Oh hey friends, still pregnant over here and counting down the days until our little man decides he wants to evacuate his bachelor pad LOL. Any day now would be fine with me! I’m just ready to have him in my arms and to have my body back (well somewhat at least).
I did a poll over on my Instagram stories last week to see if anyone would be interested in seeing what I am packing in our hospital bag and it seemed to be a hit so here we are! So whether you are a soon to be mom getting ready to pack your bag or looking for something to save for later on when you do, I put together a complete checklist of what I am packing in our bag! I also plan on updating this post after the hospital to let y’all know what we couldn’t live without and things that we didn’t end up using!
I also had my 38/39 week checkup yesterday and will be giving an update on that towards the end of this post. So if you are interested in hearing where we sit with little man at this point make sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom!
This post contains affiliate links, for more information see my disclosure here. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Please note, some items are weather permitting. It is October here for us in New England which is why I am bringing certain items, but you may be reading this in Florida or 8 months from now and a lot of these items won’t be necessary!
Also, I have provided a handy checklist at the bottom that will make it so much easier to pin for later 🙂
For Baby:
- Going home outfit – I packed two just in case (blowouts happen and I included 2 different sizes just in case the newborn outfit was too small, some of those are extra small!)
- Hat
- Mittens
- Receiving Blanket (Hospitals have these but I wanted a cute one for pictures, I’m bringing one of these)
- Heavier blanket (Optional based on weather, but it will be cold here)
- Swaddle
- Socks/booties (If outfit doesn’t cover feet)
- Jacket – for the ride home
- Pacifier
- Picture props
- Boppy – SO many people recommended bringing this if you are planning on breastfeeding
I also want to quickly note that I based the quantities of each items off of an average. If you are going in for a planned C-section you will likely be in the hospital for at least 4 days so make sure to increase based on that. Even if you are going in for a natural delivery, which is usually a 2 day stay minimum, it never hurts to pack an extra! I added an extra of some items just to be safe and to make sure we weren’t short on anything!
In my opinion it is better to overpack then to fall short on what you need, but I am also a chronic over packer so take that as you will lol.
For Mom:
- Nursing bra (if you plan on nursing – this is the one I am bringing)
- Nursing pads – these are the ones I bought, they had great reviews!
- Robe – This is the one I got, inexpensive and cute!
- Underwear – Ones that will accommodate heavy duty pads and be C-section friendly just in case you have some stitching. I purchased these which had great reviews (haven’t used yet because they come up higher) but I am also bringing a couple of these because I know they are great and work for me!
- Hard soled slippers – for walking around the hospital (I just bought a cheap pair)
- slipper socks/socks
- Nursing cover/scarf (optional – but this is the one I have and it’s super cute!)
- Nursing friendly tops or nightgowns x 3 (If you plan on nursing) – I am bringing a couple of these nightgowns and they are so comfy!
- A comfy, loose fitting going home outfit – likely sweats/joggers and a comfy top
- Scrunchies to put hair up
For Dad:
- Shirts x 3
- Athletic Shorts x 2
- Sweats
- Sweatshirt
- Hard Soled Slippers (dad needs to be comfy too lol)
- Underwear x 3
- Socks x 3
Toiletries:
- Toothbrush x 2
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo & Conditioner
- Mouthwash
- Body Soap
- Face Wash
- Face Moisturizer
- Deodorant
- Chapstick – you will definitely want this!
- Contacts
- Glasses
- Brush and/or Comb
- Makeup (if wanted for visitors or going home) – I brought my trusty CC cream and that’s about it!
- Nipple Cream (I bought this 3 pack of travel tubes so that I could have them in multiple places for at home. The hospital likely supplies this but these had great reviews so I figured I would bring one just in case)
- Medications you commonly use (tylenol, tums, etc.) – the hospital will obviously have these but it will probably cost and doesn’t hurt to bring them for dad just in case
Extras: (Anything that will make you feel a little more at home for your stay)
- Diaper Bag – This is the one pictured above
- Water Bottle – I don’t go anywhere without my HydroFlask, but this is another option that is much cheaper and works just as well)
- Electrolyte Drink Packets (Kiwi Strawberry Propel is my fave so that’s what I am bringing)
- Charger w/ extra long cord for both mom & dad – this set is a great price and comes with 3 different sizes for all iPhone users!
- Entertainment for both (Tablet, laptop, card game, etc.)
- Smaller wallet (Optional – but I don’t want to lug my big one around when all I need is my ID, Credit card and Insurance card)
- Gum
- Laundry bag – I’m just a little OCD and like to keep the clean and dirty separated lol
- Bluetooth speaker – this one is amazing!
- Towels – Word on the street is that hospital towels are small and scratchy, no thanks!
- Shower flip flops – nobody likes using a public shower. Let’s be real, they are nasty.
- Your own pillow, especially for dad over there on that super comfy couch!
- Camera, if you wish!
- SNACKS!!! – These may come in handy since the cafeteria isn’t open 24/7. They have vending machines but you might as well bring what you want if you have the chance to, right?! I went way overboard on the snacks (don’t worry, I didn’t bring everything pictured, that was just for some ideas!) but I like to have my options lol. Plus, if you don’t eat them there you will eat them at home when you are busy awwing over baby!
Don’t forget to pin the checklist below so that you can come back to it later when you are packing!
I’ve also included items below that will help you after baby has arrived!
I hope y’all found that helpful! If you have done this before and feel like I am leaving out anything important, I would love to hear below! I am obviously a newbie here so this checklist was just a compilation of all of the other lists that I read + what made the most sense to me! I also want to note that every hospital is different so i’m sure there are items that most hospitals will supply while others may not which may have been my reason for leaving some things off the list!
As promised, an update on mine and babes current status! I had my appointment yesterday and he is doing great but may be making himself a little too comfortable if you know what I mean lol. No progress has been made as far as dilation goes and based off of my original due date I will be 39 weeks tomorrow. If it continues this way and nothing has changed by my appointment next week, we have scheduled a few cervical ripening appointments to try to move things along on their own. For anyone who doesn’t know what that is (like myself before I went to the doctors today lol) they have me come into the office/hospital to take a pill and will monitor me for an hour and then send me home. For some contractions will start after one dose for others it will take quite a bit more or will not work. It is often the step they take before they resort to inducing you. After three attempts if I am still not progressing enough I will be getting induced. Who knows what could happen over the next week but a lot of people say that the first baby often needs a little push! Only time will tell!
Hope you all have a great rest of your week and a wonderful weekend! If you don’t already, follow me on IG for more updates as we get closer to our little one’s arrival! 🙂
