As a first-time mother I did not know what to pack in the hospital bag, so I did what most Millennials in my situation would do: I searched the Internet. After reading various articles, I called my best friend who told me I didn’t really need to bring anything. That didn’t sit well with the planner in me, thus I watched a few YouTube videos on the subject. Ultimately, I decided on the materials I wanted to bring with me. See the grid below on what I packed and what I would not pack again now that I have been through birth. If you’ve read my birth story, you know that I did all my labor at home, hence I didn’t need some of those items I had included in the suitcase. Before we delve into what to pack, you may be wondering when to pack.

When to Pack the Hospital Bag

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law suggested I pack my hospital bag during my seventh month of pregnancy, which I did. You don’t know if you’ll go into labor early and this way, you are prepared. The absolute latest I would pack is 35-weeks pregnant. A pregnancy is considered term at 37 weeks. Baby watch begins at this point. My due date was in February and I packed my bag in December. I added more items in February when I was closer to my due date. The week before my due date, I made date-nut bars which I froze and my husband grabbed along with other snacks on the morning we went to the hospital. Now back to what to pack.

What I Packed for Me	Include for Next Birth	Why/Why Not
Robe	No	Unnecessary
Labor & Delivery/Nursing Gown	No	I rather get the hospital’s gown dirty and not have to launder my own
Christmas lights	No	If I were intending the labor at the hospital, then this would set a calm mood.
Snacks	Yes	Definitely need energy to labor and after delivery I was hungry. My homemade date-nuts bars came in handy.
Phone Charger	Yes
Change of clothes	Yes
Eye mask	Yes	I can’t sleep with lights on and the hospital room is never completely dark. If you’re sensitive to light like me, then bring a mask. It helped me rest after delivery.
Shower shoes	No	I opted to shower at home, so not needed.
Slippers	No	The hospital provides socks which I used instead.
Head scarf and hair tie	Yes	Got to keep hair out of your face and protect your tresses at night. Coincidentally, I didn’t need this because I came to the hospital with my scarf on since it was the middle of the night.
Toiletries	Yes	See below.
Nursing bra	Yes	Need ease of access for feeding before the ride home.

The hospital provides a toothbrush and toothpaste, but I don’t recall there being lotion, moisturizer, sunscreen, etc. so I would bring those items. Plus, the brands you use will probably be better quality than the hospital’s. Since I err on the side of less is more, I advise against bringing pajamas, towels, pillows, nor blankets unless bringing those items will add to your comfort.

Here’s what I recommend packing in your hospital bag:

For Mama	For Baby	For Support Person
Change of clothes for going home *make sure it’s breastfeeding friendly	Going home outfit	Change of clothes
Playlist for labor and delivery	Mittens	Toiletries
Snacks for labor and after delivery	Socks	Phone charger
Phone charger	Pacifier (for the ride home)	Camera
Toiletries	Car seat	Entertainment/pastime
Journal/Coloring book (to keep calm and distracted)	Extra bag to pack hospital provided baby items	Snacks
Eye mask

The hospital provides lots of items for baby, so be sure to bring an extra bag so you can take these items home.  The items we packed from our hospital included diapers, wipes, shirts, swaddles, a wash basin, and a nasal aspirator. I regret not taking all the swaddles.

Other Postpartum Considerations

For mama, the hospital provides mesh underwear, witch hazel pads, ice packs, peri bottle and Dermaplast spray. I recommend packing these up to aid in your recovery. Also, I recommend buying Frida Mom Disposable underwear and bladder leak pads. The Frida underwear are boyshorts and cling tighter to the body. They are way better than the mesh underwear. (Thank you, Monica, for gifting me these.) Prior to delivery, I purchased overnight pads which have wings. I much preferred the bladder leak pads which were wingless and just as absorbent. (Thank you, Angelica, for bringing these to me.) Lastly, to help stabilize your stomach you may want to consider a belly wrap. Fortunately, I was gifted one during my second week postpartum which I still wear. (Thanks again Angelica.) Additionally, you’ll want to have nursing bras on hand. I grossly underestimated how many I would need and only purchased one bra in advance. I would recommend buying a combination nursing and pumping bra if you plan to pump. However, you can make your own pumping bra from an old sports bra. Also, buy nursing bras to sleep in. You may want to keep a heat pack on hand as well. The lactation consultant recommended moist heat to relieve engorged breasts. You may want to consider measuring your nipples to see what size flange you need. 24mm is a standard size that comes with most breast pumps but you may need a different size. I printed a ruler from Pumpables. Lastly, keep some nipple cream on hand. Those first few days of nursing brought sore and chapped nipples. The cream provided some relief.

What items did you pack in your hospital bag? When did you pack your bag? Which items helped you through your postpartum journey? Please let me know in the comments.