This is What a Hospital Bag Looks Like at 41

ICYMI, I’m pregnant. With my fourth. And it’s my first girl.

The last four days I’ve been having consistent pre labor symptoms. I’m 38 weeks today and I’ve never gone early (in fact I tend to go past due) but over the weekend I felt a panic induced need to have my hospital bag ready to go.

Yesterday’s cervical check confirmed my panic was evidence based. I’m already dilated 3 cm. It’s such a relief to see my body naturally progressing towards labor after experiencing more inductions than natural starts to labor (with my first I went into labor naturally and with the following two boys, I needed an induction and started at 0 each time).

So it was good I packed my bag and I’m here to share it before I enter the newborn bubble! The fun part is that this list is drastically different than my first time at the hospital. My list has changed, just like me. And I (of course) have thoughts on why.

At this ripe age of 41, I have much higher standards than I’ve ever had before. I like nice things and I have thoughtfully curated rituals that make me feel like well…me. I’ve talked about these rituals both here and here.

I always like to treat myself to one nice thing pre-labor and for this pregnancy that was a customized paisley tote with baby’s name on it (can’t wait to show you her name!!!).

I’ve learned a lot from my previous three births/hospital stays. I know I will want super soft modal organic cotton pajamas. That we’ll be taking lots of photos and videos, whether I like how I look or not, so I want my pajamas to look photo worthy.

I wore super old pajamas when I had my oldest and now cringe when I see them in the videos that he loves to watch each year on his birthday.

I know I’ll have night sweats, so lightweight nightgowns are also a non-negotiable (I bought this, this and this). Plus you never know if you’ll ultimately have a c-section so you always need an option that doesn’t touch your tummy.

I know my boobs will be out nonstop so to help me feel less like a cow and more like myself, I packed my favorite lace bralette, my simple black bra and my go to nursing bralettes.

I’ll want my hair out of my face, so my silk headscarves are coming because I now have a bob and can’t put my hair up in a pony.

I know that baby girl will need minimal items since the hospital is great at providing all that. I now only pack a couple snap front tops because they always bundle them up in swaddle blankets.

And I’ll bring one of my favorite swaddles for the times I’m swaddling her (and would prefer velcro over traditional method) and a few muslin blankets to have on hand to breastfeed.

I packed a couple options for coming home that are dependent on both how big she is and how hot it is when we leave the hospital. It’s been VERY humid here recently so packed both a summery option and a cotton sweater set (similar to the one I have).

I absolutely need my daily skincare routine (my face wash, vitamin C serum and moisturizer) and my grounding body wash (the peppery spa like smell of this body wash is unreal). I have a lot of insecurity around the natural darkness surrounding my eyes and using my eye masks and eye cream every morning have made a significant improvement. The sleep deprivation always makes my eyes so much worse so those are a must.

I will be super anxious to have a holistic birth golden latte (or golden oat milk latte) soon after delivery. I got the Clevr mix to make this super easy to make happen at the hospital. And I no longer drink coffee so I’m planning on having a chai latte instead. I’ll of course have my daily matcha lattes as well but my routine for making those is too intense for the hospital so I’ll have my husband just bring me one from Starbucks.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching what the modern moms on TikTok love right now and everyone says this little egg light makes a huge difference in romanticizing middle of the night feeds. I also got myself an Amazon Fire tablet so I can watch shows as I breast feed instead of just scrolling (currently watching Top Chef’s newest season which is my ultimate comfort show/something I’ve watched for 20 years).

And lastly, items that are completely unnecessary but that I’ve found make a BIG impact: your own towel robe to put on post shower (because why does the baby always want to eat the second you get out of the shower and are still sopping wet!?) and my own hand towels for washing my face (10/10 recommend Brooklinen’s towel line and they are currently on sale!).

None of these things are medically necessary, but they are the comfort things I reach for on an ordinary day in my life so I absolutely want them around me on the hardest, most vulnerable days.

You can shop my entire hospital bag here.

See you on the other side!!!

Kate