Hospital Bag Essentials For New Moms
Inside: Everything you will need for yourself at the hospital!
Packing hospital bag essentials for the birth of your baby is an exciting pregnancy milestone mothers-to-be. It means baby time is getting very close!
Filling your hospital bag or, more likely, a few bags with everything you need for you, your baby, and your birthing partner can be overwhelming for your first delivery.
Hospital Bag Essentials for New Moms
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These hospital bag essentials for you will help keep you and your birthing partner comfortable at the hospital for the delivery and recovery periods.
Comfy Clothes
While your hospital will be more than happy to provide a hospital gown, you will want comfortable clothing that you can relax in and walk around without embarrassment.
Keep in mind that your body won’t bounce back right away, and you will still need your maternity sizes for a while after the birth of your baby. Also note, if you have a C-section, you won’t want to wear pants, so a gown is a better option. I personally went night gown so I didn’t have to worry about a pant or shirt size fitting. Here is what I brought and it was perfect.
- Two gowns
- Two nursing bras
- Comfy socks
- Slip-on sandal slippers
- A cardigan
I got this gown in grey and black off of Amazon for around $20. Super comfy and the buttons make it easy access for breastfeeding:
These are the slippers I wore and continued to wear for year one of my sons life. They are so comfy, easy to slide on and off, and keep my feet warm without overheating!
You can get your slippers here!
Your birthing partner will be there for the long haul with you, so be sure to pack a couple changes of clothes for them so they can relax and be comfortable as well.
While the hospital will provide t-shirts for your baby, it can be a good idea to bring sleeping gowns for your baby to help keep them warmer in the cold hospital room and make diaper changes easy, as well as a cute and comfortable going home outfit.
Snacks and drinks
Snacks are essential to take with you to the hospital. This is even more important these days with the many changes hospital policies are changing. Ask your hospital if they have a refrigerator inside your room to allow you to bring in refrigerated snacks or if you need to stick with shelf-stable options.
While most hospitals will not let you eat while you are in labor, the few days following childbirth are a pint of major healing, and many mothers find themselves constantly feeling hungry. Pack healthy snacks and drinks for your and your birthing partner to help keep both of you comfortable for the time you will be in the hospital.
Often after delivery, blood sugar crashes and can leave mom feeling shaky. Honey sticks make an excellent option for raising blood sugar quickly after giving birth. Another great option is to bring along juice boxes for after you give birth.
Tucks pads
While the hospital will provide pain-relieving supplies after the birth, witch hazel pads tend to be one of the best tools for helping make bathroom trips after the labor more bearable but are not one of the basics provided by the hospital. The hospital will provide pads, a pain-relieving spray, and a peri bottle to help with postpartum bathroom trips.
Electronics
While you will no doubt have your phone on you and out taking photos of your new addition, odds are you haven’t really thought about electronics for your hospital stay. You will want an extra-long charger cord to allow you to keep your phone charged while staying in the hospital bed or chair.
A long cord will allow you to charge while staying comfortable. There are lots of good and cheap options on Amazon, like the one below.
If you often use a laptop or tablet, you will want to pack these and their chargers to give you something to work with or video chat with your loved ones that can not visit while you are in the hospital.
Your own pillow, blanket, and comfy socks
Bring along your own pillow and blanket to the hospital. You want to choose a brightly colored set for both you and your partner so they won’t get picked up and sent to the wash by the hospital when you’re not looking.
Hospital bedding can be lacking and uncomfortable. If you plan to breastfeed, you will want to include your nursing pillow as well. I used my daily pillow and a nice fleece blanket, but did splurge on some soft socks, and it was oh so worth it.
Birthing plan and insurance cards
Wheel Your hospital should already have a copy of your birthing plan and insurance cards before you arrive at the hospital. Things happen, and it is always a good idea to have these things with you in your hospital bag to ensure that you have everything you need for the delivery. Your birthing plan helps nurses and doctors know your wishes and have a copy without means you do not have to reign on their records being entirely up to date.
Toiletries and medications
While the hospital will provide these things for you, the quality of hospital toiletries is severely lacking, and you will be much happier and more comfortable if you have your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
- Hair ties
- Chapstick
- Brush and makeup
- Lotion
- Shower flip flops
- Shower essentials like soap, loofa, shampoo conditioner
Most of these things you will already have at your place, except the shower sandals. I got a cheap pair off of Amazon, and will use them up at our lake house, camping, etc.
Your medications will be provided by the hospital, but you should bring along any medications your birthing partner is on, along with a milk headache and pain reliever.
Adjusting to lack of sleep and sleeping in uncomfortable hospital accommodations is likely to leave your partner feeling stiff and sore. Coming prepared can help keep them comfortable as well.
WRAPPING UP: Hospital Bag Essentials For New Moms
So that’s the full list of hospital bag essentials you’ll need! Don’t overcomplicate it, because really you don’t need much. There’s no need for anything fancy, just essentials to get you through your hospital stay!
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