I was planning on posting this before I actually went to the hospital but didn’t quite get to it in time. I think it’s better this way though because I didn’t end up using half of the stuff I brought! The hospital gives you so much free stuff and you’re just tired and lazy and not really needing too much of anything but sleep.

As much as we can try and plan, I know there’s nothing that will really prepare us for life with baby. Everything’s about to change. We’re excited. And nervous. But mostly excited to meet our baby boy.

I made a running “To Do Before Baby” that has consistently getting shorter and shorter. Closets and storage spaces are purged and cleaned. Everything in the house has been washed. Literally everything. Our home has never been cleaner. Along with all of the baby stuff.

We chose a pediatrician. We installed the car seat.

I think all that’s left is packing my hospital bag, getting our stroller, and trying not to stress!

I realized anything could happen so I am preemptively planning on what I’ll need in our hospital bag for when the day comes… I thought I’d share here. This has been updated with stuff that we packed and the stuff we didn’t end up using.

What’s in my Hospital Bag?

What we packed:

-Baby Stuff: going home outfit, warm blanket, swaddles, pacifiers, nursing pillow, extra onesie

-Stuff for Mom: Always Discreet, Labor and Delivery Gown, Nursing NightGown, Pajamas, Going Home Outfit, Makeup, Cosmetics, Fuzzy Socks, Sandals for the shower, Essential Oils

-Stuff for Dad: Two outfits, Pillow, Warm Blanket, Cosmetics

-Extras: Camera Equipment, Laptop, Gifts for Nurses, Extra Long Charger, Snacks

What we didn’t use:

-Baby Stuff: We only used his going home outfit, everything else the hospital provided. Be sure to take all of the free stuff for the baby and don’t be shy about asking for more. We didn’t stock up on enough of the gauze for Ford’s circumcision and someone had to run out and get more.

-Mom Stuff: Makeup, this is just personal preference, I know there are lots of people that do their makeup every day with ease or have their makeup done for delivery but I am not one of those people. I was optimistic I might put some on for pictures but it just didn’t happen. Also, I didn’t really need to bring any postpartum stuff. The hospital has everything. Stock up on their pads. They are 100x better than any pads you can get at the store and they’re free(ish). I also only wore my nursing gown. It was the best thing ever, I should’ve brought two. I had no desire to put pants on and it made breastfeeding on demand much easier.

-We pretty much used everything packed for dad and the extras. We brought See’s Candies for the day and night shift nurses little did we know we’d be needing another shift in there…

It feels great to be prepared and pack everything you might possibly use but try not to stress about it. I was so stressed packing my bag wanting to make sure I didn’t forget anything. There isn’t really much that you need. And if you forget something it’s not the end of the world. Most likely the hospital will have it for you.