What to Pack in your Hospital Bag

Hi there! SO much has happened since the last blog post I published! We had a baby y’all! Our sweet Vaughn Kathryn Back was born on November 22, 2021. Weighing in at 6lbs 5oz & measured a whopping 18 inches. She is perfect in every way, and we are just smitten as her parents. I’m so excited to share today’s What to Pack in your Hospital Bag blog post.

One of the most frequently asked questions over the past month has been about my hospital bag! When prepping my hospital bag I read so many other “What to Pack in your Hospital Bag” blog posts & crowd sourcing from friends! Both were so helpful & I hope this roundup helps any expecting mamas out there. I wanted to wait until I had her so I could speak more to what I actually used, what we wouldn’t bring again, etc.

What to Pack in your Hospital Bag:

FOR MOM:

Pillow: I loved having my own pillow to sleep with! The pillows at the hospital feel like larger versions of those old airplane pillows. LOL.
A Blanket: Another must have for us. We brought one for Tyler & for myself. Much like the pillows, the linens are not luxe, so having our own blankets to snuggle up with was so comforting.
Towels: I would have never thought to bring our own towels had I not heard other ladies recommending it. I was SO glad I decided to bring our own to shower with. Again, the linens are not soft & the towels happen to be super small! Don’t forget washcloths too.
Portable Fan: Another super popular recommendation to bring! This little one is such a great buy & will be super useful to attach to her stroller when it gets warm. I didn’t pull this out to use until after labor, but I was glad we packed it!
iPad: We used this very little. We streamed a UK basketball game on it one night, but other than that we honestly didn’t use it much. I’d pack it again just in case.
Portable Speaker: We have this one & love it. We loved having it to listen to podcasts, music, etc! We were jamming during labor with it. LOL
Shower Shoes: Another item I wouldn’t have thought of & I am so glad I had. This affordable pair on Amazon was great, I just tossed them after the fact.
Portable Charger: This is such a good buy! Under $40 & came in handy!! It has three charging ports— for iPhone, USBC & it was able to use it to charge the portable fan. The best part is you don’t need a cord to charge it, you just plug it into the wall to charge!
Long Charging Cords: every hospital bag roundup I read mentioned this! There were plenty of outlets throughout the room, but they were kind of nice to have just in case.
Grippy Socks: I love a pair of cozy socks! These with grippers on the bottom we’re a must with the slick hospital floor. I also was glad I had this affordable multipack because I ended up tossing the ones I wore during labor, etc!
Nursing Bras: I loved this pack from Amazon! I wore them before I went into labor too bc they were comfy & one of the only bras that fit me towards the end of pregnancy. Lol. I’ve been wearing them the past few weeks at home too even though I’m no longer nursing. The come with clasp extenders too.
High waisted underwear: these were totally unnecessary to pack in my hospital bag. Really any underwear is IMO! I lived in the mesh undies they supply at the hospital! However, I have lovedddd these once I stopped wearing the mesh undies at home. I appreciate the abdominal support 👏🏼👏🏼
Slippers: I didn’t wear these as much as I thought I would, I think mainly because I wasn’t up & moving about the room a ton. I wore these cozy, gripper socks most of the time instead.
Robes: I packed my fav lightweight barefoot dreams robe & my go to Cool Nights robe from Soma. I was surprised by the fact I didn’t really use either because I wear my robes daily at home. Even though I didn’t really wear them I’d probably still pack one the next time just in case.
A Polaroid Camera: this was such a fun thing I’m glad we packed! We captured the delivery day & the first few days of her life with these sweet photos. I’m going to put them in her baby book.
Portable Sound Machine: This little guy is great & was able to drown out all of the hospital sounds.
Button Front Pj Set: so comfy & I was so glad I packed these! I grabbed this affordable pair from target & love them so much! I need them in more prints & colors. They run small, the only size they had in stores was an XL so I snagged for the bump & loose fit. I’ve still been wearing them at home I love them so much.
Button Front Nightgown: I became a huge nightgown fan during my pregnancy & packed this button front one for nursing purposes. I snagged these two cheapies from amazon so I could toss afterwards if need be.
Toiletries, Skincare, Makeup: 100% bring your own toiletries! You will want your own for showers. I liked having my skincare routine with me to help me feel halfway human. & I know it seems unnecessary, but I was glad I had a little bit of makeup with me. I always feel better with a little bit of a face. If you’re not a makeup wearer, I wouldn’t worry about it!
Dry Shampoo: This falls under toiletries, but it is a mention all on its own. I didn’t bother bringing any hair tools because thankfully I had just washed & styled my hair the day before my water broke. This dry shampoo kept my hair looking semi decent.
Lip Replenisher: I always lol’d reading all hospital bag blogposts I’d come across, everyone (I mean every single one) says a lip balm is a MUST, thinking to myself “dang these gals have chapped lips”. I did as I was told & packed my fav Revision Lip Replenisher. I use it every night anyways, & it’s such a gamechanger product (regardless of being pregnant). I use it at night & my lips stay hydrated throughout the day. I will admit, those hospital rooms are dry AF, pack the lip balm.
Yeti Cup: I know some hospitals have super nice water jugs, but the ones at my hospital were so flimsy. I was glad I brought my own cup. It helped me stay hydrated throughout our stay.
Lounge Clothes: I packed WAY too many pieces of regular clothing. I lived in my pjs 75% of our stay. The other 20% I was in the hospital gown from delivery & the other 5% I put on regular clothes to go home. I’d say you really only need one outfit to wear home.
- Items I actually wore:
  - These loungepants! They were so comfy & I appreciated the loose fit & stretchy waist band.
  - Tunic Tshirt: I appreciated the flowy fit.
  - Duster Cardigan: Another flowy layer that was so comfy.
  - Pearl Headband: Okay this seems silly, but it made me feel slightly more pulled together & masked 4 day old hair.
My Breast Friend Pillow: I brought this for nursing purposes. Maybe it was because I didn’t have a good nursing experience, but I didn’t care for this pillow.
Snacks! I didn’t think we would end up eating these, but everyone suggested packing your own snacks & I am so so glad we did. My appetite was way off track, & I wanted to snack over eating big meals. The hospital provides snacks too, but it was nice to have our own. These came in major handy when I was in labor (for Tyler) & right after I had her.
An Extra Bag: this is to put all the extra diapers, postpartum care items, etc. in! Fill that sucker up.
Postpartum Care Products: I didn’t bring any & I was glad I didn’t. The hospital gives you everything you need & I much preferred the hospital products to any I bought & had at home.

FOR BABY:

Swaddle Blankets: the hospital blankets are not soft, this brand of blankets were our favorite in the hospital & after the fact.
Sleepers: Pack more than you think you need! Magnetic me, Kyte, Little Sleepies brand are amazingly soft! But let’s be honest $30+ for one is a bit outrageous. She’s worn the heck out of these affordable ones from target.
One cute outfit to take photos in: we barely got her out of her onesies, but we put her in a little something special for some pictures one day.
Name plate for photos: this is really just if you want to, totally not necessary! I ordered these off etsy.
Baby Blanket: These have been our absolute FAVORITE baby blankets. They’re so so soft, we use them everyday at home too.

*we found that everything else we needed for the baby was provided by the hospital.

TIPS:

Take EVERYTHING from the hospital: diapers, pads, mesh undies, peri bottle, etc. Stock pile, ask for more, they come in handy at home!
I packed everything in a large roller suitcase & I am so glad I did. It was 10xs easier to transport than several totes, bags.
Bring anything that will make you more comfortable during your stay.