The ultimate hospital bag checklist for moms, including must-have essentials for you and your babies to make your hospital stay smoother.
I can’t believe we’ve made it to this point. When we were in the hospital three months ago for preterm labor, it seemed next to impossible to make it to 26 weeks, let alone 35. Yep – 35 weeks this morning with these little nuggets. And after all the worry and unknown and waiting patiently and “taking it easy”, I cannot wait to snuggle them and see their precious faces.
Given the circumstances, I know I should have packed a hospital bag, or at least had things set out and told Joseph what I’d need, WEEKS ago. But, honestly, it’s been kind of part of the mental game for me. I didn’t want to plan for the worst. I didn’t want to pack a bag at 26 weeks and have to think about what that meant. Funny how we cope with things sometimes, isn’t it? But here we are – nearly full term – and it’s time to pack.
I’ve had a whole array of different labor and delivery experiences with the older three. One labor at full term and hospital birth with the standard 2-night stay. One induction and NICU stay for about a week and a half. One where we went in for a version to try to flip our breech boy and ended in an unexpected c-section. And now, the twins. To say I’m planning to keep an open mind would be an understatement. Healthy mom – physically and mentally – and healthy babies is the goal.
I do keep it fairly trimmed down, but I’ve also learned that I might want a few extra items “just in case”. So here’s my hospital bag checklist, with variations for twins and potential c-sections.
Hospital Bag Checklist for Mom
You don’t need much. Honestly, if you showed up with nothing – the hospital has everything you need. However, it sure is nice to change out of the hospital robe and into your own clothes once baby is born. And it makes the stay a bit more comfortable to have your own things.
- Weekend Bag
- Packing Cubes \\ optional of course, but nice to keep things organized.
- Robe \\ soft, cozy, easy access for breastfeeding. After the c-section, I just wore a robe, soft nursing bra, and those lovely hospital boy-shorts underwear. I didn’t want anything on that incision for as long as possible. Though I did have to put pants on for the ride home. 😉
- Pajamas \\ button front pajamas are wonderful for figuring out breastfeeding in those first few days/weeks. It’s so much easier than trying to hold a shirt up out of the way – just unbutton and don’t worry about it. Short sleeve and/or long sleeve.
- Lounge Clothing \\ soft and cozy for all those newborn snuggles.
- Sweatpants \\ these $10 sweatpants are the bomb – soft, cozy, loose enough to fit that postpartum diaper butt look. Can’t go wrong with that.
- Loose Nursing-Friendly Top \\ sized up x2 for an oversized, comfy fit and easy access for breastfeeding.
- Nursing Bras and Pads \\ I like Momcozy soft seamless nursing bras during the day (little more support/shaping) and the Motherhood Maternity seamless nursing bras at night (I find them more comfortable for sleeping – I remove the pads for sleeping). I haven’t found reusable nursing pads that work for me yet, so I use disposable ones. But I’d love to switch to reusable if anyone has a good recommendation!
- Water Bottle
- Hydration Packets
- Toiletries \\ toiletry bag (my favorite one here) with chapstick, hair ties or clip, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, toothpaste, toothbrush, glasses, contacts, makeup if you want it, etc. … don’t forget your glasses … you may have to send dad on an extra errand … ask me if that ever happened 😉
- Deodorant \\ WILD Deodorant is my favorite deodorant – the only non-toxic, natural one that has actually worked for me!
- Mama Postpartum Self Care Kit \\ disposable post-partum undies (wonderful for both vaginal and c-section deliveries), Tucks Medicated Pads (aaamazing tucked top of your pads after vaginal delivery), Nipple Balm (lifesaver for the first few weeks), Soothing Gel Pads (also a lifesaver).
- Essential Oils + Diffuser \\ I like to mix a pain relief roller with copaiba, lavender, and geranium (recipe below). I also bring lavender and peppermint for nausea, as well as geranium and orange to diffuse. I’ve found it helpful to diffuse lavender, grapefruit, and or orange for labor support, sleep support, and just to have some familiar smells from home.
** If you only stay 1-2 nights, you probably only need one set of lounge-y clothes. However, I like to bring two just in case. I had a longer stay after the c-section and it was nice to have the extra change of comfy clothes. My lounge clothes are also my “going-home” clothes.
Extras for Mom & Baby
I’ve used these things for some of our babies but not for others. Each babe is different, but I like to have these along just in case.
- Nipple Shield \\ These can be controversial, but I’ve used them for a couple of the kiddos when they were first trying to figure out how to latch, so I bring them along just in case. I’ve tried a few different brands and these are the only ones that worked for us. With our babies that have needed the extra help, I just used them until they were able to latch right to the breast. I’ve breastfed all the kiddos for a year and never had issues weaning them off the shield after a week or so. (don’t forget to measure for the correct size).
- Breast Pump + Bottles \\ I wouldn’t normally bring a pump (unless you plan to pump of course), but I ended up needing it with our NICU baby to bring my milk in since she couldn’t nurse for a while. So now I put it in the truck, just in case. I will definitely have it along for the twins this time since there’s a high chance we end up in the NICU again (but hopefully not!).
- Nursing Pillow \\ I used a Boppy for our single babies and picked up the My Brest Friend Twin Pillow for the twins.
I usually leave the breast pump and nursing pillow in the truck and send Joseph out if we end up needing them.
I also put together a list of more of my postpartum favorites here: Postpartum + Newborn Essentials.
Hospital Bag Checklist for Baby
Again, the hospital has pretty much everything you need for baby, including diapers, wipes, and swaddles. But you can bring as many of your own supplies as you want.
- Onesies (x2 for the twins)
- Going Home Outfit (x2 for the twins) \\ I brought both preemie and newborn size outfits this time since I’m not sure how big these guys will be. We’ve brought home babies in preemie and newborn sizes, so we’ll see!
- Hat (x2 for the twins)
- Swaddles
- Pacifiers
- Burp Cloths
- Car Seat (x2 for the twins)
- Cozy Blanket (x2 for the twins) \\ to snuggle them into the car seats for going home, especially since we’re into cooler temperatures now.
Hospital Bag Checklist for Dad
Joseph wanted to contribute a parody video for this part – everything he’s needed for all the different deliveries we’ve experienced. It goes like this:
- Vaginal delivery – sweatpants
- C-Section delivery – sweatpants
- NICU baby – sweatpants
- Twins – sweatpants
So there you have it. Dad of 5 hospital bag … ready for anything 😂.
But in all seriousness, these are his typical responsibilities:
- Change of Clothes, Lounge Clothes, Slippers, and Toiletries
- Phone chargers
- Speaker (if we want to use it)
- Snacks
- Extra Blankets + Pillows
He also handles the carseats and any extra errands mom or baby (s) might need.
I can’t believe we’re so close to meeting the twins. So thankful we made it this far.
I hope this is helpful, however your delivery looks! The hospital provides the basics, but having a few items from home makes the experience feel more personal and comfortable. I’ve shared links to items that I have used and loved, but it’s, of course, all up to personal preference.
Good luck mama!
Pain Relief Roller Recipe
In a 10 ml roller bottle combine:
- 10 drops copaiba
- 5 drops lavender
- 5 drops geranium
- Top with carrier oil (I prefer fractionated coconut oil [or jojoba oil for anything on my face])
Roll on low back, neck, shoulders, or wherever you need pain relief. After extensive research, I use Plant Therapy oils. But, as with anything, please do your own research.
| Tylynn |
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