Chances are, you’ve been eagerly anticipating the day you finally get to meet your baby and have spent a lot of time preparing. From stocking up on baby gear to decorating the nursery and installing the car seat, you’ve covered a lot. But there’s one important task left in your third trimester: packing a hospital bag for you, your partner, and the baby. Don’t worry, WOKE Birth’s hospital bag checklist is here to guide you.
As for when to pack the hospital bag, it can vary depending on individual circumstances. If you have a high-risk pregnancy or your doctor believes you might go into labor early, it’s recommended to pack at around 35 weeks. For others, packing between 36 and 37 weeks is a good timeframe. This ensures that you have the basics ready in case labor starts earlier than expected, and you can always make adjustments if needed. If you want to get a head start, feel free to start earlier. When to pack a hospital bag is up to you! Just make sure not to leave it for later than 38 weeks. It’s important to have your hospital bag ready whenever the baby is.
When it comes to what to pack for mom, keep in mind the average length of stay in the hospital. For vaginal deliveries, it’s usually one to two days, while c-section deliveries may require three to four days. Check with your hospital to see what they provide for mothers, and remove those items from your checklist.
I know this section may sound like overkill, it’s really not. I’m just a firm believer that a little bit of planning and organization can go a long way when you’re in the thick of labor and delivery and don’t want to be bothered with missing items or digging through bags for that one thing you know you packed but can’t remember where. This is one time where I abandon the “less is more” frame of thought and opt for a “better to have and not need” mentality.
So let’s get into it. First thing is “what to pack everything into?”. What worked well for me was having a tote bag or bookbag for things I would need during labor and delivery, a carry-on size suitcase for all of my postpartum needs, and a diaper bag with everything that the baby(babies) would need. I’m going to write this checklist for a single baby, but if you’re having 2 or more, you can just double.. triple.. or even quadruple.. according to what’s sensible.
1. Labor (Tote) Bag
This bag contains everything the mom will need in labor and delivery. This is the only thing you will bring into the hospital initially. The rest can be left in the car until after you deliver. It’s not fun moving from room to room with all of your things.
Things for mom:
- Dates (whatever kind you love these are my favorite)
- Water bottles (some hospitals are good at providing water and some are not)
- Snacks (nuts, energy bars)
- Hair brush, comb and hair ties
- Pair of socks (going from extremely hot to freezing cold is common)
- Eye mask
- Labor gown
- Chapstick (lip balm)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash
- Red raspberry leaf tea bags
- Disinfectant wipes
- Nipple balm
Things for the baby (place this in a small ziplock bag in your tote bag):
This will need to be given to the nurse who will be dressing your baby. (Make sure your support person knows where to find this because the nurse will probably ask them and not you)
- Under T-shirt
- Hat
- Socks
- Sleepsuit
- Size 0 diaper (hospitals tend to have larger sizes and if you have smaller babies like I do they will be too big)
- Blankets for swaddling the baby
2. Your Suitcase
(This can be left in the car, send your support person to get this once you have delivered, and you are moved to the ward where you will be staying until you are discharged)
- 2-3 Comfortable pajamas or gowns (Breastfeeding friendly)
- Nursing bra
- Nursing pads
- Disposable Underwear
- Regular Underwear and Maternity Pads (If you don’t want to use disposable-Most hospitals will give you mesh undies but they don’t last long)
- Dermoplast spray or other postpartum perineal spray/foam (like Frida baby)
- Squirt bottle
- Witch hazel pads (you can make your own or buy Preparation-H pads)
- Toiletries –Deodorant, lotion, shampoo/conditioner, your favorite body wash
- Make up (if your wear it)
- Socks
- Pillow or pillows cases (hospital pillows are covered in plastic and not comfortable) Blanket from home (trust me this matters)
- Comfortable outfit to wear home (abaya, shayla, niqabs etc; you won’t want to wear the one you went to the hospital in, especially if your water broke)
We are big tea drinkers. We take a travel kettle, tea cups and supplies; so we can make our own tea as much as we want without asking anyone for anything. I also take oatmeal packets and more snacks to keep on hand for postpartum. Plan ahead what you want to eat right after you just did the equivalent of running a marathon and you will be HANGRY!!!
*Note about your support person, make sure they pack a bag too. More than likely they will be with you for the long haul. It’s nice if they can freshen up after as well. Labor can be messy.
Your Support Person may want to pack a bag:
- Change of clothes
- Personal toiletries
- Snacks (Sometimes labors can take a while, your support needs to stay fed and hydrated as well)
- Change for vending machines
- List of people you want them to contact and let know you had the baby
- Phone charger
- Some form of entertainment for any downtime
3. Baby bag( Diaper bag)
- 2 or 3 changes of clothes per baby
- Sleep gowns come in handy so you don’t have to fumble with snaps during the night
- Under t-shirts
- Hats
- Socks
- Blankets for swaddling or swaddle pods
- Muslin Cloths
- Outfit to wear home
- Car seat friendly blankets
- Pack of size 0 pampers
- Water wipes
- Any toiletries you want to use for your baby
- This is a personal choice. The nurses usually come to give your baby a bath on the second day, you can opt out of this if you choose or have your own things on hand that you prefer to use.
- Infant car seat
*Note about baby clothes sizes, I would pack a range of sizes according to the estimated fetal weight at your last scan. If you’re expecting a small baby(babies) maybe take some tiny baby stuff just in case.. on the other hand if you’re expecting a 4kg baby size 0- 3 may be better than newborn size.