It’s seriously crazy for me to think that we are almost ready to meet Baby Denner!  Not because this pregnancy hasn’t felt long (honestly it’s felt like forever 😂), but because I can’t believe how drastically different our life is going to look in a few short weeks.  We can’t wait, and really wouldn’t mind if he decided to make his debut a little ahead of schedule 😉.

The past few weeks, I have been slowly collecting and buying things for my hospital bag and I’ve gotten lots of requests to share what I’m packing.  It’s so fun to go on this pregnancy journey with so many of you, and so many of my veteran mom followers in this amazing community have given me such great advice!  So, today I’m compiling the advice I’ve gotten from you guys and family/friends and sharing what I’m packing in my hospital bag, as well as what I’m packing for Daniel and the baby.

And a heads up: at the bottom of the post, we’ve created a printable checklist for you with all these details for when it’s time for you to pack your own bag or to give to a girlfriend!

Hey guys!  I’ve updated this post after having Rhett and have put all my thoughts on what I would/wouldn’t bring in italics at the bottom of each section!  Hope this insight is helpful!

For Mom

This is definitely the longest list!  I know there’s just a lot going on after you give birth, and I really want to have what I want to be comfortable without over-over-packing.  Notice I said two “over’s” because I definitely tend to over-pack 😂.  I personally love to have to comforts of home, and know I will really appreciate some of these right after I give birth.  So, while I know the hospital will definitely provide some of these items, I am choosing to bring them just for added comfort.  I’m, packing it all in my carry-on bag as one of you suggested because it has wheels and will be easy for Daniel to wheel out with the other items he will be carrying when we leave!

Clothes

First up, the clothes!  Nothing makes me feel more comfortable than wearing cozy sweats and pajamas.  I plan on delivering in the hospital gown they give you, just because I don’t want to take that home with me.  But for after delivery, I plan on wearing this sleep shirt.  It has buttons all the way down to allow for easy nursing, the fabric is so soft and cozy.  It has long sleeves to keep me warm in the cold hospital rooms, but will allow the doctors and nurses to easily check me after delivery because of the fact that it’s a dress and not pants.

If everything goes as planned, we will most likely be staying in the hospital for two days after delivery.  For the second/third days I am packing this pajama set that is the same soft fabric as the sleep shirt and is nursing friendly, as well as my favorite Lululemon Align pants (similar) and this button-down thermal I own in three colors.  As far as other random clothes I’m packing, I got these cozy joggers, a couple of these nursing tanks (so soft!), and a robe.

I bought two different nursing bras to test out once he is here and decide what I end up liking.  So far, I think I am going to love this nursing bralette because it is so cozy and similar to what I am used to wearing.  I also packing this more basic nursing bra that has gotten great reviews, so we will see!  These Bamboobies washable breast pads are another item I’ve had recommended to me over and over that I am bringing.  They are so soft and thin, and I love that they can be thrown in the washer/dryer.

Socks and slippers were one of the most highly suggested things to bring!  I am asking for this pair of UGG slippers for Christmas, so I am hoping that I’ll have them to bring with me.  The non-skid bottom was something a lot of you suggested for the hospital floors, so I think they will be perfect.  I’m also packing these cozy socks that I love to keep my feet extra warm.  And one thing you may not think to bring, but is a must have in my book are shower sandals!  I know I will want to shower after birth, and so I’m packing this pair of flip-flops to wear.

The best item of clothing I brought and 100% recommend getting and having is the sleep shirt I mentioned above.  After delivery it was so nice to not have pants when dealing with the routine checks the nurses have to do.  The next time I have a baby, I will bring two of them and just skip the pajama set altogether.  The one thing I would recommend doing is sizing up!  I bought the small and wish I had the medium instead just because it would have been more comfortable.  You’re pretty full of fluids and still look pregnant for the most part so having extra room is nice!  One more thing: definitely stick with all dark colors for the first couple week (especially the first few days)…you don’t want to ruin anything 😉.

I wore my Lululemon leggings home from the hospital with the tie-front thermal I talked about above and a nursing tank underneath.  Next time I will skip the nursing bras for the hospital (and for the first two weeks in general) and just wear nursing tanks.  Your boobs change so much those first two weeks and all of the nursing bras I bought originally didn’t fit two weeks later.

A pair of slippers was great to have for walking the halls with Rhett those first couple of days, and shower sandals were a must!  I also wore this Barefoot Dreams cardigan so much to keep warm and as a robe (instead of an actual robe).

Toiletries

Speaking of showers, I am packing this mini set of shampoo and conditioner that I use at home.  I am funny about shampoos and love mine so much, so I know I will appreciate having this!  We are also planning on taking some photos while we are there, so I am going to bring my hair dryer, curling iron, and makeup products for the day we do that.  Other items that have been mentioned to me as absolute “must-haves” are: mouthwash, chapstick, dry shampoo (you know I won’t be forgetting that 😂), lotion, hair ties, and prenatal vitamins!  Definitely all things I will want to have and may forget.  So many people have told me that they wished they had chapstick and mouthwash, so I definitely have those packed!

We chose to do newborn pictures when Rhett was two weeks old instead of in the hospital, so I would skip the curling iron and makeup altogether next time!  I never put makeup on because I had lash extensions and honestly did not want to deal with makeup.  I did use my blowdryer after showering though so that I wouldn’t have wet hair.

Definitely would recommend chapstick and mouthwash because I used both, as well as dry shampoo…honestly just a new mom must-have in general 😂.

Other Mommy Must-Haves

We pre-registered with our hospital, but I am still packing my wallet with ID and insurance card just in case, as well as my birth plan.  We used this checklist to decide what important things we wanted to include in ours and it’s super simple, but will be nice for our nurse to have and know what’s important to us (I packed a couple of copies!).  We also have his baby book packed to have his little foot and handprints done in, so make sure to bring your’s if you want that done!

As far as necessities recommended to me for after birth care, these Always Discreet Underwear definitely were at the top of the list.  I haven’t had a baby yet, but I have heard that the mesh panties/pad combo they give you really isn’t all that comfortable, and people swear by these instead!  I’m also bringing a bottle of Dermoplast spray, Tucks pads, and a jar of nipple butter.  A bunch of mommas suggested also bringing the FridaBaby Fridet washer because they said is was so much better than the ones the hospital provides!

EVERY SINGLE NEW MOM needs the FridaBaby Fridet!  It is hands down worth every single penny.  It does not compare at all to the one they give you in the hospital.  I probably used mine for two weeks straight after and washed it in the dishwasher and stored it to use after my next baby.  I didn’t need to bring the Dermoplast spray or Tucks pads because my hospital provided more than enough of both…and sent me home with a ton.  Be sure to take advantage of whatever they will send you home with!

The Always Discreet Underwear were also awesome.  While I was in the hospital I ended up just using the mesh underwear they give you with the ice pack and pad, but the Always Underwear were all I wore for the following week-and-a-half.  After that I wore these undies from Aerie for about 2 more weeks.

Another item that was highly suggested was a phone charger with an extra long cord because the outlets can a far from the bed.  Definitely a pro-mom tip!  My hospital provides birthing balls, but I will probably bring my own as well as my favorite maternity & nursing pillow!  This pillow has been amazing during pregnancy and I’m excited to use it for nursing as well.  And lastly I’m packing my own hand sanitizer to have by my bed for visitors that may want to hold him but may not have used the sanitizer at the door, as well as for myself!

I didn’t end up bringing my own ball and am glad I didn’t.  Totally not necessary and you already have to bring so much stuff.  However, I LOVED having my own pillow.  Definitely will bring it again next time!

Nurses’ Gifts

I know that after I give birth, I will have a whole new level of appreciation for what labor & delivery nurses do!  It is definitely not the most glamorous process, and so I really wanted to bring something special for them for taking care of me.  After polling my cousin and friend who are both L&D nurses about what their favorite gifts they’ve received were, we decided to get them Trader Joe’s gift cards as well as a snack basket for their nurses station.  I’m not sure how many nurses I will have over the course of our stay, but I’m bringing 4 gift cards with me!  Other items they say they have received and loved are donuts, Starbucks cards, and See’s Candies.

Our nurse’s gifts were a HUGE hit!  I made the snack basket for the Labor & Delivery nurses, but wish I would have brought one for the Mommy/Baby nurses as well.  They cared for us so well for a much longer time period.  Also, I wish I would have brought more gift cards than 4.  Daniel ended up going out and grabbing two more so we could make sure that all of the nurses that cared for us got one!

For Dad

Daniel plans on staying at the hospital with me while we are there, so I am packing a bag with pajamas and a few changes of clothes for him.  I’ll also pack his toiletries and a pair of shower sandals for him as well!  Other than that, the only things I’m packing in his bag are a phone charger, a bluetooth speaker (so we can play worship music in our room during labor & delivery), and SNACKS!  I know he will be hungry throughout labor and over the course of the few days we are there, so I am packing some of our favorite things in his bag.  I’m thinking protein bars, chips, crackers, and his favorite candies 😉.

For Baby

Most of what our little guy needs is being provided by the hospital, but there are some things that I want to make sure we have!  As far as clothes go, I packed him three little footed pajamas that are so soft and cozy and I can’t wait to hold him in.  One of them he will wear home!  I also packed a little beanie that I got from our baby shower.  And most importantly…his car seat!  We haven’t installed it in my car yet just because I heard you should wait until about 37 weeks, but you can bet it will be there next week!

We went with this car seat and love it already.  Be sure to check out this post for all our baby registry items and why we chose what we did.  Lastly, I’m bringing his diaper bag because it’s a backpack and why not?  I probably don’t need it because they provide diapers, wipes, etc. at our hospital but the first time mom in me just wants to have it. 😂.

Definitely needed to have brought more clothes for Rhett!  He peed all over his going home outfit an hour before we got wheeled out…so much for that 😂.  Next time I will bring 4-6 outfits instead of 3.  Also, I didn’t need any diapers and/or wipes whatsoever.  The hospital actually will send you home with an extra pack which is super nice.  I never even used his diaper bag.  All we needed for him was clothes, a swaddle, and his car seat.

That’s everything!  Sounds like a ton when you type it out, but honestly it really isn’t that much in my bag!  I packed for both the baby and I in my carry-on roller and packed a small backpack for Daniel.  Other than that the only two things we are bringing are the car seat and diaper bag!

Hope these notes were super helpful from a post-birth mama!  You don’t want to overpack and next time I will know so much better what I need and don’t.  For the most part, I think I did pretty good, but there were definitely items I could have left home!  Make sure to leave any help you may have for new mamas in the comments below!!

Be sure to leave any must-have items I may have missed in the comments!  I definitely still have time to grab something I may have missed and I would love to hear! 😊

Click HERE to download the printable Hospital Bag Checklist!