Must have items for your hospital bag

You’re having a baby! Here’s what you need to take with you to the hospital. Since I like to be organized and prepared, I start packing my bag at around 35 weeks with it being pretty much done by 37 weeks. There may be a few items that you will throw in last minute like your tooth brush or chargers but it’s best to do as much as you can in advance so that you feel prepared. I actually just bought spare ones because I didn’t want to have to remember extra things to pack when I’m in labour. If you have some last minute items, make sure you have a handy list so that you or your husband can easily grab these items and head out the door. A tip is to keep a list of items you need on a post it note and leave it on top of your hospital bag(s).

After having my second baby, I have updated my hospital packing list and hope this will help you. Your list might vary depending on what your hospital offers. Mine gave me one pad, one diaper and a peri bottle. That’s it! No mesh undies, no toiletries, no baby products, nada.

I packed 2 bags. I had a labour and delivery bag that I had all the things I needed while in labour and I had a hospital recovery bag which was everything I needed post delivery. I used a Longchamp tote bag and a roller carry-on suitcase. Some people also bring their diaper bag but I did not want to bring it to the hospital.

Before I get into the list, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• The season may change what items you bring.
• Plan to stay for 3 days which is the recommended length of time for a caesarian birth. You may leave sooner, but this is just in case.
• Find out from your hospital what they will provide.
• Pack one bag for labour and delivery and another bag for recovery. You can keep the recovery bag in the car until you are moved to the maternity room. (Not relevant during a pandemic, since they don’t allow in and out privileges).
• Make sure you have your car seat installed.

What to pack in your labour and delivery bag:

• Hospital paperwork, birth plan if you have one, insurance
• Small bag of toiletries including lip balm, hand cream, moisturizer, face wash, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, hair elastic, contact case and glasses (you will want to remove your contact lenses).
• Waterproof footwear – I wore Crocs but flip flops will work
• Snacks – find out when you need to stop eating
• Waterbottle and some drinks like Gatorade or coconut water
• An extension cord or extra long phone charger
• Camera

What to pack in your Hospital Recovery bag for mom:

• A robe – this will keep you comfortable while in the hospital but will also be easy to breastfeed in and accessible for your nurses and doctors to examine you
• Larger toiletry bag – this will have items that will make your stay more comfortable like hair brush, dry shampoo, shampoo, conditioner and body wash to shower, face wipes, make up for pictures.
• Clothes – I pretty much stayed in my robe the whole time but having loose pants and a button-up top was good when I wanted to cover up a bit more. Note: I was quite swollen when leaving the hospital so leggings would not have been a good idea.
• Underwear – I bought a pack of soft undies from Costco in the Halston brand and really liked these. Just size up.
• Adult diapers – since my hospital didn’t provide the mesh undies, I brought Always Discreet. I also brought a few thick maxi pads just in case I needed them.
• Pillow with a coloured pillow case so it doesn’t get mixed up with the hospital pillows
• Bath towel because the ones at the hospital are tiny

What to pack for your partner:

• Toiletries – toothbrush and any other toiletries they might need
• Change of clothes
• Blanket
• Phone charger
• Snacks – surprisingly, there can be a lot of downtime during labour and these will be useful post labour.

What to pack for your baby:

• Diapers and wipes
• Baby Shampoo
• Vaseline for the meconium poo
• Swaddle blankets – we used the receiving blankets from the hospital which I love
• Sound machine – I wish I brought ours but I used youtube from my phone instead
• Going home outfit – bring a few different sizes. I had no idea that I would have a large baby (9 lbs 10 oz) so none of the outfits that I brought fit her
• Pacifier – my first birth gave us a pacifier but my second one did not.

I did not pack formula or bottles but my hospital gave us some formula because we were dealing with high sugar levels and jaundice and needed to increase our input. It was only temporary and I am able to exclusively breastfeed which I was worried about.

Once you have your bags packed you can edit it based on what else you may need but at least you have the major items covered. My husband would come and go during labour and also during recovery to check in on our son so he was also able to pick up items if I needed them. But if you live far from the hospital or delivering during COVID-19, then I would suggest to over pack and take anything you think you might need. As we got closer to our due date, we would keep the bags in the car so that we could go straight to the hospital if I happen to go into labour while we were out. So once your bags are pack, it’s one less thing to prepare for your baby’s arrival.  

I hope this list is helpful and that you have a safe and healthy delivery. Happy packing and Happy Delivery!