What I Packed In My Hospital Bag

Calpak Luka Large Duffel Bag, Vuori ALOHA Mini Pouch, Birdling Zip Pouches

As part of my baby prep, I found it helpful to see what other people packed in their hospital bags, in addition to general “What To Pack” checklists. I felt like I kept it fairly light, but still didn’t use a lot of the stuff I packed. I wanted to share what I brought, what I didn’t use, and what the hospital also provided.

For Baby

• Little Unicorn Muslin Swaddle in Woof, Love to Dream Swaddle UP 1.0 TOG, and ergoPouch Cocoon Swaddle Bag 1.0 TOG

  • We used the hospital blankets and swaddle while we were there, so we didn’t use any of these swaddles

• Muslin Burp Cloths

  • The hospital had burp cloths so we also didn’t need these

• Bonsie Footie Onesies (in Fog and Checker) and Goumi Kids Footie Onesie in Dune

  • I brought newborn and 0-3M outfits, however, we kept her in a diaper and swaddle the entire time we were in the hospital and only needed a newborn-sized going-home outfit

For Labor & Delivery

• Frida Mom Delivery and Nursing Gown

  • I was worried the hospital gown was going to agitate me, especially since I don’t like needles and I was planning to get an epidural, so I got this as a softer option. I didn’t wear it for delivery but I wore it the next day for recovery in the hospital

• Compression Socks

  • Didn’t wear these and was advised against wearing them during and after labor

• Bodily Cozy Socks

  • I wore the hospital disposable grippy socks immediately after delivery and wore these the next day to avoid getting any blood on them

For Recovery

• SKIMS Cotton Poplin Button Up Dress

  • I normally never wear pajamas that button down and I wasn’t sure what the hospital temperature (or my temperature) was going to be so I had a hard time figuring out what to pack. I got this shirt dress but wouldn’t recommend it. The buttons were hard to undo to breastfeed and it stained easily from the nipple butter. I should’ve stuck with something more affordable like this Amazon Essentials Nightshirt

• SKIMS Boyfriend T-shirt and Boyfriend Loose Boxer

  • I thought I’d want something loose fitting but I didn’t wear either of these. I wish I would’ve opted for a matching button-down short sleeve shirt and shorts set

• Amazon Essentials Waffle Knit Robe

  • I didn’t wear this in the hospital but it was an immediate favorite at home for breastfeeding. I sized up from my regular size to a Medium

• Bodily The Effortless Bra and The Everything Bra

  • These have been my favorite nursing bras for soft, non-padded, light support

• Rael Disposable Underwear

  • The hospital gives you mesh underwear, pads of various sizes, ice pack pads, witch hazel pads, and peri bottle so I didn’t need to pack these. But do yourself a favor and get the Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit for at home

• Lansinoh Stay Dry Nursing Pads

  • These aren’t needed until you get home — I didn’t realize it takes 3-5 days for your milk to come in, so all you have is small amounts of colostrum to start with

• Earth Mama Nipple Butter and LaVie Silver Nursing Cups

  • These were need-to-haves! I found it the most painful when she was just starting to latch

• SKIMS Sport Crew Socks

• Spectra SG Portable Breast Pump and haakaa Manual Breast Pump

  • I also packed these but they were unnecessary. The hospital I delivered at is a lactation hospital so the primary focus was on establishing breastfeeding

• Pillow

  • It was comforting to have my own pillow and recommend using a pillowcase that’s not white so it doesn’t get mixed up with the hospital pillows

Toiletries

• Skincare samples

• Ritual Prenatal Vitamin, Seed Probiotic + Prebiotic, Slow Fe Iron Supplement

• Makeup remover wipes

• Hume Deodorant

• Hand sanitizer

• Room spray

• Travel hairbrush

• Hair clip and hair ties

• Toothbrush and toothpaste

• Chapstick

• Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash

Electronics

• 6’ phone charger

  • This was a must!

• Stroller fan

  • Didn’t end up using this during labor

• Yogasleep Hushh for Baby Portable Sound Machine

  • We tried using this the second night when we didn’t understand she was cluster feeding and that’s why she wasn’t sleeping for more than 15 minutes at a time

• Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Camera

  • It was fun to take a few pictures in the hospital we can add to her baby book

• iPad

  • The hospital also had a tablet you could use to watch shows, but I liked having my iPad with all of my TV program apps downloaded

Snacks

• I was immediately put on a liquid diet after we were admitted so I barely ate any of the snacks we brought except for the granola bites and some gluten-free muffins the day after. We ordered most of our snacks and meals from the hospital cafe

For Going Home

• Storq Go-To Nursing Dress

  • Super comfortable and loose-fitting. I rented this from Nuuly and wore it both pregnant and for going home

• Storq Everyday Bra

  • Another favorite nursing bra!

• Bumpsuit The Support Waist Trainer

  • I bought this in two different sizes (pre-pregnancy and one size up) and didn’t start wearing it until 4 days postpartum

• Crocs