I remember procrastinating packing my hospital bag for labor so much toward the end of my pregnancy. I had no problem cleaning the house, harnessing the car seat in, getting the nursery ready. Or even spending hours washing clothes, but for some reason I found packing my hospital bag very overwhelming!
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to go about it either. It’s just one of those things you’ll have to spend a good bit of time on.
But don’t worry! Once it’s packed, you just have to remember to grab it when it’s baby time!
For me, my boyfriend’s bag and the baby’s bag were pretty simple to pack. So today I’m only going to list the items that I packed for myself.
I’ve always over packed and people tend to make fun of me for being the one with the most bags. But I ended up staying in the hospital longer than anyone expected and over packing came in hand!
Here’s the items I packed in my hospital bag that you’ll want to pack in yours!
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Nightgowns
I wore a regular nightgown when I gave birth. I didn’t want my bottom hanging out of a hospital gown that was two times too big! Then when I was finally able to shower I wore a nursing nightgown
Socks/Slippers
Hospitals are cold and the floors are not the cleanest. Bring socks and slippers!
Nursing Bras
If you plan on breastfeeding I recommend stretchy, wireless nursing bras
Black Maternity Leggings/Yoga Pants
Along with my nursing nightgown, I wore my maternity leggings 
The hospital gave me plenty of mesh underwear! However, since they were full of ice packs and witch hazel pads, I used my leggings to keep them from falling down. I also swelled up like a balloon and couldn’t physically pull my underwear all the way up. So having leggings and yoga pants to hold everything in place and then a nightgown to cover up the mess, worked like a charm!
Loose Fitting Shirts
Your stomach is going to look, well, interesting after giving birth and you’re not going to want to show it off haha!
Makeup Bag
Some women may think packing a makeup bag is ridiculous. BUT I wear makeup pretty often and I had A LOT of people visit me in the hospital. And I wanted to feel a little decent. As much as you can after just giving birth!
Pillow/Blanket
A pillow and blanket set 
Robe
Again, not a necessity but something I enjoyed having with me.
Postpartum Wrap
So many people told me that after I had the baby, my nurse would continuously come to push on my uterus to help shrink it back down and that it would hurt really bad. This did not happen as often as I thought it would and wearing the postpartum wrap
Phone Charger
Believe me, you’ll want to have plenty of battery to take pictures of your little one!
Laptop and Charger
I decided to be induced on my due date and it was a long process so I watched Friends on Netflix while waiting for my child to be born. Is that bad? Haha!
Basic Toiletries
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body wash
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Loofa
- Hairbrush
- Hair Ties
- Shower Shoes
- Razor
Here is a great travel kit: Women’s Deluxe Kit
I know a razor isn’t a necessity and might not even get used. But I was in the hospital for four days because of my son’s glucose levels. It was very unexpected! So I was glad to have packed mine!
Nipple Cream
Once again, if you plan on breastfeeding, nipple cream is a must! The hospital gave me one little packet of lanolin
Boppy
My boppy
Conclusion
And that’s it! The hospital gave me plenty of pads, cooling spray, ice packs, etc. and I knew they would beforehand.
If you’re not sure about how much self care supplies you’ll be sent home with, or you want to be prepared just in case, check out my post, 5 Postpartum Hacks You Need to Know.
I hope my list was helpful! Please refer back to it if you’re in the midst of packing your hospital bag! Do any of you ladies have any must have items you packed in your hospital bag?