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In the weeks leading up induction day, I felt like there were a million things to accomplish. I wanted to clean the house, prepare freezer meals for dinners, install the car seat, and make sure we had everything we needed packed and ready to go. Months prior, I had started scouring the internet for information on what to pack for the trip to the hospital. Not knowing the length or stay, and never having stayed in a hospital overnight before, I was completely unsure of what was needed. Quickly, I became overwhelmed with the many lists and suggestions online of what to pack and what not to pack. Thankfully, my mom had anticipated this. Her gift to us at the virtual baby shower, were pre-packed bags for the hospital stay. Each bag was filled with a variety of clothing and personal care items aimed to make this part of the preparations as stress free as possible.
Days before induction, I still hadn't really looked into the bags more than a quick glance at items upon receiving the bags. During the induction process and following delivery, though, I quickly found that I needed to make use of several of the items included and was shocked to find myself using several others that I hadn't expected to need. In the hopes that this will make your journey to motherhood slightly easier, you'll find a review of our hospital bags below and a FREE printable checklist for you to use while making your preparations.
Mommy Bag
My mom clearly knows my taste. She picked out a beautifully printed Steven Madden duffel for my hospital bag. Regardless of it you purchase a new bag for this special event or use a bag you have on hand, selecting a bag that is versatile is a must. The ability to carry this bag by short straps or a longer cross over strap made it incredibly easy to transport. On the way out of the hospital, I used the long straps to carry this bag, while also carrying our diaper bag as a back pack.
I made sure when arriving to the hospital that my clothing was as comfortable as possible. Similarly, my clothing during labor and delivery followed the same trend. Following labor, I opted to stay in a Cake Maternity bra, my Audrey & Bear bathrobe, and little else. This made breast feeding and bathroom trips a lot easier, but you may also opt for a dress style labor gown that also provides easy access. At the start of the induction process, I used the socks that were packed to keep my feet warm. Also included in the bag, but not used, were a pair of "mama bear" slippers. These would be incredibly helpful if I had paced the hallway during contractions, but because of COVID I mostly kept to my room. To go home, I opted to wear a baggy t-shirt, a pair of yoga pants, and I had a hoodie on hand in case I was cold. Loose clothing to go home in, I think, is a must. It made the car ride home a little bit less uncomfortable. The donut cushion, which I left in the car, would have also helped with this had I needed it. Because I was fortunate enough to have minimal tearing, I didn't feel like it was necessary to use; however, the car ride home even for me was less than a joy. I would recommend having one of these available just in case because of this.
Although the hospital gave me small water bottle to drink from during my stay, packed away in my bag was larger water bottle. Hydration is especially important during and after labor, and I was incredibly thankful to be able to drink water to my hearts content. In both of our bags, Patrick and I were gifted with a variety of snacks. He made good use of these during the labor process, while I mostly delved into my snacks after delivery. Given that our baby girl was born at 8:45pm, the food options were limited making the tasty snacks on hand even more appealing.
Another item that we both had packed was a long charging cord for our phones. In the hospital room, the only charging outlet was pretty far away from the hospital bed. The long cord made it possible for me to still use my phone to FaceTime family and entertain myself, while also charging the phone.
The after delivery shower is a transformative experience. You never feel quite as clean and glorious as after during this shower, trust me. Toiletries and personal care items were among the most used from the bag during my hospital stay. My mom had packed a pre-made travel kit with many of the necessities and made sure that I had a tooth brush, tooth paste, glasses cleaner, hair brush, and shower items to name a few. The one thing that was missing from my personal care items, though, was a body wash. I was able to snag some from the nurse, but in future I would recommend packing a plain, white bar of Dove soap. Gentle enough for your tender lady bits following delivery, this was recommended to me to use by my doctor.
Another item in the bag was a notebook packed among the miscellaneous items. At first, I was confused as to why I would need this. Besides this blog, I am not a journal person and I couldn't really think of a reason I would need it. Thankfully, it was packed in my bag, though, because after Eila was born it came in handy. Between being in labor for 36 hours and the sleep deprivation that followed with a newborn that was feeding often, the ability to jot down when she fed, which boob she fed on, and her diaper changes was incredibly helpful for both me and the nurses. When they would check in, they knew I was writing the info down in the notebook and would take a peak to get the info they needed.
If nothing else, take this away with you. Leave room in your bag! Chances are when you are getting ready to leave there will be extra pads, throw away undies, witch hazel liners, even maybe some diapers for your little one laying around. The nurses will tell you, if you ask, to take these items otherwise they need to throw it all out. By leaving some room in your bag, you will be able to easily pack away those few "goodies" to get you through the first night of being home during your postpartum journey.
Partner Bag
Patrick's backpack had a lot of the same items that my bag had. Since he was visiting our house throughout the day to let the dogs out and showering at home, he ended up bringing his backpack home by the second day. At the end of our stay, he packed the few items that he had brought into the hospital with him into my bag.
The most used items from his bag was the male equivalent travel toiletry kit, a change of clothes, and clothing to sleep in. The hospital provided him with blankets and pillows to sleep with during his stay on the in room couch bed.
Baby Bag
For us, having a ready to go diaper bag was a must. I have visions of traveling the 40min drive with a poop blow out or a whole wardrobe change. Thankfully, and not surprisingly, Eila slept through the entire car ride home and we didn't touch her bag. None the less, I was glad to have a surplus of baby centered items on hand just in case. Some items that you will definitely want to pack, though, are an outfit to go home in and a swaddle blanket / cover blanket. In our bag, we had both a newborn outfit and a 0-3 month outfit. I would highly recommend packing a few size options.
In our case, Eila was measuring 5lbs11oz at her 35 week appointment. The weights provided to you during an ultrasound though are approximately 13oz +/-. Two weeks later when she was born, Eila weighed 5lb10oz. She was absolutely swimming in the 0-3 month clothing provided during her hospital stay and even her newborn pants were big enough to be falling off a bit. Having a few clothing options meant that I was able to dress her comfortably for her size without having to worry that she would be too cold or too hot.
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