This post is all about the realistic hospital bag checklist you’ll need to give birth stress-free!

Not so long ago I published my hospital bag checklist on this blog. However, things were more theoretical at that point since I had never given birth before. You can go and have a read before you continue with this post!

I thought I would update this post now that I recently gave birth to my first baby.

There are so many products you could buy. The aim of this post is really to give a list of essentials to support you during this life-changing time in your life.

Besides these must-have products, you might want to add things that are important to you, to make your hospital stay even more comfortable for you.

Let’s jump right into it: here is your realistic hospital bag checklist!

 

Realistic Hospital Bag Checklist

 

Hospital bag for Mom

 

For the delivery room

I’m only going to cover the things you need to bring and not the paperwork part. If you want to read more on the latter, please go and check out my earlier post.

When you arrive at the hospital (and once any entry paperwork is done), you’ll be examined to determine if you are in labor or not.

Once you’ve started labor, you’ll be admitted into the delivery room. You’ll be staying there until you’re dilated to a 10 and ready to push (if you are having a vaginal birth).

If you need to have a C-section, you’ll be moved to a different room.

You could be spending quite a long time in the delivery room, and it is quite a cold room. Especially if you take the epidural, you won’t be able to move. It can get cold quite quickly. A sweater could be a good idea, though, with all the needles and tubes attached, it could be difficult. The hospital can provide you with blankets which might be easier to warm

To be honest from the whole list of things I brought, I only used my sweater (which I gave to my husband) and the misting bottle, since I was not able to drink.

I had arrived at the hospital with my Birkenstocks, so I put those back on to be transferred back to my room.

I did not wear any nursing bra or bathrobe. I only wore the gown the hospital gave me.

As for the UNO game…I did not get to use it!

 

For the hospital stay

I ended up staying 5 days at the hospital after giving birth. I had brought a suitcase full of things. Here are the things that really stood out and I would absolutely bring back with me if I had to give birth again.

 

• Clothes

Maternity underwear was an absolute must! I had 8 with me, that way I could change them quite frequently if I needed to.

The hospital provided the jumbo pads, which was great because I did find such thick ones. They gave me plenty, and I even had some left for when I came back home.

In terms of clothes, the bathrobes were great. I had 2 with me. However, I did not have enough button-up pajamas. I would definitely bring 3 or 4 next time with me.

Next time I would also bring a laundry bag to put all my dirty clothes in.

 

• Toiletries and hygiene products

For toiletries, I would bring the same things I brought this time, though I did not use my makeup that much. Nonetheless, it’s a good thing to have in case you want to take photos and feel a little bit more glam.

I would also bring a hair dryer, especially in winter. I was fine without it since I gave birth in summer, but I would have appreciated it if it had been colder.

 

• Breastfeeding related products

The other hero was my silverettes! I did not have one cracked nipple thanks to them! I wore my nursing bras and my silverettes all day long. I only had 3 nursing bras. I would have liked to have 5 or 6.

Since I wore my silverettes, I did not use my nursing pads.

 

• Products to help you in your recovery journey

In the bathroom, I used my peri bottle and wipes. I did not find that the peri bottle was a must and I could have gone by with just the wipes. I would still bring the peri bottle since you never know how your delivery is going to go. You might really appreciate having it with you.

The same goes for the ice packs and the cooling spray. I did not use them, but you might be grateful to have them with you.

 

• Comfort things

Another thing I used all night and all day has been my nursing pillow.

I definitely brought too many snacks: I did not even touch the ones I brought, since the food provided by the hospital was plenty.

This has been all the things for Mom. Let’s now have a look at Baby’s things!

 

Baby’s bag for the hospital stay

The tricky thing is knowing which size of clothes to bring for the baby. I had packed some newborn clothes and 1 month-sized clothes. In the end, I did not use the newborn clothes at all, since my baby was too big for it already.

I would still bring both sizes (they don’t take that much space anyway), because you can never know with 100% certainty the size of your baby.

The one thing I would do differently is to bring swaddle wraps. They are much easier to swaddle your baby than swaddle blankets (especially if this is your first time swaddling a baby). There are sufficiently new things going on, I definitely appreciated having that part being easy.

Let’s now go over Dad’s things!

 

Hospital bag for Dad

The things I listed in my original post, still stand.

I would however just add a warm sweater and a blanket for the delivery room. It was super cold there and they did not provide blankets for the dad.

 

This post has been the realistic hospital bag checklist for a smooth delivery!

 

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