What's In My Hospital Bag? A 2nd Time Mom's Guide
Hospital bag, oh hospital bag. One of the many milestones of pregnancy. With Brody, I had our bags packed and ready by the time we hit the 3rd trimester. This time around it has been lingering on my to-do list for weeks. With our little one due in less than 2 weeks, we are finally packed and ready to go!
Before I get to our hospital bag for baby #2, be sure to check out my hospital bag guide for Brody. There are quite a few things I have nixed from the list this time around (and a few I have added).
We are using a doula this time around (which I am so happy about!) and she will be bringing a suitcase full of comfort measures to use. This helped us widdled down our packing list a bit. Things like essential oils, massage tools, hot/cold therapy will all be brought along by the doula. I’ll share more on our experience using a doula after the birth, but it has been the best decision we have made during this pregnancy.
So let’s get to the fun part first—packing for baby! Here’s what I am bringing along for our little girl.
For Baby
Swaddles I packed 2 swaddles from home. A really soft floral one gifted by my sweet cousin and a pom-pom adorned white swaddle from Emma Nate Co that I cannot wait to swaddle our little girl in.
Onesie The hospital usually provides onesies you can borrow, but I prefer to bring our own. These are my go-to onesies.
Socks Hospitals are usually cold, but it is 110+ degrees outdoors here, so I am packed a pair of socks just in case.
Newborn Outfits I packed two. We are planning on using the sweet floral Little Me outfit as her take-home outfit and the really soft newborn sweater set during our stay at the hospital. I cannot believe how tiny these little outfits are!
Hair bows For the most part, I am a minimalist when packing our hospital bag. However, since this is our first girl, I am going all out on the hair bows. I packed three. A Baby Bling larger bow that supposedly fits a newborn, a dainty ivory leather bow and one of the simple 2 minute hair bows I made.
Nail File My first #momfail came when Brody was not even a day old and I tried trimming his long newborn nails in the hospital. I accidently clipped one of his fingers as well. I am not sure I have ever felt guiltier! This time, I am leaving the nail clippers at home and bringing a miniature nail file to file down her tiny nails. I am not a fan of baby mittens, so manicuring newborn nails seems to work better for us.
For Mom
Robe A dark color is a must since postpartum can be a bit messy. I lived in my robe the whole time I was in the hospital with Brody. I love the crochet detail on the edges of the robe I am using this time.
Nursing Nightgown If you want to wear something under your robe, nursing nightgowns are easy and comfy. Target makes some of my favorite nursing nightgowns.
Going Home Outfit I packed a striped dress (surprise, surprise) for our last day in the hospital. It is lightweight, comfy and loose fitting.
Flip Flops Essential for hospital showers or walking the halls while in labor.
Nursing Tank
Leggings These bump support leggings from Belly Bandit have been great for pregnancy and are perfect for nursing since they offer a lot of coverage. I will probably wear these when I head to the hospital. I would recommend sizing up.
Nursing Bra I can’t seem to remember if I wore a bra or not while I was in the recovery room. I packed my favorite nursing bra just in case.
Copy of Birth Plan I usually pack 2 extra copies. I also gave one to my doula, midwife and photographer in advance.
Driver’s License
Insurance Card
Sports Bra If you plan on laboring in the water, you may want to pack a sports bra. I spent most of my labor with Brody in the nude because I could not stand clothes on my body. Since we are going to have a photographer with us this time, I bought this super soft bra to wear during labor.
Undies You will find me rocking the lovely mesh panties at the hospital, but come time to head home, I will probably be wearing my own undies (with the world’s largest pads). I bought a package these lightweight panties in a size up for postpartum. My favorite undies will be in the back of the drawer for a few weeks while I rock some adult diapers and/or granny panties.
XL Phone Charger This is new on my list for this year thanks to the recommendation of moms in the Momma Society Facebook Group. Here's the one we ordered.
Mini Bluetooth Speaker I made a long birth playlist to use during our birth. I had one with Brody as well, but I do not even remember hearing the music since it was playing from our cell phone. This time we packed a tiny bluetooth speaker to use with our playlist.
Honey Sticks great for a little energy boost during labor.
Gum Since I can often be extra sensitive to scents during labor (like stinky breath), I packed a pack of gum for the hubby or I. Sometimes there is no time for brushing teeth!
Gatorade Adds a little variety to the water and ice chips I will be sipping.
Pillow (not pictured) I like having my own pillow with me. I put two pillowcases on it to protect the actual pillow from some of the mess of birth. I also use it for nursing instead of having to pack a boppy as well.
Treats for the nurses (not pictured) It never hurts to treat the ones who are taking care of you. Being on the nurses good side is a plus when you are in labor! We have a box of sugar cookies we are going to bring with us sitting in the freezer (they freeze well!). PS: You can print these free little tags to go along with them.
Toiletries:
Razor (am I the only one who cannot stand hairy legs on myself!?)
Shaving Cream
Contact Case
Contact Solution
Glasses
Toothpaste
Chapstick (don’t forget this! Hospitals dry your lips out quickly!)
Hairbrush
Hair Ties
Tooth Brush
Nipple Cream (I just bring a little sample size)
Shampoo & Conditioner
Deodorant Men’s strength for me during labor :)
Breast Pads
For Dad
Snacks (we have protein bars and crackers packed. Also some change and cash in case he wants to run down to the vending machine or cafeteria). My current favorite snacks are these bars by FitJoy. They offer 20 grams of protein to help keep energy levels high throughout the labor process. Perfect snack for mom or dad!
2 Changes of Clothes
Toiletries
These protein bars were sent to me as part of a sponsorship opportunity with FitJoy.
For Big Bro
If all goes as hoped, we are going to throw Brody a Big Brother celebration when he comes to the hospital to meet his little sister. I packed a separate bag to keep in the car with the items below. We will have someone bring a few donuts for him and the rest of the items will be in our car until we move into a recovery room.
Banner DIY from a Target Dollar Spot Banner.
Big Bro Card This sweet card was tough to write and I am not sure I will be able to read it to Brody without the waterworks going off like crazy. I hope he treasures it when he is older.
Plates & Napkins
Donuts & Ripple Milk I threw in a couple of chocolate Ripple Kids cartons (his favorite treat & they do not need to be refidgerated beforehand) and we will have someone bring a few donuts to the hospital to celebrate as well.
A Few Little Gifts I debated on what to give Brody as a big brother gift. This kid loves opening gifts, so we decided to do a few small gifts rather than something big. In one of the packages is Snuggle the Baby. I have heard rave reviews on this book, plus it is adorable. In the other is a tee and onesie set that says “did we just become best friends?” and “yep” for Brody and the baby. And the third little gift is this awesome kite that I had been eyeing all Summer. We figured it would be something that would be a toy exclusively for him. I can not wait to take him to the park to fly it.
We are packed and ready-ish! If our babe would like to stay in for one more week, that would be awesome. We were able to fit everything (minus the pillow and Brody’s celebration items) into one weekender bag. Hooray! Now if only I was able to channel the minimalistic approach to my vacation packing.
