What To Pack For the Hospital – Preparing for Birth

If you’re like me, you planned for a hospital birth. This list is for you! I spent two nights at the hospital and figured I would share what was in my bag for me and Baby Spawn.

What to Pack for the Hospital

• Installed car seat (and base) – The baby cannot leave the hospital without a car seat. Period. I’m not joking. Make sure you’ve got that ready to go in the car. You’ll transfer the baby from hospital cart to car seat to car when you leave.
• Your wallet with your ID – Obviously, you’ll need your ID plus some money in case you want to grab a Starbucks coffee or vending machine junk food. (Hopefully someone will bring your purse with you and will also treat you to said junk food.)
• All of your paperwork for the hospital – insurance forms/cards, hospital paperwork and your birth plan (which will get tossed out anyway – ha!)
• Toiletry kit – toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, small towel, facial moisturizer, hair ties/clips, hairbrush.
• Makeup kit (barebones) – While I didn’t use any makeup I packed, you may feel like yourself with some mascara and eyeliner. Plus you’ll have pictures of you at the hospital and why not look nice? (I forgot to put makeup on so all of my hospital pictures look like I died.)
• Flip flops – Easy to put on and shuffle to the bathroom. If you bleed on them, no big. They’re easy to wash off. (Old Navy is great for cheapo flip flops at $2.50-$4.00 per pair!)
• Electronics and phone charger – you may need to contact your family or friends when you’re finally out of labor and resting in your room. If you don’t want to return calls or texts, your SO or partner can do that for you.
• Smartphone/iPad – you might be bored and want to catch up on email or texts or listen to music.
• A set of clothes (PJs) and change of underwear for SO/partner – if you’ve got a hospital that allows for overnight guests, your partner will probably be there with you. We lived close enough to the hospital that The Wife could drive and grab a shower at home and stay overnight with me.
• Nursing bra or sports bra – something easy to pull off so you can nurse the baby.
• Robe and PJ’s – optional. I didn’t bother wearing either. I wore my hospital gown and those mesh granny boxers. It was easy to pull down the gown to breastfeed, and it was easier to not wear PJ pants when heading to the bathroom. It was one less thing to think about getting dirty/blood on. I did wear my fleece jacket that I came in to labor with; I walked a few circles with the baby in the hospital cart in the recovery wing to stretch my legs.
• A wet bag or plastic bag – When I was in labor, it felt like I peed through my pants. I think my water had broken. You’ll need to throw your dirty laundry somewhere. A wet bag or a plain old plastic bag will do.
• Outfit to go home in – I brought a t-shirt and yoga pants for myself. It was comfy and easy to put on and take off. Remember – pain. Vagina. bleeding. pain. stitches.
• Outfit for baby to go home in – doesn’t have to be fancy but something comfortable for baby.
• Those baby mittens and a nail file – When Spawn came out of my vagina, she scratched the living daylights out of me (from the inside). I had to get stitches. Make sure you pack some mittens so your baby doesn’t scratch herself and a baby nail file to dull those talons! I really like this crystal nail file I got from the Pump Station. Baby nails are ultra thin when they’re born – do not use nail clippers.
• Receiving blankets – 1-2, depending on weather. You’ll use the hospital blankets while you’re there but when you leave, Baby may need a blanket to cover from the cold… or strangers.
• An extra baby hat – The hospital gives you the standard hat but it doesn’t hurt to pack an extra one.