it may be too loud for my husband but it clearly was not.
• Any 0-3Mth clothes I bought for our son. We thought he was going to be huge even though he was a few weeks early but he was tiny. I actually had to get my mom to bring more newborn clothes to us because we stayed longer than we planned.
• Baby fingernail file. While some babies need them trimmed right away our son didn’t, but I’m still glad I brought them.
• Black sleep pants. They rubbed on my incision.

You might also like: Diapers And Nappies… Are They My Life Now?

I’m proud of how well I packed for my first time but knowing what I know now (and ending up with a C-section) here is what I wished I would have brought and why.

• Yoga pants that are a size too big. My guts felt like they were going to fall out and once I got home I flipped the band up and it helped me to feel supported.
• Baby wipes. Our hospital gave us washrags but we never seemed to have enough so we would stop in the middle of a diaper change to hunt down more.
• A Boppy or another breastfeeding pillow. My son had a hard time latching and it was hard holding him unsupported for so long and it was nice to prop him up to just stare at all of his cuteness.
• A book. When my husband and baby were asleep I didn’t have anything to do other than scroll on Facebook and let’s face it, that’s mind-numbing.
• An extra set of clothes just in case. We had that “just in case” happen and ended up staying for 4 days, we had to have my mom bring us more clothes (for my husband).

All in all, I felt pretty prepared until the unexpected happened. Watch YouTube videos, read books, read blogs, and ask your friends, if it’s okay to overpack. Be sure to check with your hospital and make sure they don’t have bag restrictions or a list of prohibited items before you bring food or anything like that.

Good luck Momma! We all believe in you!

Don’t forget to check out articles such as Gifts For Baby, What Do We Really Need? and Being Pregnant and What I Miss About It.