Are you the type of person who packs thirteen outfits for a four-day trip? I know I am! And I packed my hospital bag the same way for my first baby.
I’m a three-time c-section mom, and even on the third baby, I had a few things in my hospital bag that I could have done without (although I did much better). If you are looking at your hospital bag checklist and have a feeling it’s too long – it probably is!
In this post, I’ll go over exactly what I would pack. It’s the only hospital bag checklist for mom that you’ll need!
WHEN SHOULD YOU HAVE YOUR HOSPITAL BAG PACKED?
This is a tricky one because you literally don’t know when you’ll go into labor and each pregnancy is different. It is my opinion that you should have your hospital bag packed by 37 weeks at the very latest.
Have I always followed my own advice . . . nope. My first pregnancy I had it packed at 38 weeks, which is honestly pretty good. The morning we left for the hospital I just had to throw a few toiletries down in my bag.
My second pregnancy was a scheduled induction and a complicated pregnancy, so how and when I packed my bag did not follow my advice in this post at all.
My third pregnancy I had NO bag packed when I went in for my appointment at 36 weeks and 4 days and was told I would be having a scheduled c-section two days later.
Having a baby at 37 weeks is considered “early term”, which is why I would suggest having your bag packed by then at the very latest. Will you actually have your bag ready by then? Maybe not, but it’s worth the effort!
Even just having your hospital bag items located in one area until you actually pack would be very helpful. I never packed my toiletries until I was done using them in the morning when getting ready to leave for the hospital.
WHAT SHOULD I PACK IN MY HOSPITAL BAG?
Every person is different, but I am going to go through exactly what I would pack for myself after having three babies and tweaking my packing list each time. If I have a fourth one day, this is the exact list I will follow!
CLOTHING
Let’s start with clothing! After my third birth, I truly knew exactly what I preferred and what kept me most comfortable.
Nursing Tank/Cami
I preferred nursing tanks and camis over nursing bras while in the hospital – and really throughout my whole breastfeeding journey.
I personally think they’re much more comfortable than nursing bras. I bought a pack of nursing camis off Amazon for my first pregnancy and loved them. They lasted me throughout all three pregnancies. The straps are nice and thick and the clasps are really well made and sturdy. I can’t believe how well they have held up for the past three years.
Robe
At my third birth, I opted for a robe over my nursing tank. I had packed a couple of “outfits” but just ended up staying in my robe the entire time. It allowed for easy access for nursing which you will be doing a lot of while you’re at the hospital if you decide to breastfeed.
Plus opening up a robe was way more convenient than bunching a sweatshirt up to my chin (all my prior breastfeeding mamas know what I’m talking about here!). Starting a breastfeeding journey with your baby means trying lots of different positions until you find one that you and your baby like – I didn’t want to also have to worry about keeping a shirt up off their face while figuring that out.
I used a nice thin cotton robe from Target. Enough to keep my upper body warm without getting too hot.
Slippers
As a three-time c-section mom, I know how important movement is for the healing process. I wanted to get up and walk around as often as I could.
That being said, hospital floors are cold and you don’t want to risk slipping when recovering from birth – especially a c-section.
Anytime I got up I used my slippers to get around. I’ve never liked wearing socks in bed, so if my feet were cold I preferred a blanket over them. You might see some people suggest non-slip socks, but I prefer slippers!
Going Home Outfit
I opted for a pair of black, wide-leg, maternity yoga pants, a nursing tank, a light open cardigan, and slides for my third birth (summer baby).
Notice I said maternity yoga pants – I have never been one of those people to go home in my pre-pregnancy clothes, and honestly, I’ve never known anyone personally who has been able to do that either. I’m thinking that might be a myth or those people are unicorns? So just to be safe, make sure you have a pair of maternity pants to go home in just in case your pre-pregnancy pants won’t fit (which is obviously totally fine and normal!).
If you are worried about what you will look like in pictures maybe you want to choose something else, but I couldn’t have cared less.
CLOTHING I DID NOT NEED
Notice I mentioned nothing about clothing for my bottom half. No pants (except to go home in) and no underwear.
As a c-section mom, I didn’t want anything sitting on my incision. Not that my incision necessarily hurt, I’ve always been lucky to have pretty painless recoveries, but I know how helpful it is to keep it dry and let it get air. Pants would just be suffocating it. Plus, just like socks, I hate wearing pants in bed (I always sleep in shorts).
Underwear is utterly pointless, but this is a matter of preference. I know some people size up and buy underwear specifically for recovery, but I loved wearing the mesh panties. I felt it kept the huge pads in place really well.
Check back for a post all about recovery options, because there’s a lot more I could say about the above point and beyond when it comes to options for recovery!
I did have a couple of “outfits” packed for my third birth (maternity yoga pants and a basic t-shirt + sweatshirt) but didn’t end up wearing any of them. I just preferred to stay in my robe and change out my nursing tank underneath (I had four nursing tanks with me and was there for two and a half days).
TOILETRIES
This will vary for people based on how extensive your skincare routine is, how often you like to wash your hair, and if putting on makeup feels important to you. All of those things are very minimal for me so I feel like I could pack light compared to others.
Here is a list of the toiletries I brought:
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Contacts/contact solution/contact case/glasses
- Deodorant
- Under eye cream
- Toner
- Face moisturizer
- Mascara
- Eye makeup remover
- Cotton rounds
- Body wash
- Razor (just for underarms – trust me, I wasn’t trying to shave my legs!)
- Mousse (to refresh my curly hair)
TOILETRIES I DID NOT BRING
- Full skincare lineup
- No serums, scrubs, or anything unnecessary – you’re only there for a few days. You’ll notice I didn’t list face wash though, and that’s because I literally just rinse my face with water nowadays. So if you use face wash you’ll want to bring it.
- Full makeup bag
- Mascara is the only thing I listed and is the extent of what I wear in my day-to-day life as well. I have ditched all other makeup and will only wear it for special occasions like pictures or weddings! I know some women like to put on more makeup while in the hospital, especially if getting a Fresh 48 session done. This just doesn’t appeal to me. Even for a Fresh 48 I would stick to just mascara, but you do you here!
- Hair care products
- I did not bring anything to wash my hair. I have naturally curly hair so can go about 5 days between washes if need be. Plus, for my third birth, I had a scheduled c-section, so I knew I wasn’t going to get hot and sweaty.
- For my second birth I went through 42 hours of labor, 4 hours of pushing, and a c-section, so I was a mess and definitely took a shower including washing my hair the moment they told me I could!
- But I also knew that hospital stay would look different since our son was born with HLHS and staying in the CVICU, so I packed differently for that birth.
- If you are someone who can’t go long between washes then be sure to bring shampoo and conditioner (travel size), a brush, and a blow dryer. Dry shampoo might be useful too!
- If you’re really going all out and want to fix up your hair for pictures bring your favorite hair styling tool.
OTHER/PERSONAL ITEMS
- Portable phone charger – I’ve seen people say a charger with an extra long cord, but go ahead and invest in a portable phone charger. You’ll be able to use it all the time!
- Pillow – I always use my own pillow when staying somewhere other than my house
- Blanket – I wanted a soft fuzzy blanket of my own
- Hair ties
- Earbuds
- Kindle (I ended up not reading a single page. I snuggled my baby, breastfed, napped, and scrolled social media the entire time. It was like a mini vacation not having any responsibilities.)
- Water bottle
- Lip balm
- Prenatal (Yes, keep taking your prenatal! I had no idea as a first-time mom.)
- Medela hydrogel pads (amazing for sore nipples at the beginning of breastfeeding)
- Nursing pads – I opted for reusable ones because I knew from experience that the disposable ones irritated my nipples. I also rarely leaked milk with my third baby but wanted them just in case. I didn’t want to ruin the limited clothing options I brought with me.)
OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT
- Birth plan (I did not bring one, but if you feel like you will have a hard time speaking up for yourself or don’t have another person willing to be your voice, then you might consider a birth plan)
- Insurance cards
- IDs (both you and your partner)
- Breast pump (This might be really helpful for first-time moms because it usually takes a little longer for your milk to come in during your first breastfeeding journey. I left mine at home with my third baby and my milk came in on the first day – don’t be discouraged if yours does not come in this quick, especially with your first baby!)
- A nice camera (Our phones did the job, but I know some people own nice cameras and now would be the time to use it!)
And that was it! I really feel like I have narrowed down what is actually essential for mom’s hospital bag checklist.
If you read through this whole post and wondered where recovery items are, you’re not going crazy. The hospital provides pretty much everything you need! Plus, as a c-section mom, I didn’t need a bunch of stuff for “down there”.
And if you’re wondering what to pack for your baby, I will cover that in an upcoming post! But again, the hospital provides everything they need.
Use this as your hospital bag checklist for mom so that you are prepared but not overpacked, and congratulations on your new little one!