Packing Your Birth Bag
Packing your birth bag is unlike packing for any other trip. You’re going to the hospital pregnant, but you’ll be coming home a mom. Grab your favorite bag and put it in a convenient place. The odds are good that you’re going to be adding things to the bag and pulling them back out a lot in the next few weeks as your excitement—and nerves—grow.
Here are a few things to consider packing
- Insurance information and hospital preregistration forms
- Camera, video recorder, batteries, and chargers
- Cell phone or calling card and list of family and friends’ phone numbers
- Things to distract you in labor such as CDs and magazines
- Your favorite pillow and/or Boppy nursing pillow (Hospital pillows are often covered in rubber, and they’re not very comfortable or cuddly.)
- Breath mints
- Comfy quilt or throw (The hospital ones often smell too antiseptic.)
- Pajamas or a nightgown and a robe
- Slippers or warm socks
- Several pairs of underwear
- Your cord blood collection kit if you’re banking your baby’s cord blood (Many hospitals stock kits, so if families forget, that’s still okay.)
- Toiletries such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, ponytail holder if you have long hair, soap, shampoo, and conditioner
- Soft, comfy bras and nursing bras if you plan to breastfeed
- Sanitary pads in case the hospital doesn’t supply them or they look too uncomfortable to use
- Candy or lollipops to suck on in labor
- Nutritious snacks for afterward such as granola bars
- Cute hat (You may not feel like—or be allowed to—take a shower and wash your hair, and you don’t want to have a major bed-head when people come to visit.)
- Comfortable outfit that you wore around month five for your trip home
- Small suitcase (You’re going to come home with a lot more stuff than you left with, and you’ll need something to pack it in.)
You’ll also want to bring things for your baby, perhaps in a separate bag. Consider packing a special outfit for the ride home, baby blankets, a hat, and diapers if your hospital doesn’t supply them.
Last but not least, toss in some things for your partner. This could include more snacks, change for vending machines, and something for him to do, such as magazines to read.
Tips from doctors who are also mothers, on what they put into their birth bags
“I packed my bag around a week or so before I went into labor. I packed reading materials, outfits for the baby, and my Boppy nursing pillow to help me breastfeed. I also took my computer because the hospital had wireless Internet. I was actually able to use my computer because the baby slept a lot!
—Amy J. Derick, MD, a mom of one 15-month-old son who is 17 weeks pregnant with her second son. Dr. Derick is a dermatologist in private practice at Derick Dermatology in Barrington, IL.
“While my sanity was still intact at 20 weeks, I started to pack my bag. Every few weeks, I reviewed what was in there and added to it as necessary. I kept two lists: what I had packed for myself, and what I had packed for my baby. For myself, I packed body lotion, perfume, a mirror, a book (not that I had the chance to open it), my cell phone and charger, slippers, an outfit to go home in, and a list of people I wanted to call. For my baby, I packed diapers, a going-home outfit, receiving blankets, the car seat, and presents from the new baby brother or sister for my older children. Also, don’t forget the camcorder and camera.”
—Aline T. Tanios, MD, a mom of three and a general pediatrician and hospitalist who treats medically complex children at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.
“I packed my bag when I was 38 weeks pregnant. Generally, women pack theirs earlier, but for some reason I really didn’t think about it. I packed a nightgown, underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush. I actually didn’t end up wearing my own nightgown or underwear while I was in the hospital. You bleed so much after delivery, and I didn’t want to mess up my things. Instead I wore the hospital gown and the mesh panties they provide.
One thing I was sure to leave at home was my jewelry. You don’t want to have to worry about that when you’re in labor and adjusting to motherhood.”
—Ashley Roman, MD, MPH, a mom of two daughters, ages three years and six months, and a clinical assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City.
“My second son was born at 36 weeks, right when I had started thinking about packing my birth bag. I didn’t want to pack it too early, because I thought that would only make time pass more slowly.
When my contractions hit in the night, my husband and I were so focused on getting to the hospital in the middle of a blizzard before the baby came that we completely forgot about packing a bag. After the baby was born, I sent my poor husband back home to pick up some pajamas so I wouldn’t have to wear a hospital gown.
When I got pregnant with my next child, I had that birth bag packed and ready to go at 26 weeks! I recommend having your bag packed and ready to go at the beginning of the third trimester. Update it weekly with a new magazine, bigger pants, warmer or cooler pajamas, and bigger clothes for the baby.”
—Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, a mom of three, family physician in Lexington, KY, and coauthor of “The Mommy MD Guide to Pregnancy and Birth.”