My doula clients frequently wonder: “What to Pack in a Hospital Bag for Birth?”

The following is a list of ideas on what to pack in a hospital bag for birth. This is not an exhaustive list! Your bag may have less or more depending on your needs. This list will:

• Make heading to the hospital when you’re in labor simple… Just grab it and go!
• Allow you to thoroughly plan for “the big day” as much as you can ahead of time
• Save time by minimizing trips from the hospital to home to pick up needed and forgotten things

You will need a separate “labor” and “postpartum” bag so that you can leave things in your car when you’re in labor. (It’s no fun to drag three suitcases into labor and delivery when you’re IN labor)

Even if you’re planning a homebirth, I would highly recommend packing a hospital bag for birth. When I was transferred from home to hospital in my last birth, I was not thinking clearly AT ALL and could not pack! I’m so grateful my doula was there. She basically packed for me.

Things needed for BOTH labor AND postpartum have been marked with an *.

Birth Bag For MOM

• A doula (check out Doula Match to find one near you)
• A towel or waterproof pad (in case your water breaks while in the car… it happens!)
• Contraction Master APP
• A pillow with a colored pillowcase (so you know whose is whose) *
• ID (driver’s license), credit card and all insurance information
• Cellphone and charger*
• List of people to call after baby is born*
• Comfortable clothes to wear during labor like tanks, jersey skirts, etc.
• If you want to look cute, you’ll love these Pretty Pushers
• Socks, underwear, slippers/flip flops *
• Toiletries – A Dental Travel Kit, Burt’s Bees Travel Kit and Burt’s Bees Lip Balm will be worth their weight in gold.
• Hair – hairbrush, hair ties, headbands, etc.*
• Glasses or contacts (if you use them)*
• Camera & Camcorder with batteries and a chargers*
• Money for vending machines and parking fees*
• Wireless Speaker to play music during labor
• Essential oils (lemon, lavender and peppermint) and a diffuser
• Massage tools – lotions, oils, massagers
• Bathing suit for the shower/tub
• Birth affirmation cards
• Visualizations
• A small fan (so helpful in transition and pushing)
• Birth ball
• Pump for birth ball in case your ball is too mushy (your hips should be higher than your knees)
• Hard candies or lollipops (lollipops are great because you can easily remove them from your mouth during a contraction)
• Honey sticks (great for the pushing stage when you don’t want to eat but need more energy)
• Food, snacks and drinks* – here are some great food and drink ideas for labor

Postpartum Bag for Mom

• Local (IBCLC) lactation consultant contact information
• Laptop and charger
• Comfortable clothes to sleep in (loose fitting pants or shorts – no tight elastic! It’s not time to wear your regular postpartum clothes yet.)
• Nursing tanks/bras
• Breastfeeding pillow for nursing (the one in the link is WAY better than the rest!)
• Donut pillow to sit on (I ended up sitting on my boppy for relief and that’s the most use I got out of that brand of breastfeeding pillow)
• Earth Mama Angel Baby bottom balm
• Toiletries – A Dental Travel Kit, Burt’s Bees Travel Kit and Burt’s Bees Lip Balm will be worth their weight in gold.
• Homeopathic arnica for bruising and swelling
• Tucks pads OR
• Padsicles

Bag for DAD

• Clothes
• Toiletry Kit for Men
• Swim trunks for Dad in case he joins mom in shower/tub
• A blanket, pillow and warm clothes to help you sleep better in a hospital room
• Cash/Change for vending machines
• Phone, laptop and chargers
• Camera and charger
• Food, snacks and drinks (use a small cooler!)
• Gum
• Mints
• Breath Fresheners
• A copy of the book The Birth Partner (Dads… thank me later)
• (Check out these tips for dads in labor and delivery!)

Bag for BABY

• Cloth diapers and wipes if you are not going to use the hospital’s disposable diapers. (I recommend using the disposables – meconium poop is a pain to clean.)
• Olive oil to put on baby’s bottom to make wiping away meconium poop fast and simple.
• Cute baby outfits including a “coming home outfit”. Choose outfits that have hats – hospitals can be chilly!
• Baby socks
• Soft aiden + anais baby blankets to use in the hospital and for the ride home
• Carseat (bring the instructions) – you can’t go home if you don’t have this!
• A babybook to write in (if you have time… ha!) and to put baby footprints in
• Infant nail clippers (the hospital won’t clip their nails for you)
• The Baby Book by Dr. Sears

Leave a Comment

When planning for a hospital birth, it’s important to plan ahead and pack 2-3 different bags. What did you pack in your hospital bag? Would you add anything to this list? Would you take anything off? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.