Leading up to my due date I read countless posts about what people recommended to take with you to delivery. Here are the things I found useful and others I could have done without.
Hospital Bag
There are some posts that have a really long list of things to take with you, but I’m more of a minimalist. So I found some of the shortest lists to help me pack my bag and then I still didn’t use everything.
What was in my bag:
- Comfy house shoes
- Flip flops
- Pajamas
- Robe
- Sweat pants (Capri length)
- Nursing bras
- Underwear
- Camisoles
- Dress
- Yoga pants
- T shirt
- Socks
- Toiletries
- Massage oil
- Essential oils
- Diffuser
- Hair brush/comb
- Hair elastics
- Pads
- Nursing pads
- Birthing ball
- Boppy
- Phone
- Charger
- Speaker
- Make-Up Bag
Now how useful we’re all these things?
People made the house shoes seem like an absolute must buy really I could have done without. Maybe these other women were walking up and down the halls through and wanted something comfy but I didn’t need them. I wore them maybe once after delivery to the food court.
I brought the flip flops for the shower, and I did use them in there because public restrooms gross me out. Even though this one was very clean.
The pajamas I brought were maternity/nursing pjs and I enjoyed having them as well. The front of the shirt unbuttoned and made for easy nursing. The rooms get cold so having something warmer to wear at night was nice.
I packed a robe in my bag and that is where it stayed the whole time. I didn’t wear it once, so that was a waste of space in my book.
I was very thankful to have my comfy sweats and yoga pants. I was wearing those giagantic underwear with ice packs after delivery so it was nice to have something roomy and comfortable.
I packed two nursing bras which were a must for me since I was nursing. I would ditch the nursing pads though, most women don’t have their milk come in until days later and there isn’t that much colostrum.
As I said above, I was in the hospital underwear for my entire stay (and for almost a week after going home). So packing my own underwear was a bit of a waste.
I saw that most women recommend packing nursing tanks, so I went to buy some and they are nearly $20 each. I planned to nurse (and still do) but I didn’t want to spend $60 on nursing tanks not knowing how it would go. So I opted for plain camisoles for a trial run and they worked fine for me. I just pulled the front down and nursed like that, and I still do this most of the time.
I packed a maternity t shirt dress to have something nice to wear when I got visitors but I never wore it. I should have packed a nursing dress but didn’t think about that beforehand. (But I probably wouldn’t have worn it because of the hospital underwear)
I didn’t wear the t shirt I packed because I wanted ease of nursing as well.
Socks are a definite yes, I didn’t wear them during labor but I did for the next two days in my room.
You will absolutely want your own toiletries, hair brush, and elastics.
I packed makeup and didn’t touch it. I thought I would want it for pictures but I didn’t bother with it. However, I’m one of those women who wear it one a week or less to begin with. So if you wear it daily, you might feel differently.
Massage oils, I say it was a waste. My husband tried to massage my back in labor but I got annoyed with it.
I loved having my essential oils though. In early labor I had my husband plug in my diffuser and add a calming blend. I don’t know if it helped but I enjoyed the nice aroma, and I used it for the rest of my stay.
My hospital provided plenty of pads so I didn’t need mine. Plus they sent me home with enough of the underwear and pads to last me a week.
We brought our birthing ball, but we left it in the car because my hospital provided one.
I liked having the boppy. The lactation consultant tried to get me not to use it but I found it helpful.
We brought a speaker to play our own music and honestly I don’t remember hearing music during labor even though I know it was on. But I liked having music for the duration of my stay.
And of course the phone and charger were a must for taking pictures and keeping in constant with family.
Do keep in mind that I am more of a minimalist and somethings that I could have gone without are musts for other women. I was also in the hospital for a total of three days, one for delivery and two for recovery/monitoring. A longer stay would probably need more “luxury” items.
In the end do you! I would rather have a couple extra things in my bag than have to go without something I wanted.
Want a list of what I recommend to take for you, Daddy, and baby? Read my blog post “Minimalist Hospital Bag for Mommy, Daddy, and Baby”
PLEASE NOTE: Following and/or participating in my blog and any tips or advice is solely your decision. I recommend checking with your physician prior to following any of the advice that I share. I am not a health care professional, personal trainer, nutritionist, or counselor. I provide the advice, meals, tips, etc. that have worked for me based on my personal experiences.