When I was still pregnant and preparing for my daughter’s birth, packing my hospital bag was on top of my list.
I wanted to make sure that I packed early so that I won’t be scrambling last minute. It was definitely worth it since I did give birth a week earlier than my due date.
After buying our diaper bag (read our review here), I wanted to use it as our hospital bag as well.
I watched many YouTube videos, read online, and received lists of what to include in the hospital bag.
Usually, they have a bag for the baby, a bag for mommy, and a bag for your support person. I didn’t want to have so many bags because I’m afraid that we might forget a bag.
This might be a challenging time as you figure out mommyhood on top of being in the middle of a global pandemic. However, take it one step at a time and do what is best for you and your baby.
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Here is what I packed in our hospital bag for baby:
1. Wipes
There are two types of wipes you want to pack. The one that I will mention here is the baby wipes. Depending on what brand you prefer, you’ll most likely only need one pack of wipes as they do not pee and poop a lot during the first few days at the hospital. I packed two free sample wipe packs that we’ve received from stores such as ToysR’Us / BabiesR’Us. The hospital also gave some wipes to us as well so we could use that.
You can always order wipes from Amazon Family, where you’ll get an additional 20% off your wipes and diapers order.
2. Diapers
This might be excessive, but I brought 15 newborn diapers to the hospital. Babies do not usually pee and poop a lot during the first few days as they are mostly drinking colostrum from you (or drinking a little from a bottle if that is what is best for your baby).
I remembered bringing back a stack of diapers, but I thought that it was better safe than sorry. The hospital had also provided a few diapers for us. So, just bring 10, it should be enough even if you had to stay for 36 hours like we did after the delivery.
Similarly to the wipes, you can check out Amazon Family for the additional discounts and free shipping. Remember that you can get 30 days of free trial.
3. Onesies
Depending on your hospital policy, you’ll have to decide how many onesies you’ll need. For us, the hospital really emphasizes on skin-to-skin so my daughter didn’t really wear her onesies until she left the hospital.
This is what I brought:
- Two newborn size onesies
- Two (0 to 3 months) onesies (in case she’s slightly bigger)
- And two (3 to 6 months) onesies (in case she’s a lot bigger than expected)
This will also depend on the measurements prior to giving birth. It turned out that she was average size so that newborn size onesies were slightly loose on her. My advise to you is to bring a couple sizes like I did so that you will be prepared.
These really cute onesies are perfect as bringing baby home outfits!
4. Swaddles
I didn’t pack this and wished that I did. Swaddles will help make the baby feel snugged and cozy. Supposedly, this will mimic the womb and help the baby sleep well.
We eventually bought the swaddle for our daughter and she was able to sleep a lot better without needing us to hold her to sleep.
Here is a recommended swaddle and similar to the one that we had for our daughter when she was a newborn.
5. Breastfeeding pillow to Support Carrying the Baby
The breastfeeding pillow is such an essential item to bring as part of your hospital bag. No, it cannot fit into it but along side.
Hands down, this was the best thing that I remembered to bring.
Why?
When I was feeding my daughter, it helped prop her up close to me. If my husband needed to feed her with a bottle, he could also do so with the breastfeeding pillow under him.
We got ours from ToysR’Us but you can get a similar one here.
When I gave birth to my daughter, this was 2 years ago, we were allowed to have guests. Whenever someone visited, we would give them a pillow to support their arms when carrying the baby.
I’ve placed these in the top compartment of our Happy Time Diaper bag.
Here is what I packed in our hospital bag for me:
1. Huge Pads
After giving birth, you will be bleeding so bring some huge pads. You want to find the most absorbent, largest size possible pads.
I brought 10 huge pads to the hospital with me. At the end of my hospital stay, I think had only a handful left as my bleeding decreased slightly at the end of my hospital stay.
Do buy a box of huge pads as you will need it even as you return from the hospital.
The brand depends on what you are most comfortable with, and know and trust.
2. Underwear
I bought this set of underwear as disposable underwear in case my bleeding got all over the place. Remember how I mentioned earlier to get the largest size pads? In case that doesn’t work, these underwear could be tossed out without worry.
At the end of the day, I didn’t toss them out and now I have additional underwear to wear.
3. Breast Pads
If you are worried that your milk will come early, these breast pads are great. Usually, what comes first is the liquid gold, colostrum. Maybe a day later or a few days later, your milk will come in.
These are the ones that I used and worked really well. I did not use them in the hospital but it was good to have just in case.
4. Hand Sanitizers and Wipes
Especially during this pandemic, it is not a bad idea to bring hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes if you’re worried. You can wipe down the surfaces and sanitize your hands as you need.
I packed the hand sanitizer for guests who visited the baby, if they needed it. Similarly when they came over, I would always ask them to wash their hands before coming near the baby.
5. Comfortable Pajamas
I packed pajamas to wear at night after the delivery. However, I don’t recall actually wearing them. Maybe once before changing back to my hospital gown.
If you want to bring your own pajamas, look for maternity sleep dress like this one.
What I like about these sleep dresses are the accessibility to breastfeed and the looseness around the waist area. Pants with elastics might be uncomfortable as it is pressing against your stomach.
6. Hair Ties
If you have long hair like me, hair ties are necessary to keep the hair out of my face and the baby’s face.
Also, a trick I learned is to put the hair tie on my right wrist if I feed the baby on the right boob and on the left if on the left boob.
7. Nursing Bra
Whether you plan to wear a nursing bra during your hospital stay, you’ll need it before you leave the hospital. I bought from my Thyme Maternity, but they are no longer available in Canada.
Here is one that’s highly recommended on Amazon that you can check out.
8. Extra set of clothes
I brought an extra set of clothes to wear home after the hospital stay. If you can wear the same clothes that you wear to the hospital, but you want to bring an extra set of clothes in case you get the first set dirty.
If your water breaks on the way to the hospital or you got some blood stains on your pants, it’ll be good to have that second set of clothes ready.
9. A pair of socks
Depending on how you regularly feel, you might want to bring a pair of socks to keep warm.
They did not let me wear a pair of socks while waiting to reach the 10 cm dilation, so I was able to keep that to wear later in addition to my second pair of socks.
The hospital can be cold. If you’re afraid of being cold, bring a pair of your favorite fluffy socks.
10. Breastfeeding Cover/Blanket
Alongside the breastfeeding pillow, we also packed the breastfeeding cover. This is to cover the baby while you breastfeed, especially if there are people around (here is a recommended one on Amazon).
We had visitors throughout the day so I wanted to make sure to stay modest throughout.
11. Other Necessities
Due to the fact that we gave birth almost two years ago, it was a blessing to have my husband there with me.
M, my husband, did not really have a lot to bring so we’re just going to bring our travel kit with the necessities such as toothbrush, toothpaste, small bottles of body wash and shampoo if needed. Don’t forget phone chargers, battery banks if needed, and other items that are important to you.
12. My Birth Plan
I included my birth plan as well in my hospital bag. It’s trying times right now and you might not get the birth that you’ve always envisioned. However, surround yourself with the best people you know whether you decide to go with a OB or a midwife.
Ask questions if you are unsure about something. If you’re only there with your one and only support person, due to the pandemic, make sure that they know what you want prior to getting to the hospital. They can advocate on your behalf if you are unable to.
These are what I packed in my hospital bag. You might want to add some additional items such as your headphones or something nice for the baby. It’s totally up to you.
If you are interested in getting the same diaper bag we have, we bought the diaper bag turned hospital bag here.
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