What to Pack & NOT Pack in Your Hospital Bag: Labor & Delivery Essentials

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag: Labor & Delivery Essentials

Figuring out what to pack in your hospital bag as a first time mom is definitely a daunting task. I wanted to share my labor and delivery essentials list with you after seeing what I did use, what I didn’t use, and what I wish I had with me.

When I first started packing my hospital bag, I wanted to be really minimalist and not bring a ton, but then I started second guessing how much I really needed after reading other blog posts, seeing other instagrammers story about what they packed {which was twice what I had lol} etc. Overall, I went with my gut and was very happy with what I ended up packing in my hospital bag and really wasn’t missing anything. I did have a few extra things that weren’t necessary though {see below}. Check out what to pack in your hospital bag & labor and delivery essentials below for you, your significant other, and baby! Plus a bonus of what to have ready at home for after delivery!

What To Pack in Your Hospital Bag

For Mama

Robe: this makes it easy to cover and uncover while nursing and getting visitors in and out of the room constantly lol. This robe is also super soft & comfy.
Nursing bras or tanks {2}: you may wear the same one the whole time but just in case I recommend packing two. These are my favorite nursing bras & these are my favorite nursing/pumping bras! For a more budget option I also like these and these.
Nursing nightgowns {2}: I only wore one of mine because I really just wore my nursing bra and robe or zip sweatshirt most of the time, but if you feel more comfortable in a nursing gown this one and this one are my favorites that I wore on repeat once we were home from the hospital. I recommend packing two in case one gets blood on it or you want one for each day.
Zip up sweatshirts {2}: easy to unzip and nurse and I preferred to sleep in these vs. my robe.
Outfit to wear home {I brought a black jumpsuit with tank top straps that I could easily pull down to nurse as soon as we got home}.
Recyclable plastic bags for dirty clothes
Slippers with a good grip and/or flip flops: I love grippy slipper socks like these ones too.
Lifewater: I packed 4 of these electrolyte waters plus a few regular waters and wish I had packed more…you will want to hydrate like no other after labor and while breastfeeding so definitely bring a good amount of water, plus more for hubby if he wants!
Toiletry bag with all the necessities: toothbrush & paste, floss, contacts, contact solution & glasses if you wear them, shampoo & conditioner, brush, moisturizer, breastfeeding-friendly body lotion, hair ties, nail file, q-tips, chapstick, etc. I also brought my favorite hydrating face mask and undereye patches to help with the puffiness and to feel a little more alive but honestly didn’t even get to use them until our last morning there lol.
Makeup: I really only used mine the day we left the hospital but it felt really nice to put myself together a little bit before we headed home.
Prenatal vitamins & any personal medications you take
Dry shampoo: this was the only hair product I brought that I actually used other than shampoo/conditioner. I also brought hairspray, but I never actually styled my hair so I didn’t need that.
Nipple butter: believe me, you will thank me…I was so glad I brought mine and was lathering it on like it was my job lol.
Labor helpers: I didn’t need or use most of these because my son was born less than 4 hours after we arrived to the hospital so there simply wasn’t time, but if my labor was longer, I definitely would have and I plan to bring them next time again:
- Portable battery operated fan {I loved this one because it could hook on wherever I needed it and be adjusted to any angle, plus you can use it on your stroller after baby is here! We have two of them now.}
- Heating pad
- Mini Evian spray to keep your skin hydrated & refresh you
- Chapstick
- Hair tie or scrunchie or headband
- External phone charger {in case labor goes long}
- Lollipops or hard candies {I brought these organic ones that are yummy}
- Essential oils such as lavender for relaxation, peppermint for energy etc. I also had packed some coconut oil as a carrier with the idea that during labor my husband could massage a little bit of the coconut oil and a couple drops of an essential oil on my back or shoulders.
Snacks: I packed some nutrition bars, a bag of nut mix & some fruit strips but only ate the nutrition bars. Our hospital also had a vending machine and a Starbucks so in hindsight I didn’t need to bring so much for me, however, pack some for your significant other because you will want him fed during your labor if it drags on for a bit!
Phone charger
Driver’s License & Insurance Card
Hospital Registration Paperwork
Birth Plan {bring a few copies}
Optional:
- Nipple soothies {I didn’t bring these but wish I had because once I got home and used them it was an amazing feeling lol}
- Sleep mask if you think you may need for sleep
- Warm socks
- Camera plus extra battery & memory card
- Tripod {we didn’t end up using ours because I really didn’t find time to get picture-ready or take family pictures as I had planned between all the doctors and nurses in and out of the room etc. but if this is important to you then don’t forget it!}
- Travel hair dryer &/or curling iron {didn’t use these personally either for the same reason as above but I still would bring them again next time in hopes to get some family photos}
- Laptop & charger: I used mine to upload the photos I took of Luca & file my disability claim etc.

For Baby

Outfit for coming home: while in the hospital you will likely just keep baby in the swaddles and shirts they provide unless you want to dress him or her up, but from my experience it was just easier using what they provided. They also provide diapers and vaseline etc. so no need to bring. Shop Luca’s little “Hello World” onesie here!
Baby mittens: I found these really helpful to have.
Carseat installed: this is the infant car seat we have in light gray and love.
Optional:
- Special swaddle and/or baby blanket
- Additional outfit for photos
- Baby wash {I wanted to have a more natural soap for Luca’s first bath as they use Johnson & Johnson in the hospital so if this is important to you bring a little bottle. I had a free trial size of Cetaphil that I brought & the nurse commented how much she liked it lol}
- Letterboard & letters/numbers for announcement photos
- Milestone plaques like these {use BECCA20 for 20% off on these & their other styles!} plus a nice pen or marker to write on them with
- Pacifier: we didn’t plan to use a pacifier for at least the first 4 weeks but if you are planning to introduce one sooner you might want one

For Daddy

Comfy clothes: plan for 3 days of outfits + boxers, possibly more if you know you are having a c-section and will be staying longer. My hubby wore basically tees, sweatpants and sweatshirts.
Slip on sandals or slippers
Pillow & blanket: I definitely recommend this for your significant other because sadly the accommodations for them aren’t the most comfortable so this will help!
Toiletries
Phone charger
Snacks {see above}
Push Present 🙂
Wallet
Optional:
- Laptop or tablet & charger if he plans to get some work done or do personal things
- Book {great time for him to read up on baby things if he didn’t yet lol!}

What You DON’T Need to Pack in Your Hospital Bag

Your own pillow: unless you are super particular, skip this for you because they will give you as many as you want.
Boppy type pillow: again, they give you so many other pillows to help prop your arms while breastfeeding this was a total waste to bring, I didn’t use it at all and was fine and wished we hadn’t lugged it there and back.
Belly Bandit: my Belly Bandit probably wouldn’t have even fit me at this point {I first wore it 4 days postpartum and it was very snug} and honestly I didn’t have a desire to wrap myself up that early. I just wanted to be comfortable. I recommend leaving it for when you get home.
More clothing: I really recommend not going overboard with clothing. You probably won’t have the energy or desire to be getting dressed per se and are just going to want to be comfortable and functional.
Underwear: I don’t know why I thought I would need these lol, you do not need them as you’ll be wearing the disposable ones there and en route home.
Postpartum healing products: perineal spray, postpartum underwear etc. will all be given to you at the hospital so save these products for when you return home {see below}.
Breast pump & supplies: if you are planning to breastfeed, you really won’t need these at this point and the hospital can always provide you with a pump if you need one for any reason {baby being in NICU, not latching well etc.} I read a lot of articles saying to bring these for some reason, but I didn’t and was glad that I didn’t.

For When You Return Home

I set up little “care stations” in each of our bathrooms so I had everything I needed as I went through the healing process. I used a couple baskets I had laying around & this is what they had in them:

Peri bottle: the hospital will also give you freebies of these if you don’t care to have an angled one like this style.
Disposable postpartum underwear {I purchased size S/M for reference}
Large sanitary pads: I would use these inside the disposable underwear throughout the day so that the underwear lasted me longer since they are expensive, but in the case that the pad wasn’t absorbent enough, the underwear would save the surfaces in our house and my pants lol.
Witch hazel pads: I had two packs from the hospital so put one in each and that lasted me since my healing wasn’t too bad, but if your hospital doesn’t send you home with them or you need extras these are the exact ones.
Perineal spray: they will give you one in the hospital but I also picked up this herbal version for a more natural option.
I also kept a couple of the thick bed/surface liners that they used in the hospital in the baskets so I could put them down on the couch or chair if I was having a day where I was bleeding more heavily.
Lastly, I kept the other healing products the hospital gave me in the baskets, however I never ended up using them personally.

I also recommend you having Tylenol and Motrin or Advil at home as well for pain management. I don’t often take pain medications even for headaches, but I definitely was happy to take them during my recovery! And if you have a boy and plan to have him circumcised, be sure to have a fresh A&D or Vaseline ready at home.

This list of course is what worked for me and what I recommend, but you know you and what makes you comfortable and feeling good, which is so so important those first couple days! I hope this serves as a great starting point for you to make your own hospital bag checklist!

Check out my Maternity Must-Haves & Why I Love Them here!