WHAT I ACTUALLY NEEDED IN MY HOSPITAL BAG!

After my first labor and delivery experience, I realized what I did and did not need when I was at the hospital! I originally packed a ton simply because I had no idea what to expect and the last thing I wanted was to be unprepared. I will say that I did, indeed, over pack! So, the next time I will be bringing a lot less!

I’m going to go down my original What’s in my Hospital Bag list below and discuss what I didn’t need under each category!

I will bold everything in the list I actually needed!

CLOTHING & SHOES:

• Going home outfit (sweat pants, t-shirt, and hoodie)
• Matching PJ set that buttons up (for after birth)
• Extra sweat pants and t-shirt
• 4 granny panties
• 2 nursing bras*
• 1 robe
• Compression socks* (in case my legs are extremely swollen)
• Cozy slippers
• Slides (to wear while taking a shower)

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED

1. The matching PJ set — I literally didn’t change out of the hospital gown and didn’t even want to! It was hard to get up and move around, plus you’re just bleeding a lot, and I was uncomfortable... I did not care to get out of that gown until I was packing to leave!
2. Extra sweat pants & t-shirt — Again, didn’t need it. I didn’t want to change out of the gown at all!
3. Nursing bras — I honestly didn’t feel like wearing a bra whatsoever up until we were leaving, so I only needed the sports bra I wore going to the hospital when I was leaving.
4. Granny panties — As for the underwear, I just needed one to wear over the mesh underwear they gave me when going home. I literally just wore the mesh underwear they gave me while I was there.
5. Compression socks — My feet didn’t swell up while in the hospital so I didn’t find a need for them. I was also always hot while there, so I didn’t want any socks on anyway.
6. Slides — I didn’t end up using the slides at all. Didn’t care for them.

TOILETRIES:

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Face wash
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash
• Sponge
• Makeup remover
• Moisturizer
• Deodorant
• Perfume
• Q tips
• Towel
• Brush
• Hair ties

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED:

1. ​Hair ties — I didn’t end up needing any extra hair ties but you never know if you actually will need them, so I’d bring them again. I just didn’t end up using any in this experience.

MAKEUP:

• Concealer
• Contour stick
• Eyebrow powder
• Chapstick
• A few makeup brushes

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED:

1. ​I didn’t need any of this shit, lol! I literally did not care to put on an ounce of makeup. I was too lazy, tired, and just in pain. The last thing I cared about was looking pretty!

FOR MY COMFORT:

• My own pillow
• My own cozy blanket
• Sleeping mask
• Heating pad (for back pains)

*I actually used all these things and was so happy I brought them all! I highly recommend these items in your hospital bag!!!

ELECTRONICS:

• ​2 extremely long chargers
• Headphones
• Laptop & charger
• iPad & charger
• Digital camera (for baby pics since the hospital is not offering to take any bc Covid)

*All of these things were used between my husband and I! So we are glad we brought them all, especially because how long we stayed at the hospital (3 nights).

POSTPARTUM:
Frida Mom Postpartum Kit that includes...

• 4 disposable postpartum underwear*
• 4 instant ice maxi pads*
• Perineal healing foam*
• Perineal cooling pad liners*

Also bringing...

• Peri bottle*
• Dermoplast pain & itch spray*
• Nipple cream*
• Belly Bandit wrap* (you can use it right after delivery)

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED:

1. NONE OF THIS POSTPARTUM CRAP! I didn’t need any of it. It was such a waste of space in my bags! They literally give you everything you need, so there’s no point to bring your own. Their mesh undies aren’t as bad as people say in my opinion... They did the job. They gave me the ice pads and witch hazel pads. They give you a peri bottle (doesn’t work as well but does the job). They give you the dermoplast spray, nipple cream if you need it, and even nursing pads if you start leaking early enough. Next time I will not be bringing anything related to postpartum whatsoever!
2. Belly bandit wrap — I was going to use it, but it didn’t fit at all when I tried putting it on! Lol. But I’m glad I didn’t buy a bigger one because now I want it to be even tighter (I have the medium). It didn’t fit me until after a few days. So I won’t bring this next time either.

OTHER:

• ​Boppy breastfeeding pillow*
• Lolipops, mints, & gum (apparently they let you eat these during labor)
• Hydraflask* (to keep my water cold)
• Wallet, ID, and insurance card
• Snacks and Starbucks Frappuccino bottles
• ​Nurse goodie bags (read my blog about them!)
• Prenatal vitamins*
• Donut pillow* (to help me sit comfortably for the ride home)

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED:

1. Boppy — I didn’t need it at all. I tried to use it, but it didn’t even fit comfortably around me because I still looked pregnant. It wasn’t even comfortable to use from the cramping, too. I couldn’t even use it after a few days at home either. Now I use it often to let her rest on it while I feed her the bottle (I pump and feed her the bottle).
2. Lolipops & mints — I didn’t eat them. My nurses actually allowed me to eat little snacks like fruit, so that was cool!
3. Hydraflask — Literally pointless. The nurses were amazing at constantly bringing us fresh ice waters!
4. Donut pillow — Luckily, I didn’t need this pillow at all since my recovery down south shockingly was not painful at all. I actually returned it since it wasn’t even opened yet!

BABY'S HOSPITAL BAG
CLOTHING:

• 2 velcro swaddles*
• 2 receiving blankets
• Hospital picture outfit
• Going home outfit
• Swaddle & hat picture outfit
• 4 onesies (2 NB, 2 0-3 mo)
• 4 sleepers (2 NB, 2 0-3 mo)
• 2 hats
• 2 pairs of mittens
• Teddy zip-up

*Literally the only thing I will bring next time is the baby’s hospital picture outfit and going home outfit. There was NO point to bring anything else! The nurses and doctors actually didn’t even want her in anything more than just the t-shirt they gave her and a simple receiving blanket because they constantly run tests or check on her. So there’s really really no point to bring anything more than just an outfit to take pictures of them in while at the hospital if you’re doing that and a going home outfit for them. I should’ve listened to everyone who told me this!

OTHER:

• Pacifiers
• A few NB diapers
• Baby wipes
• Custom birth name, weight, and height board

WHAT I DIDN’T NEED:

1. Diapers — The hospital supplies them, there was no need.
2. Baby wipes — Same thing, hospital supplies them.

RIDE HOME:

• Car seat
• Car seat winter cover
• Cozy baby blanket

​*I needed all of these things, obviously!

THE TAKEAWAY

Overall, there were plenty of things I did NOT need packed in my hospital bags! I literally looked like I was going on an international vacation, LOL! So I definitely over packed.

Next time...

I will only take a going home outfit for myself. I won’t be taking anything postpartum related. The only thing that was convenient for me to take were the things that kept me busy and comfortable. And of course all my toiletries... Everything else was pretty pointless. The hospital literally has everything you need, so next time I’ll save my postpartum stuff for when I get home to use. They’ll even give you extra supplies to take home, so you don’t even need to buy anything extra at all. I won’t be buying the Frida Mom postpartum pack again. I’ll probably just buy the perineal cooling liners and the dermoplast next time. Oh and the peri bottle is AMAZING — definitely buy that!

As for baby... Next time I will literally only bring two outfits (one for pictures and one for going home). And of course their pacifiers and hospital name sign or whatever.

Now that my first labor and delivery experience is under my belt, the next time I go through it all I will know exactly what to bring and what to keep at home! I’m a pretty basic girl — Even though I went super prepared just in case, I really didn’t need much to keep me happy and comfortable during my stay at the hospital. I highly suggest limiting your things! It’ll only be annoying and crowded to carry all those extra things you probably wouldn’t use anyway! But everyone’s different and everyone has different experiences! That’s just my take. 😊