When I did my hospital hopping to look for the best one to deliver my munchkin, they all encouraged me to pack my hospital bag well in advance. A lot of the hospital tour guides told me that I can bring in my own music list to listen to, essential oils , Battery operated candles to set the ambiance, wireless earphones and what not! I left the hospital feeling elated and excited as if I were to pack for a vacation !! Unaware of the fact that when the time comes, I would not be looking for those candles or my Punjabi playlist but would only be screaming to get the baby out!! So here I am trying to provide you a realistic quick maternity bag packing list to refer to along with some tips !

Here is a list of the essentials that you must pack ( followed by a fancy optional list )

1. Phone charger and battery backup – essential and often forgotten.
2. ID proofs and insurance card – Needed for paper work for admission and release from the hospital.
3. Comfortable maternity gown : It is best to deliver in the hospital gown ( since it gets pretty messy 🤷‍♀️) and then change into your comfortable gown, but if you plan on not using the hospital gown for the delivery remember to pack additional ones! If you plan on getting a maternity photo shoot done do pack something beautiful for it. PS- I bought a lovely satin bathrobe for the pictures) that could be work over the hospital gown. You deserve to pamper yourself . You are going to be working too hard 🙂 You can find some here : https://amzn.to/2YYtaFJ
4. Comfortable maternity bra: I felt that post pregnancy one of the biggest struggle was breastfeeding . You and the baby are both learning. There are tons of issues that may happen such as baby not latching, low milk supply, getting the position right etc etc. It always helps to have comfortable clothing. You can find it online – https://amzn.to/2Lp4Pkt
5. Cute onesies for the baby: Most hospitals provides basic (mostly white ) onesies. You would want to dress him up in all those pretty clothes you have been stocking up on. Also photos!!
6. Blanket for the baby: Always best to get your own warm blanket for the baby.
7. Extra Clothes: Pack additional clothes for yourself to be comfortable during the stay and to come back from the hospital. Just so you know you will not fit into that pre-pregnancy clothes right away , you are most likely going to be returning home looking 6 months pregnant so carry your loosely fit clothes with you 🙂
8. Toiletries : The stay can be anywhere from 1 to 5 days depending on the complexity of your case. So it is best to pack some basic toiletries- tissues, hairbrush, comb, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hair clips, and hair ties. Also, a plastic bag to pop dirty clothes in is a must.
9. Snacks: Home healthy snack you would like to much on! Cause hospital food mostly sucks!

Essentials that the hospital provides (but it is best to double check early on) :

1. Diapers – Hospitals provide you lots and lots of diapers and generally tell you to take the ones that they have provided in your room [which is plenty btw] – so you can take those home.
2. Maternity pads – you will need a lot of them – so stock them at home, but they will be provided at the hospital.
3. Peri bottle –-[LIFE SAVER] You will definitely be provided this in the hospital if you have a normal delivery. Do remember to bring it home. You might need it for quite some time. 🙄 If you don’t get it in the hospital you can find it here : https://amzn.to/3dBUDkP
4. Breast pump: Often times a lot of insurance companies offer free Breast pumps which you should get well in advance. For someone with low supply / Latching issues can hugely benefit by using a pump. Hospitals generally do have a lactation specialist you can call and they usually have a pump there too but it is mostly the manual one which I found was hard to use.

Optional

1. Essential oils/ Body creams for a massage during contractions
2. A Playlist on your phone / tablet of songs that calm you and divert your mind.
3. Baby Book : Our hospital provided Viaan’s footprint on an ink pad, so we asked them to print it on our baby book for keepsakes too!
4. Nursing pillow. : Helped me immensely while breastfeeding and holding Viaan comfortably. Although I did not carry it to the hospital since I didn’t know I needed it.
5. Small pillow for your comfort
6. A book to read and relax.

REMEMBER to get your Car seat fixed because it is mandatory to have one in your car to be able to take the baby home.