I watched countless videos and read several lists about what to bring to the hospital. It was hard to weed through the items that people were sponsored to use and what was actually necessary if you were not planning to VLOG the experience.

Below are the items that I brought and I will let you know if I was missing anything!

What I packed my items in: REI 60L Roadtripper Duffel. This bag fit everything I and the baby needed at the hospital. We have also used this on a few of the trips we have taken with Weston. It is huge and compacts down to the size of it’s front pocket when you are not using it.

Best pieces I brought for me:

• Sweatpants: I was told there would be a lot of bleeding so don’t bring any light-colored clothing or brand-new items in case they stain. I yielded this advice and decided to bring old sweatpants with that had a hole in them; I anticipated throwing them away but they never really got messy and I would bring different (cuter!) pants next time. However, I would definitely bring sweatpants again as the hospital room was chilly.
• Nursing tanks: are a MUST but the ones I brought were very uncomfortable and didn’t fit for a few more weeks. I brought these but next time would bring some like these. I suggest bringing tank tops that are nursing and pumping friendly. Racerback nursing tanks albeit cute are not pumping friendly. I would not plan on pumping in the hospital and did not pump but you may have to depending on what situation you are in.
• Slippers because hospital floors are cold and not always clean.
• My own pillows because hospital pillows are flat and really do suck.
• Pump because the nurses/lactation consultants will show you how to use it. There are instructions but if it’s your first time using one, these look a bit like torture devices so it’s helpful to get a more in depth tutorial.
• A Roku! I cannot explain how awesome this was! We streamed movies and TV during labor and especially during the night when Weston did not sleep… Check to see what technology your hospital room will have so you can bring DVDs, Roku, etc.
• My own towel was a good choice because hospital towels are paper thin.
• Podster for Weston as he hated sleeping in the hospital bassinet and wasn’t technically allowed to sleep in our arms…if we were asleep…which we never were…😊

What I would bring next time:

• A pacifier! Now of course, every baby is different but Weston would have done amazing with a pacifier as he caught on to breastfeeding right away and had trouble sleeping.
• An actual swaddle! The hospital has blankets that can be swaddled but when you are sleep deprived and not swaddle pros like the nurses, any short cut swaddles would be amazing.
• A bassinet if allowed because our baby (and most babies of friends’ that I have) hate the bassinets in the hospital and didn’t sleep a lick in the hospital. And you are specifically NOT allowed to co-sleep in the hospital which made those 3 days the hardest we’ve had with our baby.

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Overall, I think I did pretty good the first time around but would definitely add some additional things for baby. Good luck mama!