Nesting. Have you heard of it? Man, I’ve been serving it by the heapful around this house for the past couple of weeks— and one item that’s been on the list is packing our bag for the hospital. In a desperate attempt to make sure I have absolutely everything I could possibly need for the hospital, I did a lot of research. I checked some of my favorite bloggers, Pinterest, Google, the hospital handouts, you name it! With each bit of research I completed, I updated a fantastic little word document outlining everything I, my husband, and our little girl might need during our stay.

Finally, it was time to put everything together! I decided to focus on the most common items mentioned across the resources as well as items I never would have thought of (like bringing dark colored pants and panties for post-labor)! Throughout the week I deliberately placed items in the baby room, lined up everything, and checked the list twice—err, three times— to make sure everything was accounted for. I’m sure there’s some items I don’t need, or items I’ll wish I had with me, but I think this is as good as it’s going to get! I’d really love to check back in post hospital stay to let y’all know what we actually needed and what we could have done without. In the meantime, here ya go!

MOMMA

Birthing gown- I recommend a dark color (if you opt out of the hospital gown). Personally, I’ve found that hospital gowns either swallow me or are too small, and I want to be as comfortable as possible. Our birthing class instructor recommended something simple that can just be tossed out. I found a $15 black (and super soft) robe from Walmart
Robe- PinkBlush Maternity has the best hospital gowns, I ordered this one and plan to wear it once in the recovery room for easy access to learning to breast feed as well as general comfort after labor!
Pajamas- These are the softest pjs ever, and since they’re button-down, are also perfect for nursing
Nursing top/bra- I went to Walmart and got some cheap (and soft) nursing bralettes
Loose pants- I ordered this pair from Gap and it’s taking all I have not to pull them back out of the suitcase! They’re so soft I want to wear them everyday.
Abdomen support leggings- These are also from Gap and are super supportive
- As a side note, it was recommended to me to grab a few dark colored items just in case of lots of bleeding post-birth
Nursing pads
Cardigan/sweater/jacket- This zip-hoodie from Gap is SO comfy and perfect for layering at the hospital over nursing tanks/bras. It’s also another item I’m having a hard time keeping in the hospital bag!
Flip flops/slippers
Makeup- All my makeup is from Beautycounter. The Flawless in Five routine is the first thing that went in my bag!
Toiletries- I have a variety of safer product toiletries. All my shower items are the Beautycounter travel essentials set. The shampoo/conditioner bottles are from last season’s travel set, but are currently filled with Attitude Live Consciously’s hair products (another EWG verified company). My deodorant is from Native (I use the sensitive cotton & linen scent). Native is BCorp, does not use parabens or aluminum and is also free of artificial fragrance. Speaking of fragrance, my perfume is from Phlur. They have a fantastic travel sized case. My husband got me our favorite scent, Olmstead and Vaux, for Christmas and I’m so excited to bring it with me (a small little something to really feel like myself). Phlur is another BCorp company and they use only safe ingredients to formulate their perfumes. I’d highly recommend all four of these companies for safer alternatives to skincare and beauty regimens. Extremely high performance without compromising or sacrificing health and human safety.
Earth Mama/Dermoblast— I decided to go with both of these products. Earth Mama is another safer alternative company and I’ve seen great reviews. Seeing as this is my first baby, I don’t have any experience with their perineal spray, but I decided to ahead get both the Earth Mama spray AND Dermoblast. Several medical forums recommended Dermoblast for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. I figure when the time comes, I’ll make the decision that best fits my needs. Never hurts to have options!
Hair (hair ties, head bands, brush, dry shampoo, hair dryer, etc.)
Depends/Pads- Our hospital provides the mesh underwear, but a friend at the hospital recommended bringing pads as well, that sometimes they’re a little more comfortable. Again, it’ll be nice to have options to see what works best for me when the time comes.
Lip Balm- My favorite lip balm is the Beautycounter calendula balm! It leaves my lips so soft and smooth, which apparently is a life saver when staying in a sterile/dry hospital room. I also grabbed my Primally Pure lavender lip balm for a calming scent
Face wipes- Find my face wipes here, not only are they a safer alternative but they are biodegradable and can be easily tossed in your home compost
Insurance cards/Birth plan

DADDY:

Change of clothes
Pajamas
Soft shirts
1/4 button/zip shirt
Toiletries
Swim trunks
Slippers/non-slip socks
Pillow

LITTLE B:

Swaddle Set
2 sets of pajamas
1 go-home outfit
Gloves
Toiletries- The hospital provides these; however, I really wanted to use safer alternatives that are fragrance free (shop the baby line we’ll use here)
Boppy Pillow
Carseat
Babybook- For those first “photographs” taken by the nurses of our girls footprints, we’ll be able to place them right into our memory book
Nasal aspirator