Well guys, it’s that time! Time to pack the hospital bag; 38 weeks is upon us! She could be here at any day now.
I have been gathering items for my hospital bag over the past couple weeks, and finally have it all together.
Some of you may be birthing at the hospital, and others at a birthing center with a midwife. There are so many different options these days, and I absolutely love that.
For me, I am going to the good ‘ol hospital. 🙂 My hospital is quite cool and newly remodeled, and they seem to be very accepting of every mother’s birth plan. I felt really good when I took a tour of the facility. I liked that they would let me bring all of my “feel good” items into the birthing room, and that they took the time to answer all my questions and concerns.
Depending on which route you are taking, your hospital bag items may differ from mine. Leave any of your questions and/or ideas in the comments. I would love to hear from you!
Many people say that you’ll only need a 1/4 of the things that you bring to the hospital, but I say better safe than sorry. Â (In a follow-up blog post, I’ll let you know if there are things that I 100% did not use or need to bring).
In addition to the necessities, I encourage you to bring some of your favorite “feel good” items to the hospital.
I am one of those people who thrive on my surroundings being my “happy place,” so I felt like I needed to bring a few extra not-so-essential items to the birthing room. Let’s take my diffuser for example. Is this completely necessary? No, but my oils and my diffuser elevate my mood so I decided to bring them along.
Hospital Bag Items
Birth Plan
Insurance Card
Two Pillows – the hospital has pillows, but I like my own
Blanket – I’m bringing my favorite soft blanket
Snacks – granola bars, plain crackers, coconut water
Outfit for Lily to wear home
Lily’s baby tiara for newborn picsÂ
Essential Oils & Diffuser – I am bringing: Orange, Lavender, Frankincense, Peppermint, Gratitude, Stress Away, Progessence Plus, and Gentle Baby.
Exercise Ball – helps to open up pelvis and can help speed up delivery. Some facilities have these on site but mine does not.
MakeupÂ
Toiletries – lotion, deodorant, eye makeup remover, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair ties, hair brush, soap
Lip Balm – lips can get very dry during labor
Dry Shampoo – no brainer 🙂 gotta try to keep that hair on point
Nursing Bra
Phone Charger
Car Seat – already assembled in the backseat
Comfy Robe – for walking around the room and for the couple days after birth. I am wearing mine in the picture!
Socks – sometimes feet get cold during labor
Bedroom Slippers –Â for after deliveryÂ
Couple changes of comfy, loose fitting clothes to wear around the hospitalÂ
Birthing outfit/nightgown – I am bringing my most comfy nightgown to deliver the baby in
Lollipops – Mouth can get very dry during labor. I’m bringing Zollipops bc they are sweetened with xylitol, a healthy sugar alternative.
Arnica Montata – to take during labor to reduce bleeding and pain
Rosewater Mist – my favorite mist and hydrator that helps me relax and keeps my skin moisturized
Regular panties – no sexy panties after delivery. I bought some high waisted, cotton undies from target
Maxi Pads – yes, apparently this is a necessity. Need I explain? I hope not.
Baby Diapers – dosent hurt to have a few on hand (basically for the rest of my life haha)
Cute outfit for ME to wear home – Ok, so I was chatting with a friend recently and she said she wore a really comfy, but glam, outfit home from the hospital. She said it made her feel like a million bucks and she didnt feel sloppy for all the baby photos. I decided this will be my plan as well. Simple but chic. I am bringing black leggings, black flat boots, a colorful tank top, my cozy black cardigan, and a chic floppy gray hat to wear on top of what will be my nappy hair. Probably gonna toss on some shades as well. 🙂
Did I miss anything crucial? What other items do you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
13 comments
Sometimes the hospital has mesh undies and industrial sized maxi pads which sounds ridiculous but any panties you wear afterward are pretty much guaranteed to be ruined (unless they are black) and wear maternity clothes to go home because everything won’t be back to normal yet. I definitely recommend bringing some nipple balm if you are going to breastfeed because they get CHAPPED when you are first starting. Earth Mama Angel Baby makes a natural, vegan/cruelty free one ????
Hi Sarah! Thank you SO much! Yes, I did buy the nipple balm, but I think I forgot to list it. Ahhh I’m getting so excited and nervous! XOXO!
Hello
I would suggest a nursing pad or whatever it calls but sometimes you will need it so your bra and cloth wont get wet
And a towels for you
Extra clothes for the baby to wear in the hospital. I dont like the hospital baby blanket since hospitals are really cold for infants
I would suggest for you to buy a breast pump too.. Thats all i can remember
Hope your birthing experience will be very fun 🙂
Hi Safaa! Oh ok good ideas. Thank you so much!! XOXO, Ashley.
Love your blog. I would bring a nursing pillow if you have one they really help. You may or may not have this problem but having it handy in case you do is very helpful. A nipple guard for inverted nipples. Now I never thought I would have an issue nursing I thought my nipples were just fine they looked normal, nursing was a very hard and near impossible task at first and left me frustrated and near tears, my baby boy could not latch on nurses were in there helping me grabbing my nipples tugging on them trying to help the baby latch. Nothing worked until I received a contact nipple shield. My baby latched on and we both finally relaxed bit. Another thing would be a nipple balm when you start nursing for the first time your nipples will become raw cracked and may bleed it can be very painful but if you can stay on top of it before it gets to that point with a nipple cream they have a ton of great all natural herbal ones that work great.
The best to you and your coming bundle of joy
Hi Ariana! Thank you for your recommendations. I have never heard of this before, so thank you so much! XOXOXO!
Yoga ball! Saved me and was pretty much all I actually used with all the things I brought. Fyi I had a natural birth. Good Luck !♡
AWESOME! Thanks Ann!
Hi Ashley! My suggestion is to take both “Newborn” size and “0-3 months” outfits for your daughter. I had taken both of them when my daughter was born and I’m glad I did because she was too big for the newborn size. I also rented some movies in Redbox so my husband and I wouldn’t be bored until my delivery. It sure helped because I was in labor for 37 hours! I also planned for a natural delivery but ended up having an emergency C-Section. I’m glad I had packed extra clothes for myself. Hope this helps and good luck!!
Hi Karina! Oh wow! Thank you for your suggestions. 37 hours…wow you go mama. I guess you just never know what is going to happen! I’ll definitely bring some 3 month sized clothing. XOXO!
Random, I know, but baby nail clippers! a newborn’s nails are like tiny razors! My hospital did not have a pair due to liability issues. My little girl clawed up her face up before we took newborn pics and I’ll never forget that mistake again.
Oh my what a great suggestion! Thank you! XOXO!
Congrats on the birth of your beautiful daughter! A little off topic but that robe is to die for! Where is it from? 🙂