5 things I actually used from my hospital bag (& what I didn’t use at all)
Full disclosure– I didn’t have my hospital bag fully packed until I was past my due date.
The number of videos, reels, and blog posts I saw telling you the million and a half things you absolutely needed to pack was completely overwhelming to me. I started to accumulate items and had a rough idea of where everything was, but I most definitely did not have it all together.
Note: The most helpful advice I found was from Mommy Labor Nurse . I loved everything from Mommy Labor nurse while I was pregnant. And a fun fact– she’s based in Raleigh as well!
The morning I thought I would be admitted to the hospital (up all night with contractions!) is when I finalized my bag– ha!
Before giving you the full list of everything we brought, here are the five things I was so so happy we had–
- A speaker: I made a playlist with music that made me feel happy and relaxed. We had it going the whole day, and it was wonderful! Our nurse even commented on how great the playlist was!
- Honey sticks: I wasn’t able to eat anything but clear liquids once I was in full labor. The honey sticks were fantastic because they gave me a nice little blood sugar boost.
- Dry shampoo: I felt disgusting by the end of our hospital stay. The dry shampoo smelled nice, and made me feel like a human.
- A Towel: I highly recommend showering before you leave the hospital. The spray feature on the shower made my first shower so much less intimidating. And it felt so nice! I used this towel, which was nice because it packed down and dried quickly.
- A robe: I delivered in July, so I wasn’t cold in any of the rooms. Between the lactation consultants and nurses constantly checking on you, along with constant breastfeeding (if you are breastfeeding!) in the first couple of days, I found a robe to be the most comfortable and convenient. I had my family bring me a second robe when they came to see V! I used a robe from Cozy Earth and a robe from Kindred Bravely, both were fantastic!
- Bonus! For baby, I was so glad we brought aquaphor. We used the baby aquaphor right after she was born, and it made those first poops so much easier to change. Game changer! (THANK YOU Mommy Labor Nurse!!)
Here is the full list of what we brought–
I separated everything into packing cubes for each category: labor and delivery, postpartum, and baby. L packed his own bag! (He was packed weeks before me, two kinds of people in every marriage, right?!)
Everything that I ended up using, I starred–
Labor and Delivery Bag:
- 1- Socks with grip pads (one pair in labor and delivery bag, one in postpartum)
- 2- Frida Mom gown
- 3- An extra long charger (I think we used these just to keep the playlist going, but neither of us used our phones much during labor)
- 4- A speaker*
- 5- Honey sticks to eat during labor*
- 6- Gum*
- 7- My toothbrush and toothpaste*
Postpartum Bag:
- 1- Socks
- 2- Nursing bras— I brought the Auden bras from target*
- 3- A robe*
- 4- Multiple pairs of pajamas
- 5- Dry shampoo*
- 6- Other toiletries (my razor, soap, etc.)*
- 7- A towel*
Baby:
- 1- An outfit to take pictures in the hospital
- 2- An outfit to go home* (I brought a Loulou and Co. knotted gown, which was so easy to use and so soft. V lived in these for at least a month!)
- 3- Binkies
- 4- Baby Aquaphor*
- 5- A nursing pillow (I used My Brest Friend and it was fantastic!)*
We also brought pillows and blankets.* (Liam used these, I ended up opting not to)
Unpopular opinion– I definitely did not end up using everything I packed. The labor and delivery bag in particular was almost unnecessary! I think this is probably because I was in labor by the time we were in the hospital. I think if I had been induced we may have ended up using the gown, socks, etc. But because I was in so much pain by the time we were at the hospital, I personally couldn’t care less about what I was wearing. The hospital had everything I needed!
I do think next time around I’ll end up going a bit more minimalist, but it was nice to have everything just in case for the first time.
