If you don’t follow along on socials you may not know this but I am officially a mom! And as a first time mom there was a lot that I researched about well…. everything possible. And one of those things was definitely my hospital bag. But I struggled to find content that wasn’t the same things over and over. Which led to me packing exactly what I was told to pack and there was some serious changes I would make if I have another baby.
So today I want to share all of that knowledge with honesty and realism that I hope genuinely helps out some expecting moms. Also- my husband had some additions he wanted to add so we have a husband (any support partner, wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/your parent etc mine is just a husband with a lot of opinions haha) section below as well! Let’s get into it so you can get to packing-
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Hospital Bag Realities: What to bring from a honest first time mom!
The real things you should bring, shouldn’t bother with, and why:
First up is what you should bring but we’re going to break this down into what you probably haven’t been told to bring and what you have. With more explanation on the first part since that’s not what you’re going to see 900 tiktoks telling you to pack!
Things you should bring that you probably HAVEN’T been told:
- A nerf gun- okay guys hear me out. If you have a partner that is able to sleep soundly then this is going to be life changing. Hospital rooms are not set up flawlessly for you to be able to wake your partner up to help. And you don’t want to scream and wake the baby or the baby is already screaming so clearly that isn’t waking them up. A nerf gun allows you to physically wake them up while you’re in bed. And depending on your labor and/or how long after labor you won’t be able to get up. And even when you can you won’t physically WANT to!! This is the one I think is cutest 😉
- Ear plugs- for before the baby arrives I would have loved to get more sleep than I was able to with all the machines running and miscellaneous hospital noises.
- Grippy socks- hospital floors are smooth and your balance after labor (especially if you had a c-section or epidural) isn’t great. Do yourself a favor and give you a little extra balance with some grippy socks. Which at least my hospital didn’t provide. These are the ones I brought
- Stool softener- my hospital offered some after labor but I swear that starting as soon as I was admitted into the hospital made a world of difference!!!
- Un-pregnancy safe favorites- I opted during pregnancy to not have any energy drinks (I also had HG pregnancy so they probably would have made me throw up anyway) and lemme tell you- having a sugar free Red Bull waiting in the mini fridge genuinely helped my mental health while pushing.
- Baby supplies-
- A hat! Hospital rooms are often cold AF and newborns lack insulation so do them a favor and bring a cozy and warm hat.
- Snacks– this will depend on your hospitals policies BUT for me (and apparently this is common) I could eat whatever I wanted until the epidural then it moved to a clear diet. And I was sooo hungry from the 38 hours of labor before I got the epidural and was beyond thankful that we had a bunch of protein bars available so I didn’t have to wait for DoorDash. Because the last thing I wanted in that moment also was hospital food.
Things you should bring that you HAVE been told:
- Certain postpartum supplies–
- Dermablast- if your hospital (like mine) provides then don’t worry about this but they don’t all so give them a call and see. If they don’t then pack it immediately!
- Nipple cream or coconut oil- if you plan to breast feed (which will likely involve pumping) then save yourself now and pack either nipple cream or coconut oil. Coconut oil does the same thing but isn’t as travel friendly usually.
- Nursing bras– If you plan to breastfeed then do yourself a favor and listen to everyone, bring a couple nursing bras. Personally I prefer the crossover ones VS the clip ones.
- Long phone charger- so ours wasn’t long enough lol! We brought a long one but it still wasn’t long enough to reach to the hospital bed just the couch my husband was on. So listen and bring the longest ones you can find online.
- Baby supplies
- Baby PJ’s with mittens- the mittens are the key here! Your baby very likely is going to come out with CLAWS. So protect them from themselves and bring a lot of PJs with mittens. And I say a lot because A) you don’t know how long you will end up being in the hospital and B) babies spit up, throw up, and poop all over everything lol
- Cute announcement sign- it’s worth the effort to get one and bring it. Those pictures last forever!
- Pacifiers- some lactation consultants might give you crap for this BUT we had nurses basically begging us to give her a pacifier to help calm our baby during heel prick tests. And we didn’t have feeding issues with confusion from the pacifier but of course it’s up to you.
- Pediatrician info- they probably won’t let you leave without having the babies peds appointment scheduled. So avoid frantically researching local pediatricians while at the hospital and have one picked and their information already handy to call and set up the appointment.
- Car seat- I feel like this is self explanatory but Imma add it here as a reminder to not only bring it but set it up in your car sooner rather than later.
- A small fan- guys labor is a serious workout. Keep yourself cool and sane and bring a small, portable (aka battery powered or re-chargeable) fan.
Things you don’t need to bother bringing:
- Other postpartum supplies– I talked above about what I recommend bringing but the things I don’t are:
- Pads- the hospital will provide GIANT pads that are way bigger and more effective than anything you can buy. It’ll feel like a diaper which is annoying but in that moment you aren’t going to care.
- Mesh underwear- again, hospital should provide (verify though) them and here’s the thing- the point of them is to hold the supplies in and protect you from getting covered in stuff. You don’t need to spend money on a specific brand because again they are just for that gross purpose.
- Delivery gown- I’m sorry but I can’t fathom spending money on a gown that is going to get COVERED in nasty things. And then if (like me) you are in the hospital for a few days after you just have that gown covered in fluids sitting in like a trash bag in your room until you take it home to wash it I guess?? Just use the hospital one.
- Pillow from home- Again.. do you really want to get your favorite pillow covered in labor fluids?!
- Baby supplies
- Going home outfit- unless you are doing some sort of photoshoot they are just going to spit up all over it and claw at their face. Stick with PJ’s with mittens!
- Diapers- the hospital should provide them, and they have every size possible so you don’t need to stress about that.
The partner packing list:
Per my husband these are his recommendations-
- A camping cot- yeah you read that right! My husband heard about this after the fact and majorly regrets not buying and bringing one. We spend 6 nights in the hospital and he was essential for making decisions for the babies wellbeing while I was out of it in recovery and it would have been great if he could have been more well rested. Yes it’s a running joke that men complain about the couch/chair but honestly it did suck and if he could’ve slept better it would have helped mom and baby too lol! This is the one he would have brought!
- Pajamas- they are gonna be at the hospital for an unpredictable amount of nights so make sure they pack some comfy sleep clothes. Especially if they don’t normally sleep in “visitor friendly” clothes because there will be people coming in and out of the room all night.
- Dude wipes- my husband brought these to clean up frequently (y’all I can’t stand when a man smells bad) and it was soooo helpful.
- Pre-scouted food delivery list- we found ourselves frantically figuring out who delivers to the hospital and more challenging, who delivers at weird hours. My husband highly recommends pre-scouting that so you aren’t dealing with it in the hospital. Also- this is for food for BOTH of you, hospital food is the last thing mom will want after delivery lol.
And that is all for now (though I am sure I will be coming back and adding more as I think about things) but I hope this was helpful and gives you a good, honest look into what you should bring to the hospital for the birth of your baby! Best of luck my friends and congrats on this exciting and amazing journey!!!
Korra-Shay
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