Hospital bag checklist: What to pack for labor and delivery
By Kate Marple
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Medically reviewed by Rae Cherng, M.D., FACOG, ob-gyn
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August 13, 2021
Getting closer to the big day? Here’s what to pack in your hospital bag for a more comfortable labor, delivery, and recovery. Our handy lists include all the essentials for your baby, your partner, and you. We’ve also included hospital bag packing tips from moms – and sound advice on what you shouldn’t bring with you.
Photo credit: BabyCenter
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Hospital bag checklist for moms
- Hospital bag checklist for partners
- Hospital bag checklist for your baby
- What not to pack in your hospital bag
- Moms’ tips for what to pack in a hospital bag
Having your hospital bag ready in advance can help you feel more secure and ready for whatever happens in your last weeks of pregnancy. Pack your hospital bag by the time you’re about 36 weeks pregnant, since you could go into labor at any time in the weeks before your due date. Keep your “go-bag” near the door – or even in the car. Of course, you’ll have to add some items at the last minute (like your brush, phone, and insurance card), but you can pack some of the essentials in advance.
Hospital bag checklist for moms
Essential items and documents:
- A picture ID (driver’s license or other ID), your insurance card, and the name and phone number of your baby’s doctor. Check with the hospital or birth center ahead of time regarding any paperwork you should bring. Ask if it would be helpful for you to bring a copy of your medical records.
- Your birth plan, if you have one. Bring extras in your hospital bag so everyone on your medical team can have a copy.
- Cell phone and charger. You may want to bring a multi-plug outlet in case you need to charge several electronic items at once.
- A cord blood kit, if you’re planning to bank or donate your baby’s cord blood. (Make sure you read the paperwork ahead of time.)
Personal items:
- Toiletries. Pack a toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, deodorant, a brush and comb, makeup (if you’re planning to use it), and hair ties. Hospitals usually provide soap, shampoo, and lotion, but you might prefer your own. A hanging toiletry bag can be helpful, since there’s usually little counter space in the bathroom.
- Sanitary pads. The hospital will provide sanitary pads to absorb all the blood after delivery, but if you like using a specific brand, feel free to bring your own. And make sure you have a supply of heavy-flow pads waiting at home!
- Eyeglasses, if you wear them. Many expectant moms who wear contact lenses opt not to deal with them while in the hospital or birth center. But if you’ll be wearing contacts, remember to bring lens solution and a lens case. Note: If you’re having a c-section, you’ll be asked to remove your contact lenses before the procedure.
Clothing:
- A bathrobe, a nightgown or two, slippers, and socks. Hospitals and birth centers provide gowns and socks for you to use, but some women also bring their own. Choose a loose, comfortable gown that’s either sleeveless or has short, loose sleeves so that your blood pressure can be checked easily. Backless slippers and a lightweight robe may come in handy if you want to walk the halls during labor or recovery. Keep in mind that whatever you wear could get stained with blood and other body fluids. A nightgown that opens in front will allow for skin-to-skin contact with your newborn and make breastfeeding easier.
- A comfortable outfit or two. Some moms prefer changing out of their nightgown during their stay in the hospital, especially if they’re expecting visitors. Maternity yoga pants and tops are a good option, since your belly will still look pregnant. If you have a c-section, you’ll want loose clothing that will be comfortable over your incision. For going home, have something roomy and easy to get into and a pair of flat, comfortable shoes.
- Several pairs of postpartum underwear. Some women love the mesh underwear provided by the hospital, but others don’t. You can’t go wrong with your own roomy cotton underpants.
- Comfortable nursing bras. Your breasts are likely to be tender and swollen when your milk comes in, which can happen anytime during the first several days after delivery. A good bra can provide some comfort, and nursing pads can be added to help absorb leaks.
Essentials for labor:
- Comfort items. A picture of someone or something you love, essential oils (get permission from the hospital or birth center ahead of time), or anything else you find comforting.
- Massage lotion or oil, if you think you might enjoy a massage while in labor.
- Music. Bring your favorite playlists, headphones or earbuds, and perhaps a portable speaker.
- Books, magazines, and a tablet. Entertainment can come in handy in early labor especially.
Supplies for after labor:
- Snacks! After many hours of labor, you’re likely to be pretty hungry, and you may not want to rely solely on hospital food. So bring your own – crackers, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, granola bars, or whatever you think you’ll enjoy. If you’ve had a c-section, you can probably have fluids after an hour, but your provider may have you wait for eight hours or so before eating anything. (This may depend on how much narcotic medication you need and whether you’re feeling nauseated.)
- Eye mask and earplugs. These can help you sleep if your room is bright or noisy.
- A notepad or journal and pen. You can track your baby’s feeding sessions, write down questions for your provider, or journal about your baby’s birth. Some moms bring a baby book so they can record the birth details right away.
- Book or app on newborn care. Postpartum nurses will be there to answer questions and show you how to change, hold, nurse, and bathe your newborn if you need guidance. But you may also want to have additional resources.
- Nursing pillow. A specially designed pillow can provide better support than hospital pillows.
- Gifts for older siblings. Some parents bring gifts for the new baby to “give” to older brothers and sisters when they visit, such as small toys or a “big brother” or “big sister” t-shirt.
Hospital bag checklist for partners
- Camera or video camera (to use instead of or in addition to your phone). Someone has to document the big event! Some hospitals and birth centers don’t allow videotaping of the birth itself, but there’s usually no rule against filming during labor or after the birth.
- Toiletries
- Comfortable shoes and a few changes of comfortable clothes
- Snacks and drinks
- Books and magazines
- Cell phone for keeping family and close friends posted on the labor and birth. Don’t forget the charger!
- Money (or a credit card) for parking and vending machines.
- Pillow and a small blanket, if you prefer to use your own instead of what’s provided by the hospital. It’s important for labor partners to rest during downtimes too.
- Prescription medications and pain reliever, in case you get a headache or have a backache from dozing on the hospital chair or cot.
Hospital bag checklist for your baby
- Baby nail file and nail clippers. Newborns often have sharp, pointy nails and can manage to scratch themselves on the face. You may want to bring baby nail files or clippers to trim tiny nails, or pack newborn mittens from home.
- Coming-home outfit. Your baby will need an outfit to go home in, including socks or booties if the clothing doesn’t have feet, and a hat if it’s cold. Make sure your baby’s outfit has legs (so not a baby gown) so that the car seat strap can fit between them easily.
- Baby blanket. The hospital or birth center will provide blankets for swaddling your baby while you’re there, but you may want to bring your own to tuck around your baby in the car seat for the ride home. Make it a thicker one if the weather’s cold.
Also, don’t forget to have an installed car seat ready to go in the car. You can’t drive your baby home without one! Make sure your car seat is rear-facing, and know how to buckle your baby in correctly.
What not to pack in your hospital bag
- Jewelry, lots of cash or other valuables. You won’t need it, and you don’t want to worry about things getting lost.
- Medications, including vitamins. Any medication or vitamin you bring from home must be approved by the hospital’s pharmacy – and the process can take a long time. Ask your provider if the hospital will provide all the medications you’ll need, or if you should bring your own medications and get the hospital’s approval before you arrive.
- Diapers and diaper wipes. The hospital will provide diapers and wipes for your baby while you’re there.
- Baby clothes. Other than a coming-home outfit, you don’t need to bring baby clothes to the hospital. During your stay, the hospital will provide long-sleeved baby shirts and swaddling blankets.
- Bottles and nipples. If you’re planning to bottle-feed, the hospital will have these on hand.
- Candles. Hospitals and birth centers won’t allow you to burn them. You might be able to use a diffuser for essential oils, though.
Moms’ tips for what to pack in a hospital bag
What to pack
“Bring both your glasses and your contacts, along with storage case and solution. I wore my glasses during labor with my first one, but it got so hot that the glasses fogged up and I couldn’t see what was going on – very frustrating. And just trying to wear glasses during delivery was annoying and one frustration I could’ve done without. So bring both. You may want to switch back and forth for comfort or convenience.”
“I brought a few changes of clothes. With hormones and everything, I sweated like crazy after I gave birth, so it was nice to change into some fresh pj’s or some sweats or shorts during the day, especially with people always coming to visit. Just something that made me feel better.”
“Disposable underpants! The mesh panties they give you at the hospital with the sanitary pads are not so comfy … and once you get home, you probably won’t be graduating to just a pad or pantyliner for a couple of weeks, and you’ll run out of the mesh panties before then.”
“Bring the baby book. They will need to get footprints, and while they are doing it for the birth certificate they can use the rest of the ink and make prints for your book!”
“Bring baby nail clippers or an emery board. The hospital didn’t supply clippers for fear of liability, and as a result my son gouged his face before he was 12 hours old.”
“One thing that I didn’t realize I would need was nipple cream. I found breastfeeding hard to get used to and had to get someone to buy this stuff for me because my nipples got chapped.”
“Bring cheap throwaway flip-flops to wear in the bathroom and shower. The hospital floors were icky.”
“A box of chocolates or yummy treats for the nurses, left at the nurse’s station as you check in, is a nice gesture.”
“Bring a big insulated cup with a straw. With my first, all they gave me was tiny plastic cups and a small pitcher with room-temp water. I was so thirsty from nursing!”
“My sister-in-law gave me these silk capri pj’s with a drawstring in front. She cut a U shape out of the very front so it wouldn’t rub. I felt divine in my cozy pj’s, and I wore them for weeks afterward. Also bring some perfume, makeup, body wash – whatever you use to feel pretty. For me, it made a difference.”
“Take a nursing pillow to support your baby during breastfeeding, because it does hurt having a baby on top of your incision if you have a c-section.”
“My maternity yoga pants worked great for me to wear home.”
“Bring snacks like granola bars, prunes, or anything with fiber, because you’ll be hungry afterward.”
“Sanitary pads! No one ever wants to tell you this, but the hospital gives you giant 1950s pads for the bleeding. I preferred to have my own. Just take one pack of thick, long pads.”
What not to pack
“I brought everything on our list with our first child, and my husband had to haul it around. I didn’t use half of it. A change of comfy clothes for me, my hubby, and the baby was all we needed. Toiletries were good to have, like my toothbrush, of course. But everything else seemed to just clutter up our small room. Even the diaper bag I packed never got opened! If you feel like you need all the extras, I would leave it in the car, just in case.”
“I just wore the hospital clothes – less laundry to do once I got home! You never want to make more work for yourself!”
“I used the hospital’s undies, sanitary pads, and socks. I also didn’t bother with my own nightgown or robe – I just put a second hospital gown on backward. Like most women, I bled a lot and I didn’t want to mess up my own undies and nightgown. I saved those for when I went home.”
“I bought a pair of nursing pajamas to wear in the hospital but never put them on. The [hospital] gown was a lot more comfortable. And after a c-section I didn’t want to move around too much.”
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SOURCE: Hospital bag checklist: What to pack in your hospital bag | BabyCenter
