When I was preparing to go to the hospital to have my first child, I had no idea what I should bring with me. I was having a scheduled C-section so I knew I would be there for a few days, but I had no idea what I needed. I did all the research, watched YouTube videos, read articles from moms who have done it before, and in the end, I ended up bringing way too much.
For my second child, I brought everything I knew I needed in one backpack! I will share what I brought in that backpack to help future moms have an idea of what they should pack in their hospital bags. Remember everyone has different needs and some people may need things I don’t mention on this list.
Let’s get into it!
- Folder for paperwork
I put this first on the list because it is one of my must-needs and it is also something people don’t usually think of bringing. You will be amazed how much paperwork you are given in the hospital. Having a safe space to put all of it is a game changer. Not only does the folder protect the paperwork you are given, but it also keeps it organized and easy to find.
- Phone charger
I don’t know about you, but I took lots of pictures of my baby and spread the news that my little one arrived, which drained my phone battery. I brought a long six foot cord for my phone charger because it is the one I use every night at home. However, I am very glad I did because the only plug we could find in our hospital room was way up on the wall.
- Toiletries
I had a scheduled C-section for both babies, so I knew I would be staying overnight. The second time I brought toothpaste, toothbrush, face wash, lotion, and stuff for my contacts, and that’s it! The first time I brought so many more toiletries and barely used anything. The shower in my hospital had special body wash soap I had to use after my C-section and I didn’t wash my hair until I got home.
- Felt board for announcement
This is clearly not a must-have for everyone and definitely something that may be unique to me. However, I brought my felt board to the hospital so I could take pictures of my babies with their names and birthdays on display at the place of their birth. These are still photos I cherish and I am very glad I took them.
- Clothes ONLY for leaving hospital for mom and baby
You may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned clothes at all yet, that’s because the second time I packed almost no clothes at all! I packed one outfit for myself for leaving the hospital, which consisted of sweatpants, a nursing tank top, and a sweatshirt. And one outfit for the baby, which was a newborn size outfit that came with a short sleeve onesie, pants that had feet coverings, and a long sleeve button-up sweater.
Both of my babies wore the same outfit leaving the hospital, which we have created into a little tradition. But, I like this outfit because it has the short sleeve or love sleeve option depending on the weather and it also has the pants that cover the feet, which means you don’t need to bring socks. One less thing to bring!
Now, you may be wondering what mom and baby wear in the hospital. For me, I just wore my hospital gown the whole time. It was comfortable and easy to take on and off. I like to have a lot of skin-to-skin time with my babies, so most of the time I wasn’t wearing anything at all. But, if someone was coming in, I could quickly cover up. Also, when nurses or doctors came to check on me and how I was healing, I didn’t have any of my own clothes in the way for them.
The babies stayed in just a diaper the whole time so we could have lots of skin-to-skin time and also so nurses and doctors could easily check what they needed on the baby and have no clothes in the way. When the baby was sleeping or not being held, he was swaddled up in the receiving blankets the hospital provides.
I know this is not something everyone can agree with, but with my first kid, I brought clothes for both of us for everyday I predicted being in the hospital and wore none of it! So for the second kid, I knew I didn’t have to bring any. Also, coming home with a newborn and not having loads of laundry is really nice, too.
- Pillow and blanket for husband
This is definitely something my husband learned for the second time around. The couches in our hospital for the daddies to sleep on are not the most comfortable. So, the second time around, my husband brought his own pillow and blanket from home, just to help him be more comfortable while sleeping overnight.
These didn’t fit in our backpack, but we left them in the car until we were settled in our mother-baby hospital room. Then, he ran out to the car and got these so he could get a good night’s sleep on his uncomfy couch. He also brought clothes and toiletries for himself that fit in our single backpack.
- Car seat for leaving hospital
This is not something necessarily in my hospital bag, but it is something important that can’t be forgotten. We leave this in the car the whole time until we are working on paperwork for discharge. My husband brings all of our stuff to the car and comes back with the carseat and then we head on out of the hospital!
That is everything I brought to the hospital the second time around and it was everything I needed. Remember everyone has different needs and some people may need things I didn’t mention on this list.
I hope you found something in here that you can implement into your own hospital bag or maybe help you minimize yours. I feel like I have recently perfected what works for our family. Don’t be afraid to try minimizing the items in your hospital bag just to see if it works and if not, you can always bring stuff back to make it work for you.
With love,
Victoria O’Brien