Even though I had planned my hospital bag two month before I went into labor, I ended up taking a lot of stuff I didn’t end up using. This was a huge pain since about 30 minutes after pushing out my baby we had to quickly pack up everything and rush into a recovery room. We were piling stuff on the bed they pushed me and the baby in and the cart they offered barely fit everything else.
This is a good time to suggest people NOT bring gifts to the hospital if that is an option. Drop it off at their house or take it when you visit them next time.
The list I made in the info graphic below applies to what my husband and I were glad we took and what we plan to take next time.
I went into the hospital when my contractions were bad enough I couldn’t stand anymore. My doctor and I decided this was the best route for me since I wanted to do an all natural birth. The longer you are in the hospital the more likely they will suggest an epidural or pitocin to speed things along. Because I labored a lot at home first, I didn’t have time or the ability to use any of my “extras” I took. I was in too much pain. The baby was at -3 until I was about 8 in. dilated, but I’ll save that for another blog. I only stayed in the recovery room for 24 hours, so I didn’t need a change of clothes or shower products.
There are a lot of items the hospital will have for your use so that saves you from a lot of unnecessary packed items. Ask them what they offer.
- Diapers & Wipes
- We asked for extras to take home. The wipes are like bamboo wipes that are dry so they give you a bowl to hold the water to dip them in. I really liked these and used them all before moving onto the Huggies Wipes we had.
- Popsicles and Jello
- For during labor
- Meals Post Pregnancy
- Mine came without me having to order it, which was wonderful. I always asked for extra milk since I was craving it.
- Mesh Panties, Period Pads, Witch Hazel Pads and a Water Spray Bottle
- I loved these panties. It prevented me from ruining my own and at that point I did not care what I looked like, these were so comfy!! I asked for extra of all of these to take home.
- Hospital Socks
- Comfy, has grips and free!
- Baby Hat and Blanket
- I wanted to use our cuter ones so I still brought these from home
- Hospital Robe
- I wore this the whole time. You get body fluids everywhere so having this prevented me from ruining my clothes and it was super convenient for breastfeeding.
- Meal Tickets
- My husband got coupons for every day we stayed at the hospital to use towards meals; however, on New Years Day all the hospital food was free so he didn’t end up using them.
Notes on items below:
- Nursing Pillow
- My whole body was so exhausted this helped me hold my baby up.
- Gatorade
- I drank a ton to stay hydrated and since I couldn’t really eat anything, this helped me keep my energy up.
- Bluetooth Speaker for Music
- When a women down the hall was screaming bloody murder from pushing her baby out at midnight, my husband and doula turned up music I picked out to help drown it out. I was on stadol at that point so the fact I was loopy helped drown it out, too.
- Birth Goal
- Instead of using the term “Birth Plan,” we printed multiple ones up along with emergency contact numbers. We gave one to each nurse. You can see mine here. You can also put your Birth Mantras on here, but my doula had mine.
- Gifts for Nurses
- We baked cookies while in the early stages of labor. This helped me keep my mind off of labor and the nurses loved them. We took two plates for each shift. Then for our recovery room nurses (since it was New Years Eve) we gave them sparkling grape juice.
- Pillow
- Having my own pillow was wonderful. The hospital pillows sucked.
- Sleeping Bag for Floor
- My husband hated the pull out couch. He said the floor was more comfortable. Next time we will take a small sleeping bag for him to sleep on.
The gift I made for my husband:
Do you have anything you would add to this list? Comment below.