Hospital Bag Checklist: Mommy Edition

#1. Classic Black Vera Bradley Microfiber Diaper Bag

In this aspect, I’ve learned through other mothers that the choice of what kind of hospital bag is really a matter of preference. I know of some moms who have brought hand carry luggage spinners, others use travel totes or oversized duffels while some moms-to-be use their baby’s diaper bags. It really depends what you decide to bring to the hospital.

In my case, I’m using the Classic Black Vera Bradley Microfiber Diaper Bag that I’ve converted into my maternity tote since we were also gifted with another diaper bag for the baby. I attended a church baby-items-exchange event where you bring your used baby items that you don’t want or need anymore and if you see something you like from the items the other mothers brought, you can go ahead and grab it; the rest are donated to a charity picked by the church. Although they’ve discontinued this particular style, the newer Vera Bradley diaper totes retail for $178 and I’m just pleased that I got mine for free.

#2. Secret Treasures Women’s Super Minky Plush Sleep Robe

During my first pregnancy in Texas, I opted to bring a thin light silk robe for the hospital but here in Indiana, I felt the need to get myself a thick plush robe for the winter and I was lucky enough to find a very comfortable one at our local Walmart on clearance for $15. They actually had a bunch of other designs that I wanted but I picked the plain white one to give me that warm comfy “hotel-feel”, you’d be surprised how a little bit of imagination can go a long way especially when you find yourself bound to a hospital bed.

#3. Ralph Lauren Button Down Pajamas

I actually got both of these pajama pairs at Goodwill (of course I washed them and soaked them in warm water for a long time), each pair were priced at $3.99 instead of the usual $30 and up that it retails for and it even came out cheaper than the button down pajamas at Walmart that they were selling at $10/ pair, which wasn’t so bad either.

I usually go for a nightgown instead of pajamas but again its still winter in this side of town so I needed that extra warmth for my legs. The “button down” part is non-negotiable for me since I intend on breast feeding my baby as soon as he comes out, believe me any outfit with buttons and zippers in front tend to be a fashion staple for nursing moms. As for the color red, I think I unconsciously picked red pajamas because of the post-partum bleeding and the possibility of leaking, at least if I do stain my pajamas its not completely out there for everyone to see.

#4. Going Home Outfit

Some women, after giving birth, like to look cute and pretty and made up especially when they take their new bundle of joy home so they prepare a cute outfit, maybe a dress. Ideally, that would be nice but with my last pregnancy, I realized that I didn’t even care how I looked that time, I just wanted to be comfortable and I wanted to take my baby home.

I suggest going for comfort over aesthetics— yoga pants, loose tops, buttoned tops, nursing tanks, oversized sweaters, maybe even your plush robe, it’s totally up to you but hey, if you can look cute while being comfortable then why not. For shoes, I suggest nothing closed and tight since some women might still have swelling on their feet, closed shoes might just give you discomfort.

 

#5. Bright Personalized Toiletry Bag

The reason why I emphasized “bright” and “personalized” on the toiletry bag is just so it could easily be found in an oversized hospital bag not only by you but also by anyone assisting you at the hospital during labor, may it be your husband, your sibling, your parent, your friend or even the nurse.

I actually got this 3-pc set (missing one in the photo) from my MIL and I love how it’s bright, personalized and transparent in the middle when you unbutton it. Sometimes we forget where we pack things especially with these “pregnancy brains” of ours and its nice to see whats inside our toiletry bags without the hassle of having to open it. I think these were made in the Philippines and I haven’t found anything online close to these particular ones but if I do, I’ll go ahead and update the blog with a link to that.

I am not going to discuss the type of toiletries you want to bring because we all differ in that aspect, other ladies use conditioners, others don’t, others prefer dry shampoo over the regular ones, others prefer body wash over soap, others wear makeup, others don’t but I think it’s definitely important to bring your deodorant, tooth brush and tooth paste…..or maybe not, haha, it’s all up to you.

#6. Generic Furry Babba Soft Furry Critter Slipper/ Flipflops

I got these slippers for my last pregnancy from Walmart for less than $10, I checked online recently and they no longer have this pair in stock but a lot of stores are selling  something similar. I love these bedroom slippers just coz they’re not bulky and they’re very easy to pack. They’re kinda like socks, they’re soft, they cover my entire feet, they’re cozy and they keep my feet warm but they have the bedroom slippers’ non-skid soles which makes it okay to use in the bathroom.

#7. Maternity Non-Skid Socks

If your pair of bedroom slippers isn’t enough to keep your feet warm, you can throw on a cute pair of maternity socks with “pun-ny” labor-related quotes made with that non-skid material that you can get from Amazon for cheap or order personalized ones from Etsy.

#8. Loose Comfortable Underwear a.k.a Granny Panties

You just gave birth and as much as you’d want to get back to your nice cute undies you might want to wait awhile for the sake of comfort. Give your ‘down there’ some time to relax and breathe and give it time to heal, besides I don’t think you’d want to ruin your nice underwear by getting some blood stains on it.

#9. Loving Moments by Leading Lady Maternity Wirefree Softcup Nursing Bra with Full Sling, 2-Pack

For the first few weeks, your breasts are going to be sensitive and tender especially while waiting for the milk to come in, I personally opted for wire free bras just so I don’t feel too constricted in that area and the lace detail, I think, is just a cute bonus.

#10. Important Cards

Nowadays pre-registration is something that’s processed a few days or maybe weeks before the expected date of delivery so you don’t have to worry about anything other than the process of labor . I’m pretty sure most of us at 30+weeks have picked a hospital or even toured it but pregnancies being unpredictable can have you giving birth at an any place at an unexpected time. It’s always best to have your Driver’s License and Insurance card ready at all times. To those who have birth plans, make sure to keep a copy in your maternity bag.

#11. Comfort Snacks

Adding the word “comfort” to snacks is such a crucial thing because after going through the process of giving birth, the word “comfort” is all that matters. Other moms-to-be advice to bring “healthy” snacks but seriously if you aren’t a health nut to begin with, eating those snacks after labor will probably just make you feel worse so go for those feel-good foods but don’t pig out, just snack in moderation.

P.S: I also suggest bringing CASH or LOOSE CHANGE just in case you want to grab something from the vendo machine.

#12. Post Natal Care Items

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter – my  cousin referred this little baby during my last pregnancy and it was literally my best friend. It took care of any dryness, pain and cracking by keeping the nipple area moisturized. Its also baby friendly, you can apply it anytime even before feeding. The only thing you might have to watch out for is the smell, its a bit funky and not everyone finds it pleasant although personally it didn’t bother me.

Earth Mama Angel Baby New Mama Bottom Spray- although I haven’t used this yet, I’ve heard good reviews about this product and would trust it because of its the same brand as my trusted nipple cream. During my last pregnancy, I got two bottles of sprays that helped me numb ‘my down there’ from the hospital and it did wonders relieving me of my perineal pain.

Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads- very convenient to have, they have two adhesives in the back so you could attach it directly to your shirt but advisably on your bra. Its comfortable to wear and prevents any leaking accidents; yay to NO MILK STAINS.

Always Discreet Incontinence Underwear- one of the best things on this list, EVER. I don’t know how I missed this during my first pregnancy but after I ran out of those gigantic pads that the hospital made me use for my postpartum bleeding, I started using these and they literally are like underwear and pads combined, its very convenient, can be easily disposed and the best part is you don’t have to be washing any blood stained underwear.

#13. Electronics

Phones-the most basic thing to have for whatever reason—to communicate with family members and friends, for documentation, taking videos and photos, baby announcement, etc.

Phone Charger– make sure to bring those 6ft long ones, you don’t know how far the sockets are from your bed

Cameras (Canon, Nikon, GoPro, Instax, etc.) – to document your baby’s first moments

 

To all expectant moms out there, I hope this list somewhat helps you decide what to pack in you maternity bag and if you feel like I missed out on some “must-haves” , please let me know so I can update this list for (future) baby #3.

Hope y’all have a safe and uneventful pregnancy, Happy Pushing!

~Rhea