As a notorious over-preparer and over-packer, I decided early on in this pregnancy that I wanted to have my hospital bag ready to go in plenty of time. And after having THREE dreams recently that I went into labor early and we were on our way to the hospital with no hospital bag and no car seat, I decided it was time to get it together and get the bags packed!
WHERE TO START
I was totally overwhelmed with what I thought I needed in our hospital bag, so I decided to break it down to 3 categories. As I’ve mentioned before, we are planning on using the Hypnobirthing technique during labor, and there were some things that I knew I would want during labor and delivery. However, I didn’t want my husband making 14 trips to the car when I really need him to be in the room with me. I tried putting only the most important things in the labor bag, so we have to grab one bag out of the car, and can get the rest of our things later.
THE LABOR BAG
My first hospital bag is the labor bag, I put our documents. Our hospital doesn’t have the option to pre-register, but they say the registration process is pretty straight forward. I made a copy of my insurance card and ID, because those 2 things are required to check in. I’m planning on having my purse with the actual cards, but I figured having copies didn’t hurt. Also in the front of our folder is a copy of our birth plan on bright orange paper. While I have one in my file with my midwife, I wanted to make sure that our nurse and any other physician who is on call has a copy available to them.
I also put my birthing affirmations that I printed and laminated in this folder, so A.J. can have them handy when I need them. Personally, I strayed away from most of the typical affirmations, and went with some prayerful affirmations because I think that will help me the most.
I also put essential oils and a diffusser in the bag. I plan on bringing Lavender, Frankincense, Peppermint, Stress Away, and Valor. Other essentials that I packed were my labor gown (I dispise hospital gowns, and wanted something comfortable), a sports bra and swim suit bottoms for the whirlpool, my wireless headphones for my relaxation tracks, chapstick, hair ties, and our camera.
THE HOSPITAL BAG
As far as our hospital bag goes, I packed it just like I would pack a bag for a weekend away. A couple changes of clothes for the hubby and myself, slippers/flip flops for the cold hospital floors, and our basic toiletries. I kept my clothes pretty simple and stuck to leggings, nursing camis, and nursing bras. Throw a cute cardigan or this floral robe on and you still look cute but comfortable when visitors stop by. I also packed the baby’s outfits in here as well, and I put them in two gallon Ziploc bags to keep them separate and easy to access.
Lastly, I have a few miscellaneous things that I threw in the car. 2 pillows and a blanket from home (to use either during delivery, or to have for A.J. when we move to recovery). Our car seat, car seat cover, and an extra blanket for the baby, stocked diaper bag, a bobby for nursing support, cute little gift bags for the nurses (Starbucks double shot, kind bar, chapstick, and caramels), and extra phone chargers (I bought extras on Amazon so I don’t have to think about grabbing them when we rush out the door!).
I hope this list helps you out when you go to pack your bag for the big day! I’m the kind of person that likes to check things off a list, so grab your FREE printable PDF copy by clicking HERE (plus, this list is a little more detailed) Also, if you would like a copy of the Birth Affirmations, shoot me an e-mail in the contact section and I will send them right over to your inbox!
