What's In My Hospital Bag

I’m currently 36 weeks (as of yesterday) and thanks to my doc, we are now in full on “be prepared for anything to happen” mode haha. He’s expecting her arrival to be ahead of her due date, so we’re very much living each day on our toes and ready for anything!

That being said, one of my biggest concerns has been having our bags packed for the hospital and making sure we’re ready for when that time does come. I am a HUGE planner and very much a type A personality that lives by checklists and my calendar, so I knew getting this huge “to do” off our list would be a weight off my chest.

I had been keeping a list on my phone (not kidding when I say I make lists for everything) based on conversations I’d have with other mom friends, suggestions given to me by readers or followers on Instagram or other blogs I had read about prepping for the hospital. I had a pretty thorough list of what I thought we’d need and want with us, which was a huge help when it came time to actually put things into bags. We essentially each have our own bags (me, Michael & baby) and Michael also plans to bring his backpack with electronics and such.

hospital bag checklist for pregnant moms

PS – save this image to Pinterest now for when you need it later!

You’ll find shopping links for a bunch of the exact items in our bags from this list down below to make shopping extra easy. Here are a few special call-outs to answer some questions I’ve already been asked about specific items, too:

bringing our own towels because I’ve been told by so many people that hospital towels are 1) very small and 2) not adequate haha. I was also told by a friend that my first shower post-delivery will be “euphoric” and I want to soak up every minute of it with a soft towel from my own home!
birthing gown & pretty robe – many mamas have told me to bring things to the hospital for delivery and postpartum that will make me feel like myself, which I thought was amazing advice. That being said, I’m bringing my own gown to labor in, which is a lot prettier and softer than the standard hospital gowns given to you, plus a gorgeous robe from Pink Blush that will be so pretty for pictures after she’s born.
pads, tucks, nipple cream, etc. for all the fun postpartum stages… I know the hospital will provide me with mesh panties (or so I’m told) and have pretty much everything I could possibly want, but I’m bringing a small packing cube of some of these items from home just in case I don’t end up liking what they have.
long iPhone chargers + extension cord just in case our room has outlets in weird places. We’ll have our phones, a bluetooth speaker, camera and Michael’s computer with us and plenty of options to plug things in with extra cords, hopefully!
outfits for baby in a couple different sizes because we really have no clue what she’ll weigh or fit into when she’s born. Taking a handful of NB and a handful of 0-3m so we have options for her.
chapstick – so many people said your lips get super chapped during labor!? Quickly added this to my list and Michael’s so we’re covered on that hopefully haha.
polaroid camera for some fun, candid shots. I gave one of these to Michael for his birthday with the hopes of us taking it to the hospital and capturing some fun pictures from baby’s first few days of life!
basket of treats for our nurses because when I asked yall what nurses like EVERYONE said food haha! I have a couple other little things for the nurses who end up taking care of us during recovery and plan to write them all handwritten notes as well.