Hospital Bag Essentials

lachnessmomster

It might be a little early for this, but I know I can't be the only planner here thinking about what to pack in my hospital bag. I thought we could just add to this thread as baby day approaches and we think of more suggestions!

What is everyone planning to bring to the hospital, birth center, midwife group, etc.? Any special comfort items? For ST+Ms, are there things you forgot or didn't think to bring to earlier deliveries? Absolute essentials?

Can't wait to see everyone's recommendations!

lachnessmomster

I made a lot of mistakes in packing for DS's birth. When we planned to deliver at The Midwife Group, we were only supposed to stay a few hours after the birth, then we would've been released to go home. So, basically, I did a lot of preparation for the delivery and zero prep for an extended hospital stay. DH had to go home to grab more things. He came back with a hat for baby, my Boppy, extra clothes and underwear, and my makeup, bless his soul. I genuinely looked like the Crypt Keeper, so I NEEDED my makeup and makeup brushes. These are all things that I'll pack on the first take this time around. For underwear, I bought a bunch of high-waisted boy shorts from a big Victoria's Secret sale beforehand. They ended up being a blessing for a c-section mama, because they didn't bother my incision.

Some other items I'll bring along this time:
- my fuzzy robe
- also maybe a more lightweight robe for a hospital gown alternative
- NURSING TOPS! Holy moly, how did I not purchase any nursing tops until AFTER delivery?
- extra maxi pads -  The hospital provided some, but I already had some packed that I mostly used.

This is all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there will be more.

ETA: punctuation

wildrainbow

Make sure that if you are on any medication bring it with you. The hospital charges per pill! Also, COLACE!! That first poop is scary awful and you will need it. 

-Dry shampoo, especially if you are c section mama and can't take a shower right a way. 
-I brought my own pillow and it was the best ever!
-Chargers for all the things!
-Camera
-Stretchy, comfy clothes to wear home
-If you are bf, lanolin or nipple cream
-Take all the mesh panties with you because they are a gift from God!
-Please make sure your H has a bag packed.
-If you pre-register for the hospital have all the paperwork with you. 
-Insurance cards, ID, etc. 
-Carseat
-Baby blanket for going home

I'm sure of will think of more, but these are off the top of my head. I know a lot of them seem like no brainer items, but I have seen so many ppl forget the things that seem like items you would never forget.  

emjohn517

Snacks!!!! 
Phone and charger 
robe
yoga pants 
def nursing tanks 
shower shampoo and soap 
deodorant- seriously those after birth hormones can be strong! 
Slippers 
hair tie 
lotion
chapstick 
babys coming home outfit
menus for local take out food 

husband/partner bag

lachnessmomster

@emjohn517 Love the slippers suggestion! I had almost everything I needed for baby, but really neglected myself with DS. I was pretty uncomfortable a lot of the time. Definitely going to pack my slippers now!

millerbear56

Something I didn’t bring with DS but will be this time my own towel for showering. The hospital towels are small and not as soft as my own!
plus all the chargers, comfy clothes, personal care items and underwear you don’t mind throwing away later. You don’t need the car seat with you when you get there, it takes up space in the room, so we had DH bring it in the day we went home. 

tessiesmom26

Following the crap out of this thread. Need to come back with a notepad to write this all down lol. I watched a 27 minute video on YouTube last night about what someone packed in her hospital bag.   

pelorunningmama

@emjohn517 yes to the snacks!! I didn't bring any with my first, but did with my second and they were the best thing I packed. I was starving and wanted random things all throughout the day and night. DH appreciated them also.

I think most of my necessities have been covered. I will emphasize your own pillow, a nursing pillow (if you plan on BF), nursing tanks, cozy socks or slippers, and loose waistband lounge pants. Those are probably my favorite things. I didn't care what I wore home from the hospital either time. 

runningyogimama

-Phone charger!
-Whatever you want to change into - I changed into yoga pants, a nursing tank, and zip up hoodie as soon as I showered. I didn’t bring a robe (or maybe I did with #1, and it just didn’t get used), and didn’t need one.
-Whatever toiletries/make up you’ll want - make up makes me feel human, so I included that. 
-Going home outfit/blanket/car seat for baby. 

I’m fairly low maintenance and GTFO of the hospital as soon as possible, so that’s all I needed. 

ETA: Oh, chapstick/lip gloss to keep your lips moisturized! Definitely necessary while in labor.

lifesabeach85

@millerbear56 Yes to the towels!

My doctor actually recommended that the last time and I'm so glad I had them, plus a robe. The towels they have in the hospital are often small and rough. Extra suggestion - buy/bring some big fluffy NONWHITE towels (mine were navy) for your first shower. You are going to be bleeding postpartum, a lot, and it might be discomfiting to see it all over the towels. Socks/slippers and a robe are also a good idea - i enjoyed having them for sure.

-Echoing snacks! And a refillable water bottle like camelback or clean kanteen.

-Baby book! Is there a place in your baby book you would like a stamp of the baby's footprint? Bring it so the nurse can help you with this.

When you take a tour of the hospital scope out the sleeping arrangements for DH (it's probably a chair) and see if you need to bring an extra pillow.

When you leave the hospital take freebies with you like diapers, pads, mesh panties, ice packs for your lady bits, peri bottle, hats/blankets

middleschoolmommy

I didn't have a bag, as I went into labor so early. I only spent about 24 hours in the hospital. I sent DH home for toiletries (so I could take a shower), change of clothes, and phone charger. That's all I needed. The hospital wouldn't "allow" me to take my own medications, which sucked since I was starving and had to wait hours for them to bring me insulin. 
I need to tour the hospital I'll deliver at this time. I hope they have showers available. The shower after giving birth to my son was the best one ever. 

highsteaks

the stuff that immediately comes to
mind:
-slippers and robe (was nice to have something to cover my butt when i wanted to walk around in the hospital gown).
-a small speaker to play music before and after delivery to help drown out outside noise.
-a fitness ball for laboring (iirc sitting/bouncing on it helps dilation and opens the pelvis, plus it was so nice to lean on during contractions.)
-breastfeeding pillow (even if not breastfeeding, it was nice to help prop up baby while holding them).
-your car seat for baby.
-an empty spare bag or small suitcase for all the crap (or swag) your hospital sends you home with.
-at least one or two preemie sized outfits, jic... newborn is easy to get a hold of, but finding preemie size clothes last minute when i wasn’t expecting to need them was a pita. keep tags on and return if you don’t use them. dd was 5lbs at birth and swimming in newborn clothes for almost a month.

things i’ve heard recommended before, that i’m not bringing:
-stuff to kill time; books, magazines, etc.. i just didn’t find much downtime at all (and i was there for 5 days). my phone with internet access was fine.
-medicine; all medicine, even prenatal vitamin, had to be dispensed by my hospital. this also includes the otc stuff like pads and medical wipes and stuff—hospital gave me all that without even asking me if i wanted/needed it.
-nice clothes; just the comfy stuff.

josie12367

Most items have already been covered, but a couple of other things to possibly bring are:

-Flip flops for the shower, and walking around the bathroom/immediately after labor...the blood y'all

-Your breastpump...so if the lactation consultant makes a visit, then you can check your flange sizes, and settings. They can also cover any questions you might have about its use 

Amber1174

It's been 18 years since I did this!  Definitely following!!!

lurvleybunchococonuts

As a FTM I will definitely be referring back to this thread   Also reminds me that I should probably call the birthing center/hospital and ask about setting up a tour... hmmmm... 

highsteaks

@lurvleybunchococonutsoh yea, good to get that done sooner rather than later! mine stops tours starting in october because of cold/flu season.

honeybeebub

Things that worked:

·        Chargers (extra long from amazon so it reaches to your bed)/Phones/ Camera

·        Boppy/ nursing pillow

·        All the snacks for myself and husband

·        Chapstick, lots of hair ties, deodorant, brush, straightener to get rid of frizz, toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner etc

·        Flip flops that can go in the shower

·        Mascara/ makeup wipes / nail file

·        Baby’s coming home (NB + 3mo) outfit & carseat

·        Our own swaddles for pictures / mittens for skin to skin 

·        Thank you basket for nurses (healthy snacks, lotion, candy/gum)

·        Folder with important documents (numbers to call for insurance, STD, work, pharmacy location, required paperwork)

Things that I didn’t use:

·        Makeup (except mascara) since I was too sore to care

·        Clothes (I thought that I would be back to normal size yoga pants – let’s all take a moment to laugh at this)

·        Underwear (hospital supplied mesh underwear love)

·        Tablet for movies (we just ended up watching the TV)

·        Robe (I used an extra johnny on the back and didn’t do too much walking with the c-section)

·        Breastpump (Hospital supplied a pump and pack of sterile accessories)

Things I will be bringing this time:

·        Baby hat (The one we received looked like an old stinky sock)

·        Yeti cup (They supplied a nice big cup with ice, but it would have been nice to have my own)

·        Pregnancy black (because of bleeding) yoga pants & tanks with easy access for nursing/ nursing bras (I ended up staying in the johnny because none of my clothes were comfortable/loose enough)

·        Extra pillow – I couldn’t get comfortable in the hospital bed

·        Extra  folding bag for hospital swag/presents (We received a bag from one of the local nursing homes and it was great. I didn’t realize how many gifts we would get at the hospital. Also bring everything that you find useful from your room home (pads, underwear, nasal bulbs, thermometer, diapers, wipes, pump parts/bottles – once you use them they are yours!)

·        Thank you cards (it would have been nice to write out a quick thanks after people brought a gift because it was hard to remember a few days later) I also wish I had a few dunkin donuts gift cards to give out to our really outstanding nurses and lactation consultant who went out of the way to help.

Eveinshock

I brought a bunch of stuff and used barely anything.  I was in so much pain and so exhausted I barely got out of bed. The hospital gown was full coverage and like an old lady pj so that was good enough for me even though i brought my own pjs and robe.  Hospital supplied pretty much everything you would ever need, including a nice big bag to bring it home in. 

Our house is 5 min from the hospital so my husband just ran home to change/shower and brought food/snacks from the hospital or nearby. Only things I think I actually used were chapstick, meds, baby outfit, charger, going home outfit for me.  

Just another tip....eat before you go. I was told this by my sister in law and didn't listen. I went sunday at 5pm to start pre-induction procedures. Was going to be induced Monday morning. So I go in expecting to be able to get dinner since....well nothing was happening yet. NOPE.  I hadn't eaten since lunch and I had the baby the next day at 2:45 PM and I am pretty sure I had my husband hand me a bag of chips while I was still getting stiched up....

lachnessmomster

@honeybeebub Awesome point about snagging the nasal bulbs! The hospital seriously provides the best ones. The one I got in my little safety kit at my baby shower sucks compared to that big blue hospital-supplied nasal bulb. I still use it sometimes on DS.

pelorunningmama

I could never make the nasal bulb work. I don't know what I did wrong. The nose frida will always be my absolute favorite, gross baby item that is a necessity. 

honeybeebub

@lachnessmomster @wannaflickone So we liked the hospital bulb too, but I couldn't figure out how to clean it real good so once it was on it's last leg we moved to the Nose Frida. Lachness-How did you clean your bulb? I'll second the nose frida as a favorite, gross baby item that I push for my new mom friends to get - not one has regretted it  

lachnessmomster

@honeybeebub The nurse just told me to rinse it out with warm water after each use, but I would mostly use hot soapy water and rinse it multiple times. Turn it upside down to dry.

Clobert

This was my list from last time.  I was at a hospital and I’m glad I packed thoroughly because I had a 56 hour labor and stayed 2 days.  I will actually need to change this a bit because I’m at a birth center this time so I’ll add a peri bottle and baby clothes for after birth like kimono tops and hats and pads and receiving blankets.  I also brought cloth diapers to the hospital the first time and will do that again.  

The best things I brought were music playlist, rice sock for labor comfort and my own pillow and breast friend pillow.   

Car Seat

Extra Pillows (and breastfeeding pillow)

extra towel

Purse:

Insurance, ID, Hospital papers

Labor Bag:

phones and chargers, (pack one iphone charger)

Laptop and charger with music and playlist 

camera and memory cards and charger, (packed for now, but double check)

earphones

snacks for Dad

labor friendly snacks, energy gels, gum, bars, etc.

“small, low-fat meals/snacks for energy such as energy bars, crackers, clear soups and fruit”

(I have: Luna bars, kind bars, dates, gum, preggie pop drops)

socks with anti slip bottoms

lip balm for mom

lotion (tiny travel ones)

Massagers

Hair Ties

Bathing suit (try to find the one that would fit me! or pack the sports bra last minute)

Dads extra bathing suit

rice sock

oil for perenium (jojoba and olive oil)

money and change

Recovery bag:

toiletry bag with: emab body butter, hair serum, deodorant

Makeup Bag

robe for Mom,

going home clothes for mom  (stuff that fit around 6 months pregnant),

Pajamas or comfy clothes that open in front

toiletries for mom (backup deodorant, travel toothbrushes and paste, shampoo and cond., razor)

slippers

big stretchy underwear

Nursing bras (fitted at 38 weeks) (for now pack the black sleep one)

nipple cream

Pads (a few in bag)

Witch Hazel or tucks

Bottom spray

Nursing pads if you have them

Cloth Diapers in wet/dry bag with snappis and wipes.

lifesabeach85

A lot of people have mentioned hospital paper work. Most hospitals allow you to pre-register and you should definitely do this! Ask your OB or on the tour how you should do this and what you will need to print out and bring with you. 

iheartbooks

I literally can’t remember what I brought or wore last time, but I do remember wishing I had comfy socks, so I’ll definitely be packing those!

lifesabeach85

Bump! 

firsttimespartanmom

We took our hospital tour last night and it got me thinking about my bag so I started making a list. 

-coming home outfit for baby
-yoga pants and nursing hoodie for me
-towel, shower stuff
-phone charger
-pillow
-flip flops

trying to be minimal since I know myself and at the 24 hour mark I’m going to want the hell out of there! Anything major I’m forgetting, STM+? 

highsteaks

those who have had a c-section: anything special to pack that you’d recommend? what types of clothes are the best during recovery?

wildrainbow

@highsteaks highwaisted pants and underwear. Loose shirts, nothing worse than clothes that get stuck to the incision. If you are nursing, a good pillow/s for supporting babies. 

booksandcoffee

Don’t forget an extra outfit or two for the baby- as I learned the hard way when my first had a poopsplosion through his coming home outfit AND backup coming home outfit before we had even left the parking lot. 

lostarz14

These don't necessarily HAVE to go in your hospital bag, but the Always Infinity Pads overnight ones were awesome.  I used the hospital ones and mesh panties for awhile but these pads were good once I got sick of the giant pad in my crotch.

lachnessmomster

@highsteaks +1 for COMFY high-waisted underwear. Even 6 weeks after my c-section, I couldn't wear my cute, lacy underwear and favored high-waisted, cotton boy shorts. Like @wildrainbow mentioned, I HATED underwear that would irritate my incision, so the lace and frill had to go for awhile.

MouseMama817

@highsteaks This was a miracle product for me after my csection: 
https://www.upspringbaby.com/shop-cpanty-highwaist?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAjwxILdBRBqEiwAHL2R89z5AvI3mNOr7W3HBvj5WMviFre2A0pPQfP6mwG3LBJikxoH0ZHRkBoCTkkQAvD_BwE

highsteaks

@MouseMama817 a few questions: how fast do they arrive once ordered? can you find them in store anywhere? how’s the sizing?

MouseMama817

@highsteaks I ordered mine online over 3 years ago so I can't remember how quickly they shipped or honestly from where I bought them, but I do believe you can buy them in-store at Buy Buy Baby. The sizing was spot on for me. I got a medium, which was my normal pre-pregnancy size. You want them to be tighter-fitting so that they support you and hold everything together. I felt like I could move around the house so much better with these on. I will say that because they're tight and it's a pull-down panty as opposed to something like the Belly Bandit, going to the bathroom was a pain. Just because I had to be careful moving them up and down without rubbing against my incision. 

tessiesmom26

Bumping this back up to ask: What did your SOs pack? I had a list for DH and he said he wanted to do it himself so I tossed it when I re-wrote mine to be neater. Last night while packing the bags for baby and I, he asked if I had a checklist for him to use *facepalm*. I put one together quick but just curious what everyone else's SOs are doing?

ashkee05

@tessiesmom26 my husband just packed sweat pants, boxers, T-shirt’s and a hoodie. we both packed deodorant and tooth brushes. I packed a brush. It is however our plan to leave after 24 hours as long as we can. I’m so over hospitals 

eta chapstick! All the chapstick lol

highsteaks

@tessiesmom26 pajamas, couple changes of clothes, slippers, a thick blanket, a thin blanket, his pillow, toiletries, phone, wallet, and his work laptop.

soehlerk

@tessiesmom26 oh man that sounds exactly like my DH--although if i left it to him, it would never get done.  I just plan on tossing in a pair of sweats, a tshirt, and an extra pair of boxers.  He also has a daily medication, so I've tossed in a few of those as well.  As it gets closer I'll probably throw in some treats for him (oreos, protein bars, turtle chex mix) as long as he eats them far away from me. 

Unless I get induced I don't foresee being able to pack our own pillows--even our Kindle/ipad stuff we use every day at home, so I'm not sure what the odds are that we'd actually get to pack them.  I might pack them in the car on the days that I have doctors appointments just in case.

highsteaks

@soehlerk  we packed stuff that we didn’t need everyday in one bag and preloaded it in the car, then had a separate bag we kept in our room to throw in last second stuff (like our pillows). i think if you go into labor naturally, you should still have time to last minute pack because the hospital will want you to be somewhat along before you’re admitted.

lifesabeach85

@tessiesmom26 unless you live very far away from the hospital, or you plan on a quick release I would bet on DH going home after 24h to shower/change, check on Tessie, and pick up anything you forgot (especially if family/friends are visiting you in the hospital). 

Some good things to bring are just the basics for an overnight stay - a change of (comfy) clothes, essential toiletries, chargers, wallet (ID/insurance). Snacks are a good idea for both of you.