Most pregnant women tend to over-pack when packing their hospital bag, and nobody wants to lug around a giant bag of unnecessary items if they don’t have to! As an OB nurse, I have seen what women cannot live without, what hospitals normally supply and what items tend to stay in the bag. Here is a guide for soon to be Mamas for what you should pack for your labour, delivery and postpartum journey.
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What to Bring When Packing Your Hospital Bag:
Your Pillow!
Let me be frank – sleeping on a hospital pillow is like sleeping on a bag of bricks. This is my NUMBER ONE recommended thing to bring when packing your hospital bag! You will want to make sure you are able to sleep like a baby (pun intended) when you finally get the chance to get some shut-eye.
-align: center;”>Chapstick, Gum & Gatorade
Being in labour sucks. Having dry lips while being in labour? The worst! Most new moms who don’t bring chapstick regret it. Labour wards tend to be as dry as the Mojave Desert, so chapstick, gum and Gatorade will be your buddies during labour and beyond.
Yummy Snacks
Pack a couple of protein bars with fibre for late-night snacking and you will not regret it. Breastfeeding requires you to eat a lot more (roughly 500 extra calories) and you will be ravenous after labour. It’s always good to have an alternative option at hand if you’re not a big fan of the hospital’s menu selection! A couple snacks won’t take up much room when packing your hospital bag.
Breastfeeding Supplies
If you have one that you are hoping to use later on, why not start breastfeeding on the right foot and use it while in the hospital? Learning to nurse in a hospital bed can be difficult, especially after a c-section. A nursing pillow can be a big back saver and help with correct positioning while you and baby figure each other out. Bringing some nipple ointment is a must if you are planning to breastfeed. Nipple cream can be applied to your nipples after each feed to help minimize cracking and pain. Putting a small amount on, in the beginning, will do wonders for to your breastfeeding experience and it is safe for baby to ingest so there is no need to wipe it off. Another option you can try is to express some colostrum (it has healing properties) onto your nipples and let them air dry after feeding baby.
Hygiene Products
Having a shower postpartum is the one thing that makes women feel human after giving birth. Though hospitals will supply body wash and shampoo, it won’t be what you’re used to. Bring your own travel-sized shampoo, body wash, and loofahs that you can throw away after your discharge. Trust me, it will make you feel like you are in a Scandinavian spa compared to how you felt after delivering your baby. You will also want to pack essential hygiene products like your toothbrush and toothpaste, a couple of hair ties, deodorant, a razor, makeup, glasses or contact solution and case and a moisturizer.
User-Friendly Baby Clothes
You don’t need to go crazy here. I would recommend bringing a couple of sleepers, hats and onesies and a “going home” outfit if you want. The sleepers with fold-over mittens are fantastic so you don’t need to worry about mittens falling off. You may want to bring both newborn and three-month sizes just in case.
Newborn babies are ridiculously hard to get clothes onto and hate being cold, so leave the adorable, inefficient clothing contraptions at home when packing your hospital bag. By this, I mean overalls, pants, dresses, and anything else that doesn’t have snaps to change diapers. Babies at this age only do four things: Sleep, cry, feed and poop. You will want to dress them accordingly. You will want a favourite baby blanket or car seat coverall for the ride home if the weather is chilly.
Comfortable Clothes for Mom
Make sure you dress for comfort – yoga pants will be your best friend for the next couple of weeks. Don’t expect to fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes right away. Make sure you bring a couple of nursing bras and shirts to make feedings easier. You shouldn’t need to worry about nursing pads unless you have an extended stay at the hospital as your milk won’t come in until day three or so, but it doesn’t hurt to pack a few in case. Bring a pair of slippers & flip flops that you can take off and on easily and that you won’t mind throwing out. They will come in handy both when you are pacing the halls with contractions and with a fussy baby. You can also wear the flip flops in the shower. A robe may also be a good idea since hospital gowns (not-so-conveniently) open in the back!
A Tablet, Magazines, & Other Entertainment
I know, I know. You and your partner should be spending quality time with your newborn baby, not watching movies right? Parents need to be attentive to their infants & should spend the majority of their time bonding with their baby. However, newborn babies sleep… A lot. Hospitals are not very exciting places, and buying TV and Wi-Fi access can be pricey. Download a few shows/movies in advance in case you don’t have access to WiFi. Your tablet or phone can also be helpful if you want to have a video call with family members to introduce your new bundle of joy. Make sure to pack chargers!
Diapers and Wipes
You only need to bring a couple just in case you run out in the middle of the night (you can also ring the nurses as we are available 24/7) and for the ride home. A couple of newborn and size one diapers of your liking will suffice! If your baby is on the small side (is born preterm or is small for gestational age), you
Depends and Always Infinity Maxi Pads
OK, hear me out. I have heard from a couple of different sources that this combination is the best way to deal with the first few weeks of bleeding. Once you get used to wearing an adult diaper (and learn to disregard your spouses jokes), you will notice the benefits right away. With this combo, you won’t have to worry about staining your personal underwear or feeling weighed down by bulky pads that don’t stay in place. Winning! You should just need a pair for the way home as pads should be supplied while in hospital. (If you don’t feel comfortable wearing these, feel free to bring whatever pads you would like!)
Car Seat
In this day and age, this should be a given. In order to discharge your baby from the hospital, nurses will need to check out your car seat and make sure that your baby is strapped in properly prior to leaving. If you’re unsure how to put your baby in and adjust the car seat, they will be a great resource to you! There are also car seat technicians that you can reach out to for making sure the car seat base is secured appropriately.
What Will the Hospital Provide During Your Stay? Don’t Worry About These Items When Packing Your Hospital Bag!
Amazing Stretchy Underpants!
Though they are not made by Victoria’s Secret by any means, the stretchy underwear that hospitals give out are one-size and get the job done! These are super comfortable, especially for post-C-section Mamas.
Pads… Lots and Lots of Pads
I recommend doubling up pads the first couple of days (one at the front & one at the back), which means you will go through a lot of pads. Most hospitals will give you a hefty amount and you can always ask for more. While bleeding is normal postpartum, soaking through pads or passing large clots is not. If you’re experiencing either, making sure to tell the nurses.
Ice Pads. Say What?
You heard me. A lot of OB departments will soak pads in water, wrap them up and freeze them. You can use them like regular pads, but are also the perfect solution to the inevitable postpartum swelling and/or tearing down under. These frozen pads will make sitting while nursing at least tolerable. Ice packs work too but they’re not as exciting. You prepare these as well for when you get home! Some moms add a bit of witch hazel and/or aloe vera gel before freezing as well.
Medications
At the minimum, you will be wanting to take a prenatal vitamin, pain reliever (Tylenol), anti-inflammatory (Advil) and stool softener. Even if you are taking your own prescribed medication at home, be aware that nurses will want to keep track of what you’re taking while you’re in the hospital. Make sure to let them know your med list so they can get them ordered. Are you having a lot of pain? Make sure to tell your nurse and he/she will do their best to make you comfortable. Severe pain can also be a sign of something else going on, so don’t suffer in silence.
A Peri Bottle
A peri-bottle is used to spray warm water on your perineal area before and while you go pee. Doing so will reduce pain and burning if you have swelling or sutures in place. You may need to run the taps for a while before warm water comes out!
Baby Products
Hospitals generally will cover everything you will need to take care of your baby while you are there, so there is not need to bring a giant pack of diapers with you. Baby shampoo, diaper cream for sticky meconium poos, diapers, wipes and more are usually provided.
If you want to be sure what your hospital provides feel free to call the L&D department or ask at your next prenatal appointment what will be supplied during your stay.
That’s It For Packing Your Hospital Bag!
Did I miss anything vital to bring along when packing your hospital bag for labour & delivery? Help us all out by leaving a comment below!
Hi, Great tips I found them very useful.
Glad to hear! Wishing you all the best!
I don’t know what went wrong with my hospital (in London, Ontario) but they gave me one pad for free and then I had to pay for any more after that and they were ridiculously priced. I was not impressed.
That is so strange I am from London and had my baby at victoria it was an endless supply for whenever I needed them. My baby girl is only two! I guess maybe it depends on what nurse you have and what kind of mood they are in lol!
I delivered both my children in Hamilton, Ontario & the nurses are SO greedy with their supplies. When my son was sick & I had to supplement with formula they would make the women (not a family member, not even my spouse) get up every single time, walk to the nurses station & walk back. After just giving birth with a crying baby this was such a stress in our life, especially if you were set on breastfeeding. It saddens me a little every time I had to ask for formula. They also did the same with diapers/wipes. My biggest tip would be keep a box of formula, diapers & wipes at your door (you don’t want the formula sitting in the car for a week or two but diapers & wipes go in our trunk early on now) just make sure you put the formula in the trunk on your way out haha! A single manual breast pump which is quite small isn’t a horrible thing to throw in your bag either, at our hospital people are practically fighting to get one of the many limited breast pumps if needed as they only have 2 for the entire hospital!
I would actually suggest bringing nursing pads. I know you said your milk won’t come in for a few days but with my first baby I was very surprised when I woke up the very next morning after giving birth and had a soaked hospital gown. My milk tends to come in quickly and I found myself without nursing pads. It wasn’t pleasant! Be on the safe side and pack a few.
I agree I’m only 29 weeks pregnant and have been leaking colostrum since 23 weeks there is no way I’m going to stay dry after I give birth
Thanks for these tips! My wife’s due next week and I want to be able to help her as much as I can. 🙂
Thank you so much for this!
Extremely helpful for me 🙂
Britt from Ottawa
Thanks for your comment Britt, I’m glad it is helpful to you 🙂
Awesome post ! Really Yoga pants are best friend for mom!
Thanks very very informative and useful post…………
Great list! I agree on everything here. A shower post-delivery feels ah-mazing!
For my 1st one we also packed the stroller in the car so when it was time to leave we could click the carseat on top and shove stuff in the bottom of it so I didn’t have to carry anything and just push the stroller out while my husband rolled our suit case. It was also nice to have something to hold onto since my balance was off, I was terrified I was ganna fall and drop the car seat. Definitely ganna use the stroller this time around too!!
I think that bringing your own underwear, sanitary pads, stylish pajama/nightgown and a robe is a good idea. After the horror of vaginal birth you want to feel good about yourself even though it’s nearly impossible. Getting out of the uncomfortable, scratchy and bleach-smelling hospital gown (how many people stained it with their blood and bodily fluids before you?), taking a shower (hopefully easily available, as it was not the case for me in the hours after delivery), using your favourite, amazingly smelling body wash, shampoo, perfume and face cream helps so much in lifting your crushed spirit and soothing your broken body. Using the mesh underwear and giant pads provided by hospital was awful. Nothing stays in place and the leaks can happen. Finding someone to change your sheets is not easy in a public hospital. I highly recommend bringing your own underwear that will hold the high absorbency pads in place. I’m going to try Always Super Thin Size 5 overnight pads, because I read positive reviews about using them postpartum.
Nursing bras are optional. At the beginning any favourite bra would work. Newborns don’t feed much in the first few days. After a while when nursing is established the nursing bras become more important.
As for the babies, they don’t need much. A couple of onesies, few diapers, bottom cream, blanket for leaving hospital, car seat.
Pack more for yourself. Whatever makes you comfortable should find a place in your bag. Take only minimum for the baby.
To add something to the list:
If possible get someone to bring you a lot of freshly cut fruit. It’s more effective, safer and natural way to get your digestive system working than taking a laxative provided by postpartum nurses. Plus it feels great to eat something yummy after many hours of very little/no food during labour and delivery. This is the best way to avoid constipation caused by dehydration, fasting and shock to the system resulting from the childbirth.
Coupled with a cup of tea or hot latte/espresso and a scone it reminds you of eating a continental breakfast in a hotel.
The more you can escape the gross conditions of the hospital ward, the better!
In the times of coronavirus pandemic, I’ll plan to bring my own disinfectant (wipes) to clean the room and bathroom I’ll be staying in. The cleaning practices in most hospitals are questionable. Last time I was afraid to use the toilet, especially with open wounds and battered postpartum body.
This is so helpful. Thank you! A first time mommy to be here, may sound like a dummy question but when you say Vaseline, are you referring to Vaseline petroleum jelly?
Hi there, yes. However, you are welcome to use another product if you would rather not use a petroleum-based product. 🙂
Great list! It’s so helpful for me!
Feeding Bottle Breastfeeding essentials for a smooth start! Using a nursing pillow in the hospital can save your back post C-section. Don’t forget nipple ointment—it’s a game-changer for minimizing pain and cracking. Expressing colostrum on nipples is a healing touch. Here’s to a positive breastfeeding journey!