8 Things You Can’t Forget To Include In Your Hospital Birth Bag

1. Depends

Yes, the hospital will give you ginormous pads and will even stuff ice into newborn diapers to make “frozen pads” to soothe your lady parts. However, I found that depends are so much better. Pads tend to shift and not stay in the place you really need them.  Also, the depends seem to be way more absorbent.  Bring a whole pack to the hospital. You might not use them all, but this is one thing you won’t want to run out.

2. Comfortable (and reasonably cute) clothes

I only brought one outfit (to wear home). That turned out to be a bad idea as I got sick of the hospital gown shortly after delivery. We were stuck in the hospital for a few days, standard procedure, and I had nothing to wear. I quickly went through my available clothes and had to wear one of my husband’s hoodies home with some sweat pants. The result is that I look awful in all the pictures we took as we were leaving. Wearing my husband’s hoodie made me look sloppy and way bigger than I was before I had the baby. This time, I’ll be prepared with a few comfortable (and cute) outfits.

3. Snacks

I got to eat during labor, thankfully. I was so grateful for the protein bars and snacks we packed. My husband was grateful too. I didn’t want him leaving the room very often, so having snacks in the room during our 28 hour labor was a lifesaver. I’m already thinking about what sorts of snacks I plan to bring this go around.

4. Chargers for your tech gear

This is sort of a no brainer, but it’s not on most lists you will see. It would be easy to leave the charger at home and not realize until you see the flashing battery of death. Trust me, this is a time when everyone will be calling/texting and you don’t want your phone to die before you a selfie with your new baby or miss the chance to announce the birth yourself.

5. Your own toiletries

Sure, the hospital might have soap and even a generic form of shampoo you can use while you’re there. Trust me on this, you’ll feel so much better if you have your own shampoo and face wash to clean up with afterwards. I got some great travel size versions at Target for a dollar each. Get some for your husband too. He won’t remember on his own.

6. Cosmetics

I don’t wear a lot of make-up. I usually prefer to go natural, but after 28 hours of labor my skin was looking a little too natural.  I was grateful for some foundation and a good lip gloss in all those pictures.  Stash a couple of favorites in your purse and you’ll thank me later.

7. Breastfeeding pillow

The hospital has a million pillows. They kept bringing me more and more. I didn’t discover what I really needed until we got home.  We needed our Boppy breastfeeding pillow. If you plan to breastfeed, be sure to bring your pillow with you.  Also, they fit perfectly around your middle which makes them great for squeezing if you’re sore and laughing.

8. Outfits for baby

I did bring two beautiful little outfits for my son. They were carefully chosen and I’m so glad I had them. Except that they were both newborn size outfits and my son was just shy of 10 pounds. To my disappointment, they didn’t fit. This time I’ll be packing cute outfits in a couple of different sizes just in case we have another chunky baby.

I hope this list helped you think about what you really need to put in your bag and what is utterly ridiculous to bring with you.  Is there something you think I forgot? Tell me about it in the comments.

Written by: Sara Parise