By Frida Mom
The No BS Hospital Packing List for Labor and Delivery
Around 36 weeks, the chorus begins: “Did you pack the bag? You need the bag!” Instead of searching through dozens of printable lists on what to pack in your hospital bag, take a deep breath and know we've got you covered with our Frida Mom Hospital Bag Checklist.
Since you'll be away from home for at least 24 hours, probably longer, the bag is definitely important. But have you heard some of the advice out there?! Our picks for most ridiculous include:
• Your personal Alexa. If only, you could shout,"Alexa, get this baby out now - and fast."
• “A sandwich for your husband.” Yes. That is a real suggestion.
• Your favorite toilet paper. This one really makes us laugh because you literally have to bidet your vajay for the first week or so.
Trust us when we say you won’t need that s&*t! This is all you will need for D-Day.
• Comfy clothes. Wear them to the hospital and wear them home. The reality is that your clothes are going to fit the same before and after your baby is born! Maybe grab an extra pair of comfy pants in case your water breaks on your way to the hospital, but otherwise, don’t give hospital fashion another thought.
• Delivery clothes. True fact: You don’t have to wear the hospital-issued gown. You can bring your own clothes to wear during delivery, and we highly recommend it. Go with a comfortable, stylish, and functional delivery gown that doubles as a nursing gown versus the hospital version that gives your nurse a full view of your butt every time you so much as lean forward. Our Delivery + Nursing Gown has an easy snap front panel that folds down and allows for easy skin-to-skin bonding with your little one. It doesn't hurt to pack an extra one to wear post-birth. This childbirth business can get messy.
• The usual suspects. Toothbrush, hair brush, lip balm (that hospital air can be super dry), glasses or contacts. Makeup, if you want. A touch of blush and a little mascara makes a lot of us happy, so you do you. Pro tip: if you are getting induced or know you have some time before heading to the hospital, go ahead and shower and do your hair the way you like it. It’ll be your last “me time” for a bit, and you’ll feel more like yourself in the million of photos you’ll take when you meet your new baby!
• Small travel bottles of your own shampoo, conditioner, and your own soap. That first shower after delivery, in that little, windowless hospital bathroom shower stall will feel real good. You will feel a tiny bit like yourself, and it can help you relax and rejuvenate if you have a few of your own comforts. But hospitals have toiletries, too, so don’t stress if you don’t get around to it.
• Postpartum Essentials. So the hospital or birthing center will have a lot of what you’ll need. But, if you’re anything like us, you want to have effective, useful products at arm’s length, without having to call the nurse or go digging through random drawers. This is the not-so-glamorous part of postpartum recovery. We like to come equipped with:
• An upside down peri bottle to bidet your vajay after you use the toilet (because even gentle toilet paper will feel too course for comfort).
• Ice pads for your vagina (for pain, swelling and absorbing the blood).
• Witch Hazel healing products for your poor perineum.
• Super stretchy, disposable underwear to support all the layers of recovery.
• A photo or small good luck charm that will bring you comfort and help you dig deep during the roughest points of labor. It may sound unnecessary, but if you can, throw that in the bag, too.
Make it easier on yourself and get all the recovery essentials in one kit. Our Labor and Delivery + Postpartum Recovery Kit covers you from the first contraction to that dreaded first postpartum bathroom trip, so you'll be fully prepared.
That’s the list. Hand to heart, that’s all you need. Well, that and some good labor juju, but that’s a different list altogether.
