FOR A SHORTCUT: I have all items linked in my ShopMy storefront if you don’t need explanations for why I chose everything.
I’m in a bit of disbelief that we’re preparing to have a second baby so very soon! It just feels wild to me that we’re already on this birthing journey again (it’s been three years, but in my mind it may as well have been last month). I remember enough about my first experience, but I definitely had to go back to review my pregnancy trimester summaries and Sophie’s birth story blog posts to recall the smaller details — I’m so glad that I documented everything because it’s a lot to remember!
I think that some people have the temptation to bring a lot of familiar items from home to feel more comfortable in a sterile hospital for the birthing experience, but, honestly, you only need the essentials because the hospital will provide so much for you (and, remember, you’re not moving in 😉). Truly, all of these things are “nice to haves” and if you arrive at the hospital with nothing but the clothes you’re wearing, you’re going to be just fine. That said, a little bit of comfort goes a long way and they’re, well, nice to have. 😅
I can’t claim to be an “expert” veteran mom as I’ve only had one previous birthing experience, but I thought it might be helpful to share my updated packing list for our second labor & delivery visit.
Also of note: we’re going to give Baby Girl formula from the very beginning this time so my list will reflect that update as well. You’ll find my packing suggestions for both mama and baby below!
FOR MAMA
DELIVERY & POSTPARTUM-FRIENDLY CLOTHING
For Sophie’s birth I ended up just wearing the gowns provided by the hospital during our whole stay because I was simply too exhausted to dig around in my bag for anything else, so just know that you may decide that you don’t want to bother changing into anything else (unless of course you’re planning to wear something specific for photos while at the hospital!).
While I don’t think this item is any kind of necessity, I decided that for this delivery I wanted a more comfortable situation than the traditional hospital gown so I ordered this “delivery gown” that is designed for exactly what it sounds like… for wearing while giving birth. There are snaps in the chest area (for skin-to-skin / nursing) and snaps down the back (for epidural access, etc.). The fabric is much softer / more gentle on the skin than whatever the hospital provides and it’s available in multiple colors (I chose black — no surprise there! I’d like to say it’s because I’m trying to be chic, but it’s honestly in the interest of disguising any stains 😅)
I also decided to pack this HATCH dress for a few reasons: (1) I felt it would be comfortable enough to wear during a summer pregnancy / delivery, as well as for snoozing in if I happen to fall asleep in it, (2) I wanted something that would allow me to use the bathroom easily and since the potential of a c-section is always a possibility I wanted to make sure that whatever I chose would be gentle on an abdominal incision (read: no pants / pajama sets), (3) it’s cute enough that I could wear it home, and lastly, (4) I thought it would be a nice casual dress for motherhood even after this postpartum recovery chapter is over!
I try really hard to be intentional when I make these investment purchases because I want them to be versatile within my wardrobe and not just for one specific purpose or season.
I’ll also pack a light cardigan just in case I want another layer, but being that it’s going to be summertime I’m assuming I probably won’t use it much. I’d rather have the option of a light layer than to not have one, plus, it’s lightweight enough that it won’t take up much room in my bag.
*P.S. I learned that for a typical vaginal birth you can expect a hospital stay for 24 – 36 hours and for a cesarean your stay could be for 48 – 60 hours, so keep those timeframes in mind when packing!
…
UNDERGARMENTS
As I mentioned in my intro, we’re a formula feeding family, so if you’re searching for breastfeeding-friendly bra suggestions I have included recommendations in this post from much more knowledgeable sources.
Personally, I’ll be working on drying up my milk supply as quickly as possible so I’m only planning to pack secure sports bras to help support my chest and minimize milk flow (you can read more about my milk suppression in this post).
No need to pack underwear (aside from whatever you wear to the hospital), which feels so bizarre to omit from a packing list, but the hospital will provide you with some *super fancy* mesh underwear (😉) while you recover so you don’t need to bring any with you.
If you really want to wear “real” undies in lieu of the disposable mesh ones, the following brands offer postpartum / period leakproof underwear that you may be interested in considering:
Thinx // Knix // Proof
*Note: I would without a doubt purchase them in black for post-delivery staining reasons. There will be many “costume changes” (as needed) so having multiple pairs would definitely come in handy throughout the postpartum recovery period.
…
FOOTWEAR
Oh.My.Goodness — no one told me about the swelling of feet / ankles when your body is processing an influx of fluids immediately after giving birth. WOW. I got sooo puffy and it was incredibly uncomfortable to walk. Avoid my mistake and pack compression socks to wear to promote circulation and avoid the terrible foot and ankle swelling.
I personally swear by Bombas (I love to wear them, especially on long flights!), but Figs+ and Comrad (which offers Wide Calf options) also make excellent compression socks.
If you need a break from the compression socks while in the hospital, a pair of these cozy slipper socks would be easy to slip on. They even have little rubber grips on the bottom to prevent any possibility of slipping on the hospital linoleum floors and are super cozy.
I thought that slide sandals would be a great option for summertime, especially in the interest of the ease of putting them on / taking them off. Rothy’s currently has a seasonal criss-cross slide sandal offering and when I discovered this I immediately ordered a pair. The rubber sole is nonslip and the upper is made of their classic woven material (from recycled plastic bottles!) which is machine washable! These will be perfect for wearing around the hospital (if for some reason I need to leave the room?), for leaving the hospital because they’ll be easy to slip on, and I will continue to get use out of these slides even after our hospital visit so this was a no-brainer purchase for me!
…
BAG + ORGANIZATION
Okay, I’m asking for no judgment because this is a total #champagneproblem, but the only other pieces of “luggage” that I have are my beloved Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulière duffle bags and I really didn’t want to bring them to the hospital where there are germs and fluids and just general possibilities of damage. I normally love traveling with my LV bags and am somehow less concerned when they are in an overhead compartment on an airplane, but taking them to a hospital was a no-go for me.
I ordered this duffle bag on Amazon because I wanted something that would accommodate what we needed to bring to the hospital, but wouldn’t be a major investment just in case it got ruined. If it survives the hospital, Baby Girl will inherit it as her travel bag (since it’s TSA carry-on compliant for most airlines) so we’ll have that situated for any upcoming trips as a family of four!
I love packing cubes and in this instance I’m not necessarily utilizing them for compression (because, let’s be real, I’m packing ULTRA LIGHT for this extravaganza due to the fact that I won’t need much in the way of clothing). I’m only using one for myself and one for new baby’s items simply in the interest of organization.
There are no TSA restrictions at the hospital so feel free to bring full sized / aerosol items, babes! 😉 The hospital provides shampoo, soap, etc. so you won’t be out of luck if you don’t pack these things, but a little luxurious feeling of “home” with your familiar products might be desirable for you (it is for me!).
These are my favorite toiletry bags — they’re well-made and I love that they’re clear so that I can easily find what I’m looking for.
…
SHOWER TOILETRIES / PERSONAL CARE
Using my trusty Truffle bags to keep everything organized (you can use this link for a discount on your first purchase!). With Sophie, our recovery suite included an en-suite shower, which was so refreshing to have after giving birth. I don’t know how I’m going to be feeling after Baby Girl arrives, but I’d like to have the option of a shower if I’m feeling up for it.
Here’s a quick list of essentials so nothing gets forgotten; linking my personal favorites:
Shampoo // Conditioner // Body Wash // Face Wash // Washcloth // Body Scrubber // Shaving Razor // Moisturizer // Makeup Remover // Deodorant // Q-Tips // Hair Clip // Hairbrush // Hair Styling Tool // Toothbrush
EYE CARE & Rx
If you wear glasses or contact lenses, don’t forget to pack those (+ your lens solution!).
Additionally, don’t forget to pack your daily medications / vitamins!
LIP BALM & MASCARA
These two items are daily musts that I refuse to go without. I didn’t pack my cosmetic case last time (on purpose) and looking back on photos of myself I wish I had at least swiped some concealer under my eyes and maybe smeared a little blush on my cheeks or something. I definitely looked like I had just gone through labor. 🤣 This time I’d like to spruce up a tiny bit just to feel more like myself (without going full glam… we’ll leave that for the newborn shoot 😉), but I can’t go a day without these two items specifically.
HAIR CLIP / HAIR TIE
I’m not sure which of these I’m going to want / prefer so I’m going to pack both a silk scrunchie as well as a flat hair clip for our time in the hospital. I’m definitely going to want my hair out of my face, but I don’t know if I’m going to want a topknot or just a clipped up twist. They’re small enough that I don’t feel bad about bringing multiple options. 😉
PERI BOTTLE
I ended up being fairly satisfied with nearly all of the hospital-provided products during Sophie’s birth, with the exception of their sad excuse for a peri bottle (a peri bottle with the upside down spray nozzle is an absolute MUST). I’m definitely packing mine again this time.
(Psst! You can read here about my other postpartum recovery recommendations!)
CABO CRÈME
If you’re also planning to exclusively formula feed you’ll want to pack your Cabo Crème for the hospital since you want to start using it the day after giving birth (even though it takes a few days for your milk to come in). Hoping that using it ASAP (as directed) will help prevent too much swelling / discomfort if I begin applications and binding my chest tightly before my milk supply appears.
…
ESSENTIALS
WALLET WITH ID & INSURANCE CARD
I know this seems like a ridiculous thing for me to include in this list, but when you’re feeling frazzled by the excitement and rush of getting to the hospital you can get distracted and easily forget the simplest things.
KEYS
Again, this seems like a no-brainer, but it’s definitely worth adding to your Last Minute Checklist (see the last section below for more info on this)!
PHONE CHARGERS
An extra long charging cable is crucial in case the outlet is far away from the bed in your recovery room and you’ll want one charger apiece for yourself and your partner / support person; this is NON NEGOTIABLE. There were lots of photos, videos, and FaceTime calls once Sophie arrived so keeping our devices charged was a priority — I don’t expect it to be any different this time.
GUM
A study found that chewing gum during labor can be helpful for pain management and to lower anxiety, so I included a pack of my favorite kind in my bag.
Printout with Any Birth Preferences
Every birth is unpredictable and babies are not good at following a plan. 😉 Your best bet is to come in equipped with birth preferences (+ multiple copies!) to provide to your hospital care team. I also recommend making sure that your support person is well versed in these preferences so that they can help advocate for you if you’re not in the headspace to vocalize what you want.
Sometimes you have to pivot from the “plan” and that’s okay, but being ready to express your preferences when needed is going to work in your favor for a better birthing experience.
FOR BABY
SWADDLE
The hospital will of course provide you with a receiving blanket to use for swaddling your baby so this isn’t technically necessary, but Sophie LOVED this swaddle so much that we felt like we should pack one for the new baby in case it helps her sleep better (and we can introduce her to the sensation ASAP).
PACIFIER
We’re a pacifier family, so I took a gamble and packed a paci for the baby in my hospital bag. We were lucky that Sophie took to the first style we gave to her and we’re hoping that our second Baby Girl is the same way. If not, we’ll navigate that when we get home from the hospital. Ryan & Rose is the brand of pacis that we love and we use the classic infant style “Stage 1” (… for now, anyway; I’ll update this in Baby Girl’s 0-3 month recap if we end up having to pivot on brand / design).
BABY OUTFITS
I couldn’t resist packing one of these sweet little pointelle magnetic closure jammies for our little summer baby! Cozy and soft, but light enough for the warmer weather. I HIGHLY recommend zippers or magnetic closures on infant clothes whenever possible.
I also love these footies because of the full zipper to give easy access for diaper changes and the fact that the wrists and ankles have the little built-in mittens and booties to keep baby warm and prevent any scratching, but also have the ability to be “flipped” so that baby’s hands and feet can be exposed.
In addition, I packed one of these convertible pajama gowns that we loved so much for Sophie — the gown makes for such easy diaper access, especially as baby is snoozing, but being able to turn them into pants makes them even more useful (and can be worn in a car seat this way!). I know I just said that zippers were superior, but the only way this design works is with snaps so I made the exception. 😉
ACCESSORIES
I also packed a pair of tiny socks for Baby Girl. Even though she is due in the summer and likely won’t need them for warmth, I personally just feel cozier in a pair of socks and thought that she might too. Note that we’ll only put these on her when she is in her convertible gown or onesie as her jammies have footies built in.
Some other nice-to-have items would be some clothing / accessories specifically for photos while you’re at the hospital. Since we aren’t doing a Fresh 48 / hospital photo shoot I’m not going all out with packing props and clothing, but I still want to capture some memories for us to look back on so I packed a little bow headband to pair with a simple onesie, as well as this bow swaddle that we also wrapped Sophie in. 🥹
…
FEEDING
Since we are formula feeding Baby Girl from the start this time, the hospital portion feels like uncharted territory for us (that said, we’re all set for at-home and on-the go). We know that hospitals have formula available (during our first labor / delivery experience at a different local hospital we were [reluctantly] provided with a few ready-to-drink bottles as a “plan B” when we took Sophie home), but what if they don’t offer the same formula that we’d like to give to the baby? Additionally, we were unsure on whether or not we should we bring our own bottles and our travel cleaning kit, or if there was a different protocol for that.
After reviewing the information available to us (this was the most informative source I found to providing guidance for formula feeding at the hospital), we resolved to bring a few ready-to-feed (RTF) liquid formula bottles in the formula brand / variety of our choice, the same baby bottles that we used with Sophie (pre-sterilized before heading to the hospital), and our travel bottle cleaning kit.
I don’t want Baby Girl getting used to one bottle nipple style (disposable ones provided by the hospital) and then switching it up on her, so it felt like the right thing to start her off on the bottles we have chosen for her from the get-go.
I asked my OB at a recent appointment if she thought we should bring our own paraphernalia and she told us not to worry about it, so take that information for what you will. I know the hospital will have bottle-feeding essentials so it’s not like Baby Girl is going to starve, but I will probably still bring some items because I can’t help myself but be over-prepared. 🤦🏼♀️
If you’re thinking about formula feeding, I suggest following @theformulafairy and @theformulamom for additional information and support.
MISCELLANEOUS
NURSE THANK YOU GIFTS
I genuinely believe that nurses are the backbone of the medical field and this is a hill I will die on. I don’t know how many nurses we’ll actually encounter while we’re in the hospital, but I wanted to put together a little basket to show our appreciation for all of the care that we will receive.
When we delivered Sophie I made our offering as pandemic-friendly as possible by giving individually wrapped items — these caffeinated bars were a big hit!! I have been working on putting our baskets together for this hospital experience so that they’re also prepped and ready for “go time” — I’ve shared a post with all of their details if you’re looking for a little inspiration!
CAR SEAT
This isn’t an item that we necessarily “packed” (in a bag) to bring into the hospital, but we already have the infant car seat base installed in our vehicle and are ready to take baby home! We’ll pop the car seat into it on our way out the door to the hospital.
*Top Tip: Know how to securely fasten your baby into the car seat before you go in to the hospital and maybe practice with a doll or stuffed animal. Also, be sure that you know how to secure your car seat properly in your vehicle! If you’re unsure, follow @safeintheseat on Instagram and / or purchase her course to gain confidence in your car seat safety knowledge.
WET BAG
I’m sure the hospital could provide disposable bags for taking any soiled articles of clothing home, but save the trees and bring your own bag in the event that your clothing gets soiled. You can even reuse this wet bag in your baby’s diaper bag for any future soiled clothing incidents, because let’s be real… spit up and blowouts are imminent. 😉
A few final tips:
LAST MINUTE CHECKLIST
Make a list of last-minute items that you can’t pack in advance because they’re in daily rotation (keys, wallet, hairbrush, etc.), but still need to put in your bag before you leave for the hospital. Leave the checklist ON TOP OF (or even clipped to?) your bag so that you don’t forget anything on your way out the door. Trust me, it’s easy to do, especially if you’re experiencing contractions.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE /
SOCIAL SECURITY PAPERWORK
This was something that I didn’t even realize that needed to happen when you have a baby, but it makes total sense that it would need to be completed. If you’re giving birth in Washington there is paperwork that will need to be completed by the time you leave the hospital, specifically regarding the baby’s birth certificate. Thankfully, our hospital will help to file the documentation for our new baby’s Social Security Number if the election is indicated on the paperwork (we definitely opted in!).
The paperwork was provided to us in a packet while at the hospital, but it was also available on the hospital’s website so I printed it and filled out what I could ahead of time (obviously could not include her birth date or time, etc.) because I thought it would be easier to complete when I had a clear head. *This is not a necessary item, but it will help you feel more prepared while in the hospital and it’s one less thing to complete while you’re being pulled in a million other directions.
Additionally, I don’t know what the regulations are like where you live, but our hospital did not provide us with a birth certificate — that’s something that we had to request from our local Vital Statistics Dept (add this to the list of things I never knew about when it came to having a baby!). Admittedly, I never really put much thought into the process before; I guess I just assumed that the hospital handled all of that so I’m really happy that we figured all of this out ahead of time instead of having to scramble once we were already in the hospital with a newborn (I so appreciate my hospital clearly laying out all of this information for new parents on their website!!!)
CHILDCARE / PET ARRANGEMENTS
Sophie can’t come to the hospital with us (and I honestly can’t imagine managing our toddler in a hospital while in labor) so we made arrangements in advance for her care. Obviously, baby could arrive at any time so it might get a little dicey making sure we hand everything off that Sophie needs while simultaneously trying to get to the hospital with haste so we’re definitely going to do everything we can to make it easy on everyone by planning ahead as much as we possibly can.
When we were pregnant with Sophie, we also had an old pup so we wanted to be sure that he had care while we were welcoming our newest family member. Thankfully, our beloved kennel had an option to drop off after-hours (in the event that we had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, like we ended up having to!) and we also let them know ahead of time that we would definitely be dropping him off on a certain date (my scheduled induction date), but possibly before that so they could sort of be expecting him whenever we needed to drop him off.
We also had all of his supplies ready to go (bag of food, his medications + their instructions printed out, etc.) so it was quick and easy to make sure he was taken care of while we were out of the house. I highly recommend making arrangements with a dog sitter, family member or friend to help care for your pet(s) in as much advance as is reasonable!
EMPTY TOTE FOR EXTRA HOSPITAL SUPPLIES
This is something that I didn’t think of last time and I really wished that I had brought with me. You can ask your nurse(s) to load you up with extra postpartum healing paraphernalia such as mega pads (LOTS of these), pain relief spray, witch hazel pads, and mesh underwear. You will most likely need more than you think you’re going to so don’t be shy about asking for additional supplies! Hospitals often have plastic bags that they can provide to you, but I just brought a collapsed larger reusable grocery tote and it worked perfectly.
…
If you found a product or activity to be particularly helpful or especially nice to have with you while at the hospital for your labor and delivery experience, please feel free to share those pearls of wisdom in the Comments section below for any other soon-to-be mamas!
Wishing you a very smooth delivery, friend; you’ve got this!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
Leave a comment...