What I packed for my hospital birth.

Packing for the hospital is when things start to get quite real. While you can start gathering the contents of the luggage you will carry on the most-transformative-journey-of-your-life as early as you would like, I probably would not worry about it until you are in your third trimester. I started ordering and assembling things I knew I wanted on hand but didn’t use on a daily basis around 36/37 weeks.

At the end of this list, you will also find a template for creating a one-sheet of your birth plan to bring with you to the hospital.

And just a reminder: we don’t have control over our birth experience, even with all of the preparation in the world. That said, you should absolutely feel empowered to ask for what you want and need and insist on things if you are not feeling heard. I had a nurse I really did not feel comfortable with, and my husband covertly went to the charge nurse and asked that someone else be assigned to our room. I didn’t even know about it at the time, but not having that nurse reappear relieved so much anxiety. This is your experience, and you are the most important person in the room.

And in the end, any outcome that results in a healthy baby going home with you is as successful as anyone can hope for. You’ve got this.

xo,

Miranda

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PACKING FOR A HOSPITAL BIRTH

(1) bag for Labor & Delivery

(1) bag for Recovery

BECAUSE many hospitals give your partner very little time to get your shit and get out of your labor room. If you pack this way, you can leave your recovery bag in the car until you need it and reduce the amount you have to shuffle through and gather.

Also good to keep in mind: the average hospital stay for a vaginal birth is 2 days, and 4 days for a cesarean birth. You may think you know the birth you will be having, but things change, so it might be a good idea to pack for a 4-day stay just in case. For reference, I went in for a scheduled induction and ended up staying for a week.

LABOR & DELIVERY PACKING LIST

• Insurance Card

• Birth Preferences Sheet printed out (find my templates at the end of this dispatch). This will save you a lot of repeating yourself as the nurse shifts change and new folks join your care team. Keeping it to one page also ensures that it will actually be read

• Nurse gifts (more on that further down)

• Portable fan a hand-held/rechargeable battery operated one (and my personal favorite); option two—larger and plugs into the wall. I cannot stress how much use I got out of the handheld one that I brought—with the hormone fluctuations I was just constantly soooo hot and just having some moving air on me was very soothing

• Facial Mist this one by Caudalíe is my allllll time favorite; it literally smells like a spa treatment in a bottle. Runners up for me are this classic by Mario Badescu, or this fine mist of pure water (or DIY your own with one of these).

• Diffuser and essential oils small device, massive impact. The nurses were also constantly commenting on how good our room smelled and it seemed to make them want to stay longer :)

  • A few diffuser options drift linen diffuser; ceramic diffuser (Amazon)

  • Essential Oils

    • For a spa feel opt for rosemary, lavender, and eucalyptus

      • Rosemary

      • Lavender

      • Eucalyptus

    • For a spritely hug, reach for Palo Santo, Petitgrain, and Geranium

      • Palo Santo

      • Petitgrain

      • Bourbon Geranium

    • If undecided, go for a variety pack!

      • Variety Pack (Amazon)

      • I’ve never found variety packs that include Palo Santo, so you may want to buy a standalone bottle if you go this route

• iPad for you! To watch your favorite shows! I did not think there would be time for this, but yes, yes there was, and I watched a lot of Law & Order SVU. Link to purchase on Amazon.

• Headphones (noise cancelling, even better, especially for sleep or if you need to get in the zone and block everyone out), & an Amazon option

• Portable speaker & an Amazon option

• Flushable wet wipes and nice toilet paper (here are both on Amazon)

• Cleansing wipes for face and body, love this option from Cetaphil—it’s gentle with a low scent profile.

• Grippy bottom socks or upgrade to these wool sock/booties

• Charging cables with long cords and universal prongs

• Toothbrush/toothpaste (for you and your birth partner)

• Also for partner:

  • Pajamas

  • Change of clothes

  • A cozy blanket like this travel one or this more plush option

• Snacks & Drinks think high-protein and shelf-stable (or something that will survive in an only sorta cold cooler for a few days)

  • protein drinks/bars, pb&j makings, granola bars, whatever makes you feel good and comforted! And your partner too since they will likely be doing more of the eating than you

• Refillable Water Bottles

• Your Favorite Bed Pillows and use colorful pillowcases so they won’t get confused with the hospital pillows

  On Epidurals

  A hospital birth was a given for me due to a few risk factors. My only regrets from my birth experience are (1) agreeing to an induction and (2) waiting 24 hours before I asked for an epidural.

  After three years of IVF, I felt like I didn’t have anything to prove and knew I was open to receiving pain relief, but I still waited far too long to ask for it. I found even the cervical exams wildly painful. But instead of seeking comfort, I waited until the insertion of a foley balloon for manual dilation caused me to have a pain induced panic attack.

  Birth is not a competitive sport, not everyone’s experience is the same, and suffering does not make you a hero. This is not me pressuring you to get an epidural, but rather, to give you permission to do whatever you want and need to do, regardless of what you may worry others will think. If anyone in your life is forcing their opinions about all of this onto you, please tell them that they are welcome to make whatever decision they would like when they give birth.

  I will also say that some people experience greater discomfort and sensitivity when it comes to this area of the body. The only time I got an IUD, for example, it caused me to faint. When the contrast dye was inserted for my HSG, it caused me unbearable pain and residual cramping, where for other friends it apparently felt like nothing. So listen to your body, and make a plan based on your unique needs.

  RECOVERY ROOM PACKING LIST

• Masking Tape and a sign to place on the door telling any non-essential staff/optional visitors not to enter so you can sleep. A nurse put a sign up like this for us for a few hours one day and it actually worked. The rest of the time, beyond the constant nurse visits and the grueling triple feed schedule I was put on, we had lactation consultant after lactation consultant waking me and manhandling me (many hospitals are incentivized to send you home nursing, no matter how harrowing the labor or birth trauma); people entering the room and waking me from fleeting naps to get me to sign up for surveys/hospital studies. A nurse came in and woke me from my first deep sleep to tell me goodbye because her shift was ending. The sleep deprivation got so bad I started hallucinating. Anything you can do to keep visitors out is a good thing.

• Toiletries anything you love for the shower, plus all of the lotions/moisturizers, or luxe travel-size versions of brands you’ve always wanted to try but wouldn’t normally splurge on, like these from Aesop, Typology, or Malin & Goetz. Anytime I pack a bag for a trip, I like to create a little capsule life for myself with all of my favorite things, and recovering from delivery is a pretty good time to indulge yourself…

• Hair styling stuff and makeup that makes you feel more like yourself

• Dry shampoo this one by Kevin Murphy is my favorite in the scent and quality department. Some alternatives are: Living Proof and this great budget option (the hairdressers on set often carried this one to add texture to fine hair)

• Earplugs these are the ones I absolutely swear by and wear literally every night (also great for a snoring partner). They will also help with all of the room intrusions.

• Silk eye mask I love everything about this one from Lunya; the pressure and texture are 100

• Real clothes for departure

  • For you:

    • this set was everything for at the hospital, on the way home, in the first weeks of recovery (and beyond). Use code MIRANDABENNETTSTUDIO for 10% off :)

  • And for baby:

    • This was the set our little one wore home from the hospital, I still get a bit teary eyed when looking at it. And some other going home sets like this, this, and this or this splurgy one. I know if might seem extra, but I promise you won’t regret it. It’s so profound getting your little one bundled up in something special and driving them home for the first time

• Nursing pillow and the same option on Amazon

• Breast Pump & Accessories remember that you can get both through insurance if you have qualifying coverage, and if not, this one is my holy-grail pump (and here it is on Amazon). The hospital will be able to give you vials/bottles for feeding. You can also ask the hospital to use their pump if you want to wait or do not have one

• Colostrum collection kit

• Flip-flops for the shower & an Amazon option

• Travel bottle cleaning kit I had no idea how much we would end up using this! Here is another nice option and a budget option on Amazon.

• Baby scrap book if you want a footprint from the hospital

• Folder for hospital paperwork

• Infant car seat (can’t leave the hospital without it). I would also recommend installing it prior to when you depart for the hospital so you have time to figure things out without any pressure on you.

THINGS TO CONSIDER DOING AT HOME AHEAD OF TIME

• Disinfect all breast pumping gear before packing to bring along. It’s nice to take advantage of having the support there while you learn how to use it. Pumping can also help with labor induction. And it is great to have on hand in the case of a c-section to help with your milk coming in.

  • Sanitizer Options Affordable Option & the same one on Amazon; a mid-tier option

• Pack nurse gifts you might consider splitting half for labor & delivery, and half for recovery nurses, I feel like the recovery staff always gets left out. AND INCLUDE A THANK YOU CARD WITH YOUR NAME :)

  • What we got, as suggested by my doctor who said the nurses usually love cute hair accessories, and that she often heard them complain about dry hands and lips from the hospital HVAC

    • Scrunchies a 30-pack of assorted colors in a cute gift bag

    • Hand Lotion with cute branding that belies the price

    • Lip Balm since these are going on lips, I like to opt for something a bit nicer/organic

    • Treats things you can buy ahead and have on standby: prepackaged granola bars, rice crispy treats, trail mix, cookies, etc. Opt for things that are individually wrapped. You can be more ambitious and order Tiff’s Treats or something like that, that was just not where our minds were when we headed for the hospital…