Hello!
Today I’m sharing what I brought in my hospital bag! I’ll share what was essential for me & what I didn’t use.
So, something I had to consider when packing my hospital bag was the less stuff I brought into the hospital, the less germs I was bringing home. I had originally planned to bring a pillow, blanket, boppy pillow, etc., but once COVID hit I wanted to be as minimal as possible. Even though we felt perfectly safe at the hospital, I felt that whatever we brought needed to be thrown in the wash as soon as we walked in the door as we came home.
Here’s what I brought:
So, packing your hospital bag can be a little tricky, because you don’t know how long you will end up staying, you don’t know what size the baby is going to be, & if you’re a first time mom like me you have no idea how you’re going to feel after giving birth! And with the added COVID restrictions, Will was not allowed to leave & come back in case we forgot anything.
If you’re delivering during COVID I think it is imperative that you bring snacks! We were not allowed to leave our room at all, so we were at the mercy of the hospital food. And I’m not kidding when I tell you that dinner came at 4:45 pm every day, which left us really hungry around 8:00 pm! We had a gallon sized ziplock bag with snacks, but I wish we would’ve brought more.
Another thing I loved having was my own gown. It doesn’t seem that important, but it was so nice to have something that was comfy & mine. I personally hate hospital gowns. They’re not comfortable & they are complicated! I did wear the hospital gown during labor & delivery, because I didn’t want my gown getting “stuff” all over it 😂 but once we got to our postpartum room I changed into my gown & felt so much better! I meant to bring my slippers, but forgot them in chaos of my water breaking & trying to get out the door!
A lot of people wonder, myself included, what undergarments to bring. Should I bring a nursing bra? Should I bring underwear? I did bring a nursing bra & I’m glad I did. This is going to be TMI, but my nipples hurt so bad after that first day of nursing & them rubbing against my nightgown was super painful. So, having my nursing bra on helped reduce the rubbing. As far as underwear go, I say leave yours at home! The underwear my hospital provided were super comfy & I didn’t have to worry about ruining them with the aftermath of childbirth!
My biggest advice would be don’t overpack, but if there are certain things that make you feel good or like yourself (i.e. your own gown, makeup, a blanket), don’t feel silly about bringing them.
Here’s what I think made our hospital stay better:
Here’s what I could’ve lived without:
Things I wish we brought:
Here is some of the stuff I packed: