My Hospital Bag Essentials For Labor

hospital bag essentials

One of my favorite things I did in my third trimester is prepare and pack my hospital bag for when I go into labor. I’m not sure if it was the nesting instinct kicking in, or picking out and packing all of my favorite self soothing items and trinkets that symbolize one of the most important times of my life.

I packed my hospital bag at 34 weeks, and experts recommend getting yours set no later than 35 weeks (just in case). I am naturally a procrastinator so this was a small little victory for me to prove to myself that I can do something ahead of time.

The hospital that I’m delivering at is allowing me to bring essential oils and incense (I’ll be making the whole dang labor unit feeling blissed out with my aromatherapy, HOLLERRR). So I’m especially excited to be packing all my lotions and potions since my sense of smell is something I’ve had to nurture this entire pregnancy.

Here are all of the essentials that I’m packing in my hospital bag for myself, the babe, and my hubby. I’ve asked OB’s, scoured the internet for long lists, and picked the brains of fellow mamas to create the ultimate list of what I think will be useful for me, and hopefully useful for you too!

What to pack in your hospital bag for labor.

For the mama:

Labor support:

— Massage roller (for your labor support partner to roll your lower back during or between contractions)

— Massage oil (to make those massages feel just a bit better)

— Essential oils and cotton balls (I got a tip to douse a cotton ball with my essential oil of choice to smell in-between contractions to calm my mind. This is great if your hospital won’t allow you to bring in a diffuser. My essential oils of choice are lavender, vanilla, rose, and clary sage)

— Items to help you pass time (let’s face it, we use our smartphones for this, but I’ll be bringing our laptop with and an HDMI cable to hook up to the hospital room TV so that we can binge watch Netflix. Any books you are currently reading or magazines will be helpful to pass the time as well.

Clothing:

— Slippers and socks (to be comfy when you walk around or decide to roam the halls)

— PJ’s or your own birthing gown (I was gifted a super cute labor gown with a picture of a big watermelon on it from Gift gowns that I’ll be wearing! They are also offering a discount to readers to get 20% off their order using code: BALANCED20)

— A cute robe (I’ll be wearing one in the recovery room so that I can help myself feel somewhat put together, and for photos, obvi)

— An outfit to go home in (I’m not planning on going all out and looking fabulous for my exit, and I’m pretty sure I’ll feel like a wreck, so I’m just planning on wearing maternity leggings, a stretchy tank top, and a cardigan incase I feel chilly. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ll be wearing a diaper too so I’ll have to make sure my top is long enough to cover my soggy self)

Beauty essentials/toiletries:

— Hair tie, hair brush and hair clips to keep my hair out of my face

— Shower essentials like conditioner and face wash (I’m not super picky about shampoo and body wash, but I am OCD about the type of conditioner that I use and what I put on my face. If you’re OCD about everything you shower with, then pack all the goods)

— Chapstick (I hear your lips can get SUPER dry)

— Deodorant (I’ll probably smell after exerting myself for like, an entire freaking day)

— Body oil or lotion (I’ll be demanding my hubby give me some post-partum hydration massages. You know I’ll be wanting as much pampering as I can get from him that day. I mean IIII am the one pushing a watermelon out of my cooch and deserve it all, ya know?)

— Toothbrush and toothpaste

— MINIMAL makeup: concealer, brow pencil and lipgloss (for photos and visitors. I don’t want to look like a complete mess)

Additional must haves:

— Camera and camera charger (for announcement pictures)

— Snacks and coconut water (I most likely wont be allowed to eat once I’m admitted and in labor, but if I give birth at 3am and the food court is closed, you best believe I’ll need some snacks to devour until we find a 24 hour food delivery. Also, coconut water to give myself some extra hydration)

— Cell phone and charger (I don’t even know why I’m adding this to the list because it’s so obvious, but just incase)

Post-partum essentials:

— Nipple soothers (which are essentially gel pads)

— Nipple butter (because who knows how aggressive lil bub will be with the nips)

— Nursing bra or nursing top (I’m planning on just being nekked under my robe to just keep it simple but in the case of visitors popping by, I suppose I’ll cover up my new food vessels with a bra)

— Granny panties (I hear the hospital gives you weird mesh granny panties but Im packing some extra just incase I need some massive pads. Or maybe to wear over a diaper so that I don’t feel like I’ve totally lost control of my nether regions)

— Perineum squirt bottle (I found a basic squirt bottle on amazon that I’m packing just incase I need to squirt warm water on myself while I pee)

Partner/Husbands bag:

— Pillow and blanket (I’ll most likely have the room set at exorcist cold levels so who knows if the hospital will have enough pillows and blankets for my man)

— Change of clothes (so that he’s not wearing the same thing three days straight)

— Money/Change (for vending machine runs)

— Snacks (my man needs to eat every 2.5 seconds and I don’t want him venturing out to find food while I’m in labor and missing anything! He can munch on his snacks while I’m crowning, d*mnet!)

Baby’s essentials:

— Car seat (you can’t leave the hospital without one)

— A coming home outfit (I’ve read that the hospital provides a onesie but I want to make sure I’m prepared and have a little outfit for lil bub to make his worldly debut in)

— Muslin swaddler (to snuggle with him and practice my swaddling techniques ASAP)

 

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