What I Packed in My Hospital Bag for a Natural Birth

Going into the birth of our second child, my husband, Evan, was pretty adamant that we bring less stuff to the hospital than we did the first time around. I’m a chronic over-packer, wanting to be prepared for any situation, but with dreams of being a minimalist. So for our daughter’s birth, I really tried to condense what we brought because we didn’t end up using a lot of what we brought for my son’s birth (it was also easier in May than in late November to pack lighter). But even after a concerted effort at lightening up, we still didn’t use everything the second go-around. (You can read my birth stories here & here.)

So what do you really need to bring to the hospital? Well, it depends on the hospital, but at my hospital, the only things you really needed were:

#1 a car seat to drive the baby home

#2 some clothes for baby to go home in

That’s it.

Everything else is optional. You probably would want an outfit for yourself to go home in (but likely you can wear what you wore into the hospital, since you changed into a hospital gown right away and you’ll go home in some very glamorous mesh underwear).

You probably would want a few toiletries too (but you’ll probably be given some basic ones at the hospital: toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant and soaps in your postpartum room). You probably want some clothes for your husband (but he could go home later and get some too).

You probably want a playlist and some speakers for music (but you can just stream something on Spotify or Pandora on your phone too). You probably want to bring a nice camera (but could just take pictures on your phone.)

You probably would want a cord to charge your phone (ok that one is for real: #3 Bring a way to charge your phone…but even if your phone dies, you’ll be fine, and might even enjoy being in the moment with your new baby and people can call you on your room phone.)

And yet, packing a hospital bag isn’t just about what you absolutely will need. It also can symbolize the kind of birth you want and can make the first few hours of your new baby’s life something special as you celebrate the miracle of new life. It’s about what will bring you comfort in the hard parts of labor.

It’s about what will help you dream about holding that baby while you trudge through the last days of pregnancy. It’s about being an empowered mother, starting right away to make choices about the care for your baby and your body.

And at the same time, it’s important to give yourself a lot of grace to ease into all of that (i.e. you don’t necessarily need to bring organic newborn cloth diapers, you could just use the hospital diapers.)

Basically, packing a hospital bag can be an important part of preparing for birth. So here are my tips and lists of what helped me pack a good hospital birth bag.

Tip#1. The Most Important Things Can’t Be Packed.

A supportive husband, an awesome doula, a good attitude, a decent night’s sleep, a realistic set of expectations, a care-provider you trust, the combination of flexibility and vision to know when to advocate and when to change plans, the confidence to know that your body was made to do this, and the knowledge that God is with you and for you– those are things that can’t be packed in a hospital bag. Many of them can be cultivated and many are also an undeserved grace.

And I would add, take the time to pack your bags slowly and reflect on why you want to bring a particular thing, what it might represent to you about your labor and what kind of preparations you still might need to do that are beyond that particular thing in and of itself. (Like maybe what you actually need to do to feel more prepared is to take a birth class, maybe an online one like Mama Natural’s, A Heavenly Welcome’s, or a local Birthing From Within, or hire a doula and/or a birth photographer, or line up a couple of people to watch the toddler while you birth, or a postpartum doula for when you get home.)

Tip #2. Separate Labor Bags and Postpartum Bags.

To help my husband realize his dream of not lugging several huge bags into the hospital, we packed one backpack with labor tools and left the other big bag (and other “might-need” items) in the car. We also had our amazing doula (and sister-in-law) who brought her Mary Poppins bag of amazing tools. Giving birth in the same place twice, we knew what our hospital had on hand (like birth balls and a tub/shower). One thing we didn’t bring this time was an extra (empty) bag for my clothes or the other random things (like unopened apple juice) that we somehow accrued by the time we left the laboring room. The hospital had some plastic bags, so it wasn’t a big deal. Remember, if you’re on the fence about something (like a birth ball), you can always leave it in the car, and if labor is taking long enough that you really need it, then someone can run and get it.

Tip #3. Packing Cubes.

I have been wanting packing cubes for forever, and was delighted that I got some for my birthday. Packing cubes are so great for your hospital bag because chances are that you’ll be getting in and out of your packed hospital bag in the weeks between when you pack it and when you actually go into labor. Packing cubes make it easy to find stuff and keep it organized. Smaller ones for electronics are especially awesome, and bigger ones for clothes (separate ones for baby, mom, and dad) are extra nice. Plus, you’ll get to use the packing cubes many times after birth. (We got fairly inexpensive ones, but people who travel a lot have a lot of big feelings about which brand.)

Tip #4. A Printed & Posted List of “What’s in the Bag & What Needs to Be Added the Day Of.”

We posted our Packing List on the refrigerator, so that if I was so gone in labor-land (of course I wasn’t since both times we went to the hospital pretty–ie too–early) everyone else would know what to throw into the bag or bring last minute. I have sleep apnea so bringing my cpap was on that list (but we kept it in the car with the postpartum stuff) and my retainer (because I only have one of those, and I’m weird about needing to wear it every night like I’m going to see my middle school orthodontist the next day) and my pillow (because I really like my pillow—it was in an off white flannel pillow case so I wouldn’t get it mixed up with the white hospital pillows there). We also had a copy of this list in our “birth binder” which (in a very Lesley Knope from Parks and Rec way) was filled with everything we might (and probably wouldn’t actually) need information-wise to help with the birth. If you want to print it off, here’s a link to my Birth Bag Packing List.

Packing List

 Day of Remember to Bring:: Phones & Chargers // Wallet & Keys // Pillow // Cpap // Retainer

 Labor Back Pack :: Swimsuits // Chapstick // Essential Oils // Hot Water Bottle // Eye Mask // Rice Sock & Massager // Christmas Lights // Batteries // MP3 Player // Speaker & Charger // Camera & Chargers // Icon // Bison Bars // Candied Ginger // Lara Bars // Organic Juice Boxes // Chicken Broth // Coconut Water

 Meal Cooler :: Frozen Breakfast Egg Bake & Beef Broccoli Stir Fry in Glass Pyrex Dishes

 Postpartum Bag ::  Cotton Bathrobe // Night Gowns // Mom’s Going Home  Outfit // Kindle &  Lara Bars // Dad’s Undershirts & Underwear // Lounge Pants & Sweater // Slippers // Baby’s Going home outfit (newborn size cute outfit with hat & 0-3 month sleep & play)// Velcro Baby Swaddle // Baby Swaddle Blanket // Notebook & Pen

 Toiletries Bag ::  Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Soap Bar // Razor // Sheabutter Lotion // Sensitive Skin Homemade Deodorant // Raw Honey Face Wash // Trader Joe’s Jojoba Oil Face Oil // Thayer’s Unscented Witch Hazel Facial Toner // Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste // Floss // Toothbrush // Retainers // Netti Pot & Real Salt // Natural Calm Magnesium // Silicone Travel Cup // Vitamins & Probiotics // Garlic Clove // Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Baby Soap // Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (in a Humangear GoToob)// Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (in a Humangear GoToob)//Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads // Nipple Cream // Diaper Cream // Baby Fingernail Clippers

 Small Cooler ::  Gallon Ziplock bag for Placenta

 Birth Binder :: Binder Sheets with Birth Bag Packing List // Important Phone Numbers // Medical Info & Power of Attorney // Directions to Hospital // Copies of Birth Plan // Labor Tools, Tips, and book excerpts // Scripture Verses & Birth Affirmations // Prayers for A New Child // Nursing & Postpartum Tools, Tips & Book Excerpts//List of 10 Pictures to Take on Baby’s First Day // Fax Cover Sheet for New Insurance Enrollments // Blank Paper

 Labor Back Pack

Labor Packing Cube
Swimsuits // Chapstick // Essential Oils // Hot Water Bottle // Eye Mask // Rice Sock & Massager

*Swimsuits – for both me and Evan in case we wanted to use the tub or shower (although both times I didn’t bother wearing them & Evan didn’t get in)
*Chapstick – everyone declares this is essential, and I love a good sunscreen-free organic chapstick (from Wholefoods or Dr. Bronner), but didn’t use it
*Essential Oils — Lavender (to relax), Clary Sage (to encourage contractions), & Peppermint (for nausea)
*Hot Water Bottle – I had brought it for after-pains and wish that it could have been ready for me to use
*Eye Mask — for the bright hospital lights
*Rice Sock & Massager – for heat and counter pressure, but honestly we didn’t use it

**Doulas often bring many of these things with them (not the swimsuit for your husband) so #1 get a doula and #2 check with her before you pack! **

Electronics Packing Cubes
Christmas Lights // Batteries // MP3 Player // Speaker & Charger // Camera & Chargers // Icon

*Battery Operated Christmas Lights – I love Christmas lights and I loved having these on and the florescent lights off until I was pushing
*Batteries – extra ones for the Christmas lights and the speakers in-case they didn’t want us using a plug in the labor room
* MP3 Player player loaded with birth playlist – wanted it to be on outside of our phones or Internet issues, and I chose my favorites George Winston & Jill Phillips, 3 albums on repeat (and allowed phones to be for communicating)
*Portable Speaker & Charger – for the music
*Camera & Chargers – Really could have been in the postpartum bag because the phone pictures of labor were enough

* Rublev’s the Trinity Icon – My favorite icon, for a beautiful introduction to this icon read Henri Nouwen’s book Praying with Icons

Snacks & Drinks
Bison Bars // Candied Ginger // Lara Bars // Organic Juice Boxes // Chicken Broth // Coconut Water

Snacks —
* Bison Bars — These are my go to aip protein snack, but I knew I was moving into transition when I ate one and almost immediately regretted
it
* Candied Ginger – usually from Trader Joe’s and on hand from battling first trimester nausea
* Lara Bars — yummy and now blueberry and apple ones remind me of having babies

Drinks — (in gallon ziplock bags)
*Organic Juice Boxes — I got pear juice both times and now pear juice reminds me of my babies’ birthdays! Orange juice has a tendency to make
people throw up, so I’d stay away from that
*Chicken Broth — All I wanted to have food or drink-wise for most of labor was warm, salty chicken broth (something you can bring, or often
ask for when you’re at the hospital)
*Coconut Water — this and a bit of salt is a great natural Gatorade substitute, we like the Aldi brand, but our favorite is EOS

 Meal Cooler

We’ve been paleo for 7 years (!) and I have a sensitivity to night shades, so we didn’t want to rely on hospital food. The first time with Jackson I didn’t order any food from the hospital cafeteria, but with Lily I ordered fried eggs, bacon and fruit, and it was nice to have something hot and fresh in addition to our frozen foods that Evan reheated in the microwave on the postpartum floor. I don’t think these are really “recipes” but here’s what we made and froze. We have a big enough upright chest freezer, we could literately just put the whole packed cooler inside.

Breakfast Egg Bake — Saute a pound or two of breakfast sausage (add a bit of cooked bacon), add a lot of sauteed veggies (onions, spinach, sweet potatoes, mushrooms), then combine with herbs and spices (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, herbs de Provence), 2 dozen whisked eggs. Bake at 350 degrees until firm. Let cool. Then freeze.
Beef Broccoli Stir Fry— Saute up a pound or two of ground beef, add a lot of sauteed veggies (onions, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms), then combine with herbs and spices (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, herbs de Provence), half dozen whisked eggs. Bake at 350 degrees until firm. Let cool. Then freeze.

In the very earliest parts of labor, my toddler Jackson and I made pumpkin pies and cookies (his choice over cake) to bring to the hospital to celebrate his sister’s birthday.

 Postpartum Bag

Mom’s Packing Cube

Cotton Bathrobe // Night Gowns // Going Home Outfit // Kindle & Lara Bars

I’m not a put on make-up and real clothes and welcome people to the hospital gal. But I do find the hospital gowns, especially the postpartum ones (labor ones I don’t have a problem with; I’m happy to get blood and sweat on a labor gown, but I know some people really like bringing their own!) are not super comfortable and kind of confusing with all the snaps and openings for discrete nursing. I found that a low scoop-neck, knit, cotton, mid-length nightgown (like this one) was the best way to nurse, do skin to skin, and be comfortable, and while I wouldn’t say it was “modest,” I felt reasonably comfortable talking to the 20 doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, and various other hospital people who traipse in and out of a postpartum room.)

Also, in terms of a going home outfit, while I certainly was not as large in the tummy area leaving the hospital as I was when I came in with nearly 8 lbs of baby there, it seemed like I was about six months pregnant. So plan on a going home outfit that is still a maternity one. Preferably loose and flowy.

We left the hospital about sixty hours after Jackson was born (1:30 am on Thursday to 1:30 pm on Saturday) and I was well on my way to being engorged by the time we left, and had some significant tissue damage from Jackson’s tongue and lip tie. So while I was so excited to wear my new nursing tank home (Why? I don’t know. They don’t seem exciting now after wearing them 1072 days in a row! Pro tip, H & M organic ones!) but they were new and tight, and it was actually really uncomfortable. With Lily’s birth I had brought a couple of packets of Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads to the hospital in case I was in the same boat. (But leaving the hospital 43 hours after she was born (6:30 pm on Saturday to 1:30 pm on Monday) with a much less serious lip tie meant I wasn’t really engorged this second time.) So loose all around is the name of the game for the postpartum outfit home from the hospital.

Dad’s Packing Cube

Undershirts & Underwear // Lounge Pants & Sweater // Slippers

Some dads really like button down shirts so they can easily do skin to skin with the baby as well. Otherwise the name of the game is comfortable enough to sleep in, if you get 5 minutes to sleep.

Baby & Nursing Packing Cubes:

Going home outfit (newborn size cute outfit with hat & 0-3 month sleep & play)// Velcro Baby Swaddle // Baby Swaddle Blanket// Notebook & Pen // diapers // nursing pillow

Going home outfit — People love picking out a good newborn coming home outfit. I packed a cute one in what I guessed would fit my baby (newborn size) and a sleeper in the next size up in case they were bigger (0-3 months). I didn’t dress my babies until we were about to leave, but if that’s important to you, bring a couple extra outfits, because they are good at unexpectedly pooping on outfits.

(Pro tip, if it’s cold, bring baby socks. Forgot to do that with Jackson and the end of November in Wisconsin was super cold.)

Velcro Baby Swaddle — The nurses are pros at swaddling babies into little burritos with the blue and pink hospital blankets, but sometimes it was nice to not call a nurse in if I really was serious about getting some sleep and swaddling up my baby well, so with Lily I brought a velcro swaddle which I used all the time with newborn Jackson. It worked great, then she pooped on it. So maybe bringing two wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Notebook & Pen — I brought the notebook to write down my birth story in (or at least start it). I didn’t end up doing that at the hospital, but I did use the notebook to write out her birth story over the first few days at home. I knew that I wouldn’t get to writing up the birth story as a post for a few weeks, but I wanted to remember little details before they faded into that haze of birth land. Those first five days after birth are especially important in setting down what and how you remember. I liked having a small pretty blank notebook from my best friend to remind me of that. (Plus I just love pretty blank notebooks!)

Diapers // Nursing Pillow — I don’t love hospital newborn diapers (mostly because I strongly dislike the smell of baby-powder and baby-powder scented things) so I did bring a few nicer newborn diapers, but I didn’t use them. If Lily had a reaction to the hospital ones, it would have been nice to have the other ones, but she was fine and I’m cheap…so I used the ones they supplied while we were there. But I know some moms love to bring newborn cloth diapers to the hospital! (Which is a lot of dedication, because washing out meconium can be a pain.)

I also brought my travel nursing pillow, but didn’t use it. With Jackson we had such a hard time nursing, both in and outside the hospital, it would have been a good idea to have my actual nursing pillow there so the lactation consultants could coach me on nursing with the supports I would have had on hand at home (as opposed to a semi-reclined hospital bed and 5 pillows). I had the travel nursing pillow from a plane trip that I took with Jackson at 4 months. If you think you’re going to fly with a small baby, travel nursing pillow is awesome, but otherwise just take your regular nursing pillow and keep it in the car. Then if you need it you have it, but you’re not lugging that huge thing around.

 Toiletries Bag

Toiletries for Mom & Dad

Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Soap Bar // Razor // Sheabutter Lotion // Sensitive Skin Homemade Deodorant // Raw Honey Face Wash // Trader Joe’s Jojoba Oil Face Oil // Thayer’s Unscented Witch Hazel Facial Toner // Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste // Floss // Toothbrush // Retainers // Netti Pot & Real Salt // Natural Calm Magnesium // Silicone Travel Cup // Vitamins & Probiotics // Garlic Clove

Natural Calm Magnesium // Silicone Travel Cup — Constipation is not ideal postpartum, especially when you’re getting iron supplements which can exasperate it. I’m not opposed to just taking the stool softener they give you at the hospital, but if you want to avoid it, extra magnesium is a great way to do it (and maybe consider a more gentle iron supplement too) and we just got this great silicone travel cup that makes dissolving the magnesium a lot easier (although cups are not hard to come by in the hospital!)

Probiotic — I knew that I was going to have antibiotics during delivery because I was GBS+ and I get yeast infections every time I get antibiotics, so I had a Rx of diflucan ready to go and took my probiotics faithfully to try and recover from the antibiotics.

Garlic Clove — (This was because after being up for nearly 40 hours straight hours with Jackson, Evan thought he was getting a cold, and we are firm believers in the power of eating raw garlic on the onset of a cold. It tastes awful — raw honey helps a little, and makes you feel super sick for about 10 minutes afterward, but seems to be effective.)

(*Also, my hospital provided a lot of postpartum care products: tucks pads, durmaplast spray, sitz baths, frozen diaper pads, and postpartum pads. So I waited until I got home to break out the crunchier postpartum care products like sitz bath spray. Read this post for more thoughts on all things postpartum care. But it might not be a bad idea to call your hospital and get the low down on what postpartum items they supply. )

Toiletries for Baby

Dr. Bronner’s Baby Soap // Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (in a Humangear GoToob)// Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (in a Humangear GoToob)//Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads // Motherlove Nipple Cream //Earth Mama Organic Diaper Balm// Baby Fingernail Clippers

Dr. Bronner’s Baby Soap — I’m not a big fan of giving babies baths. Their skin and vernix are great protectors against germs, and hospital soap is almost always not very clean. But Jackson had a lot of blood in his hair, and that might have been nice to wash out. Anyways, I brought Dr. Bronner’s Baby Soap in case I wanted to bathe them. FYI it’s real soap, so it really stings if it gets into an eye, and a little goes a long way.

Organic Extra Virgin Coconut & Olive Oil (in a Humangear GoToobs) — I got lots of advice on slathering up baby’s bottoms with olive or coconut oil to help the meconium poop from sticking. Plus those are great lotion and cradle cap choices for when you go home. Also, I really liked used this Earth Mama Organic Diaper Balm at home, and I’m sure it would be great at preventing meconium from sticking too.

Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads // Nipple Cream — With Jackson all I got in the nursing department from my hospital was medela lanolin tender care. (Which I was a little wary of having my newborns use because of the oats and the possible pesticides in the lanolin…but those samples are the BEST lipbalm! They taste way better than regular lanolin.) My lactation consultants actually recommended just using coconut oil (so another reason to pack it) and when I got home I sent Evan to the store to get some Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads. They are spendy but worth every penny if you need them. With Lily they actually had some of those on hand, and I brought my amazing motherlove nipple cream to use.

Baby Fingernail Clippers — Most hospitals will not clip baby fingernails, so bring your own if you don’t want to just use the mitts.

 Small Cooler & Gallon Ziplock bag for Placenta

I will always remember walking through the aisles of Walmart looking for ziplock bags for my placenta, wondering how big it was going to be, and should I get the one gallon or two gallon bags. A Walmart worker asked if I needed help as I stared at all the bags, and I thought that he probably would not appreciate me asking him his opinion on the matter. For the record, I went with the two gallon bag, which ended up being comically large. One gallon should be fine; now you don’t have to debate asking some poor Walmart employee his opinion.

 Birth Binder

For me, compiling a birth binder and creating a birth plan (or preferences) sheet was a big part of my birth prep. I didn’t really use the binder during labor, but all the work organizing everything made me feel ready. I copied pages from my favorite labor books (you can see all 13 of my favorites in this post.) My hospital is part of the same network that my doctor’s office is in, so I didn’t have to register or give any medical info besides my birthday and allergies most of the time (although they did want to see a copy of my medical power of attorney), but that isn’t always the case, and I wanted someone else to be able to answer those questions if I didn’t want to.

Postpartum-wise, we used the binder to write down phone numbers of specialists (for the lip-tie clip) and to send faxes to our insurance company with info on our new baby (so we could get that lip-tie clip paid for without a lot of hassle). I’d highly recommend figuring out what the procedure is for adding a new baby to your plan and bringing that info with you, because it would have saved us a bunch of time on the phone calling very slow insurance companies! If you too have an inner Leslie Knope love of forms, binders, and binder sheets — here you go!

- - Birth Bag Packing List (ie this post)
  - Important Phone Numbers & List of People to Text
  - Important Medical Info Template (Name // DOB // SSN // Address // Cell// Emergency Contact // Allergies // Blood Type// GBS Status// Due Date// Medical Conditions // Prenatal Medication & Supplements // Prenatal Treatment History// //Primary Care Doctor Contact Info // Pediatrician Info// Insurance Info //Labor Information //Contractions Onset & Duration// Bag of Waters Broke// Color of Waters )
  - Medical Power of Attorney
  - Direction to the Hospital (with instructions on where to park)
  - Birth Preferences Template (Bring a few copies. I really like how this is a succinct one page form is, plus it’s the one my doctor gave me and I brought in beginning of 3rd trimester to go over with her. )
  - Yoga Labor Flow from The Yoga Birth Method by Dorothy Guerra (2013).
  - How to Use Clary Sage & Massage During Labor Handouts (these online articles are roughly the same info that I got in my handouts)
  - Miles Circuit (helpful for when labor stalls)
- - Excerpts on coping with pain pages 213 to 239 from Birthing from Within by Pam England (1998)
  - Excerpts on 12 comfort measures and labor positions from The Birth Partner by Penny Simpkin (2013)
  - Excerpts on pelvic squeeze technique and visualizations from Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds by Cynthia Gabriel (2011)
  - Excerpts on labor positions from The Best Birth by Sarah McMoyler (2008) (also available on www.childbirthconnection.org)
  - Pretty Version of Psalm 23
  - Birth Affirmations Art (that I made, but there are some really lovely ones out there!)
- - Article on Skin to Skin Care (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the article)
  - La Leche League’s Handout on Laid Back Nursing (for other nursing info I had the Breastfeeding Solutions App and of course the hospital’s amazing lactation consultants!)
  - Postpartum Gentle Core and Pelvic Floor Exercises (This is article. I got mine from After the Baby’s Birth: A Complete Guide for Postpartum Women by Robin Lim & MUTU stage one … but there are so many more resources online and in book form about this subject coming out all the time! )
  - Popsugar’s : Shutterbug List of 10 Pictures to Take on Babies First Day
  - Fax Cover Sheet for New Insurance Enrollments
  - Blank Paper
  - Prayers for a New Child (“Coming into the Light— Birth” p. 204 -209) from Celtic Daily Prayer (This was so special and beautiful and one of my favorite memories with my new baby!)