What I Actually Used in My Hospital Bag (+ What I Wished I Would Have Brought)

ByAbby Saylor Armbruster
What I Actually Used in My Hospital Bag (+ What I Wished I Would Have Brought)
The last picture taken of my pregnant belly!

Now that I’ve had my first baby and have experienced what it’s like to deliver and stay at a hospital, there are definitely items I recommend packing in your hospital bag, as well as items you could probably skip bringing along. There are also a few things that I wish I would have brought to make our stay a bit more comfortable. Here are all of those recommendations!

Click here to view my hospital bag packing list.

OUR HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE

To preface this, I wanted to touch on our experience at Franciscan Health Indianapolis really quickly — it was great! The nurses and doctors were amazing and the rooms were nice, spacious and clean. We got there on a Saturday evening and we went home Monday afternoon, so our stay was relatively quick. As for food while we were there, typically only the mother’s food is covered. However, because of COVID and wanting to discourage spouses/support people from coming in and out of the hospital, their food was included as well. We could order as much as we wanted during the cafeteria’s open hours and it was all pretty good, honestly. They also provided blankets and pillows for sleeping, as well as a variety of postpartum and baby products. I would definitely deliver there again!

WHAT WE BROUGHT AND USED

FOR ME

  • Mask (hello 2020)
  • My purse
  • Paperwork, etc.
    • Our birth plan/preferences sheet (2-3 copies)
    • Hospital registration form
    • ID and insurance card
  • Clothes
    • Robe
    • Slippers to wear in, out and around the hospital
    • Nursing bras
    • Loose pants
    • Loose shirts
  • Postpartum
    • Nursing pads
  • Toiletries
    • Glasses, glasses case
    • Contact case
    • Toothbrush, toothpaste for both of us
    • Deodorant
    • Makeup wipes
    • Hair ties
    • Hairbrush
    • Travel shampoo, conditioner, body wash (here’s what I bought)
    • Lotion
    • Lip balm
  • Boppy nursing pillow
  • Heating pad
  • Electronics

FOR BABY

  • Carseat
  • Newborn outfits
  • Hat
  • Socks
  • Mittens
  • Swaddle blanket (in case I want it for a photo)
  • Velcro swaddle
  • Pacifier
  • Name announcement pacifier clip

FOR JUSTIN

  • Mask
  • ID
  • Electronics
    • Camera, camera charger, SD card
    • Phone charger with an extra-long cord
    • Extension cord
    • Laptop
  • Snacks
  • Toiletries
    • Toothbrush, toothpaste for both of us
    • Deodorant
  • Clothes
    • T-shirts
    • Shorts, sweatpants
    • Underwear
    • Sweatshirt

WHAT WE DIDN’T USE

  • Breast pump
    • My hospital recommended bringing this so they could show us how to use it, but we never got around to it.
  • 0-3 month outfits
    • Clay was too small to fit in these, but I don’t regret bringing them just because we didn’t know how big she’d be.
  • Nonslip socks
    • I just used the hospital ones they put on me and was barefoot in bed or wearing slippers the rest of the time, but it was nice to have them just in case (they don’t take up much space anyway).
  • Maternity underwear
    • I just ended up wearing the mesh underwear that the hospital gave me.
  • Shower flip-flops
    • I honestly forgot to wear them for the 1-2 showers I took.
  • Tylenol/Ibuprofen
    • I didn’t take it.

WHAT WE WISHED WE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT

  • More nursing bras
    • I often felt sweaty and gross, plus milk was leaking out of me, so I would have liked to have brought more so I could change out of them more frequently.
  • More nursing pads
    • A few more pairs would have been nice for leakage.
  • Hair dryer
    • I was very weak, but eager to wash my hair because it felt really gross after labor. There was a hair dryer attached to the wall in the bathroom, but I wasn’t strong/stable enough to stand in there to use it. If I had brought my own, it would have given me the option to sit on the bed/couch to dry my hair. Instead, I just didn’t was my hair and waited until I got home.
  • Towels
    • The hospital’s towels were really tiny and barely wrapped around you, so towels from home would have been nice, but again, this wasn’t high priority. However, I think it may have been annoying to bring wet towels home, but I wanted to mention it anyway!
  • Slip-on shoes for Justin
    • With lots of walking around the room and the hospital, he says he wished he would have brought some shoes he could slip on and off instead of just his sneakers (or my pink slippers that he occasionally wore, lol).

BIGGEST MUST-HAVES

  • Boppy nursing pillow
    • This is super helpful when learning how to breastfeed and when holding my baby when my arms were weak (and my whole body was weak in general) after labor.
  • Heating pad
    • I used this during and after labor for lower back contractions and uterus contractions during breastfeeding. I was VERY happy I had it!
  • Slippers
    • I wore these to, from, in and around the hospital.
  • Robe(s)
    • The nurses come in and check you every 3 hours post birth (at least they did for me), which includes pushing on your belly and checking how you’re healing. For this reason, wearing pants or something wasn’t practical because I would have had to pull them down each time. A robe was perfect for opening/closing.
  • Nursing bras
    • I didn’t wear shirts in the hospital and only wore these!
  • Laptop
    • I watched a show at some point during my labor while we waited for me to dilate more at the hospital, as well as after birth.
  • AirPods
    • Justin and I took turns sleeping and used these to watch videos when it was our turn to stay awake.
  • Extension cords
    • A must for easier access to our phones, laptop and heating pad!
  • Phone chargers with an extra-long cords

__________

I think that covers all things hospital bag! I hope this post is helpful for those of you who are expecting and looking for what to pack. Thanks so much for reading — catch up on my other baby-related blog posts here!