What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for Labor and Delivery

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If you’ve read Ember’s birth story, you know that she arrived at 35 weeks a 4 days gestation.  Needless to say, while I happened to have my bag packed, there were definitely items that I had wanted during my stay at the hospital.  With Ashen, I wanted to be prepared, so my bag was packed at 33 weeks! Haha!  I didn’t want to take ANY chances.  (You can read his birth story here.) So here is my list of items that I find are necessary to pack in your hospital bag.  Some of these items may not be applicable for everyone, but you’ll have a good idea of what items I used ♥.  

I actually typed up this post at 37 weeks gestation with my second child, and now that I’m looking at it again, I’m updating it with what I did and did not use!  I under packed with Ember and over packed with Ashen, haha!

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Clothes & Outfits

  Labor and Delivery Outfit

  • I wanted to be comfortable in my own clothes during labor.  Since labor and delivery can get a little messy, I highly recommend a soft cotton robe in any dark color.  I chose black.

  Picture Outfit

  • This may not be applicable for everyone, but at the hospital I delivered at, a professional photographer comes to all of the rooms and takes photos of the baby and family.  So I packed an outfit for the baby, myself and my husband.  All very plain colors, as not to take away from the baby ♥.
  • I packed a special blanket and a cute swaddle/hat set for the baby.  I wore a black casual/comfy dress and my husband in a plain navy shirt.  I think you get the idea, haha.
  • Originally, I also packed an outfit for my little girl, however, we ended up not including her in the pictures.  I was okay with that, since I wanted to the hospital pictures to just be about Ashen, and Ember was almost 2 years old then, so trying to get a 2 year old to focus for pictures was out of the question!

Going Home Outfits

  • Oh man do I look tired in this pic!  I was solely awake on the adrenaline of having a baby, haha!  Only a few hours of sleep after being awake for over 24 hours straight (whew!). 
  • So… I’m totally a nerd when it comes to matching outfits!  I packed a “mama bear” shirt with black leggings for me, and a “baby bear” onesie that I made my little one using heat transfer vinyl.  You can click here for directions on how to make your own outfit using heat transfer vinyl!  I love the idea of making the going home outfit a “keepsake” and I have added outfits to shadow boxes that I have made for both of my children. ♥
  • Remember to pack clothes that you would have worn at 4 months pregnant.  You want to be comfy, and you won’t shrink back down to pre-pregnancy size immediately. 
  • Also, remember to pack shoes that you want to wear home as well.  With both of my children, my feet swelled a little bit, so I packed some sandals that were loose fitting.

  2 Day Outfits

  • Remember to pack comfy clothes, and clothes that you can easily do skin to skin, and breastfeed your baby with.
  • I packed loose tank tops, leggings, and a pajama robe, similar to the first one on this list.

  2-3 Sleeping Outfits

  • Use the same advice as above.  I packed loose cotton slips to sleep in and a night gown.

  Socks & Slippers

  • As crazy as this might sound, I was actually FREEZING during both of my labors with my children.  I used these fun wine socks throughout the whole process, haha!
  • I also find peace of mind when I’m not walking barefoot on the hospital floor, so I packed sandal slippers, and 2 pairs of socks.

Breastfeeding Essentials

  1.   Nipple Cream

    • While most hospitals should provide you with nipple cream, I went ahead and packed some just in case.  Those milk makers get sensitive with all the action they get, it’s always nice to have something to soothe them!

  2.   Nursing Bra

    • With baby number 2, I knew to pack a nursing bra.  You want to have ease of access between you and your baby, and if you plan on having visitors while in the hospital, a nursing bra is just what you need!  It also helps to have a barrier between you and your clothes for comfort!

  3.   Nipple Shield

    • My hospital provided me with this with my first child, but just in case, I went ahead and packed it.  I heavily relied on the nipple shield with Ember from the beginning, however, with Ashen, he never used it and actually didn’t like it!  It it on my highly recommends to have on hand when you head home during those first few weeks of pregnancy though.  For my complete list, head on over to my Breastfeeding Essentials post.

Other Necessities!

  Neck Pillow

  • Trust me on this one, a neck pillow is one of the BEST items you can pack for yourself.  You can use it to sit on, to help prop yourself up if you want to sleep at an incline, and it’s small enough to pack as your own pillow to use.  This is an absolute must have!

 Nursing Pillow

  • Also a must have!  This will help you bond with your new little one!  This is also good to use if you happen to have a c-section.  Many women will hold it over their stitches when the need to cough or sneeze presents itself! 
  • It is also great to have when visitors arrive.  The boppy pillow was passed around as my family held my little ones.
  • If you are interested in sewing your own boppy cover, check out my tutorial here!

 Car Seat and Car Seat Cover

  • While it seems like common sense to pack the car seat, if things go unexpectedly, you may not remember to grab it.  So just put it in your car now! 
  • The car seat cover comes in handy when you are leaving the hospital and everyone wants to take a peek at your 2-3 day old newborn.  I personally preferred to keep the strangers away, and the car seat cover worked like a charm.

 Blanket

  • This is one thing that I did not pack with either of my children’s births and I wish I did.  I was so cold (especially after the epidural) and luckily, my brother had a super warm blanket in his car that I was able to use.  I definitely recommend.

The Electronics

  Photography

  • The camera you want to be used to capture these special moments!
  • SD card
  • Camera Charger

  Videography

  • Video Camera
  • SD card
  • Video Camera Charger

Other Ideas

  •   Labor and Delivery Playlist
  •   Incense/fragrances

Toiletries

  • Don’t forget to pack the toothpaste and toothbrush for both you and your labor partner, and the shampoo and conditioner 🙂

I hope this list helps you in packing your bag for your special experience.  Now that I’ve been through it twice, I feel pretty good about what to pack and I wanted to send my knowledge your way ♥.  Did I miss anything?  Let me know!  I’d love to hear from you!

Love, Brittany