What you need before going to the hospital

  • Car seat (nuna pipa or uppababy)
  • Stroller decision** (you actually don’t need a stroller immediately, but you want to pick the car seat with this in mind, and you *might* use it right away)
  • A few outfits including one for photos. 
    • I recommend ones with fold-over hands and feet in case you’re worried about scratching.  Nobody has time for socks or mittens–they will fall off and get lost.
  • Nursing pillow – bring one to hospital.  You’ll want it for nursing and holding the baby.
  • Extension cord or extra long phone charging cable or both
  • Nursing bra (preferably two, can be super cheap from amazon, but you’ll want something)
  • Robe (often comes with delivery gown as a set)
  • Change of comfy maternity clothes for when your gown is dirty. 
  • travel humidifier because hospitals are terribly dry (works with any water bottle): https://www.amazon.com/BONECO-Travel-Cool-Ultrasonic-Humidifier/dp/B001JL4LZ4
  • eye mask and good earplugs like the mack’s silicone kind because getting any sleep in the hospital is next to impossible
  • a labor and delivery gown because anything you bring will be sooo much more comfortable than the hospital gowns.  They all have plenty of snaps and access points so you don’t have to worry about getting permission to wear your own.  You may not care during labor, but you definitely will for recovery.  I was so sad when I had to wear the hospital gown while the one I brought was being washed.  I got this one, but the frida mom one looks good too:  https://www.motherhood.com/3-in-1-labor%2C-delivery-and-nursing-gown/007-93233-000-001.html
  • the frida mom disposable underwear, peri bottle, and cooling foam are all amazing. They’re all sold separately or in gift sets. The mesh underwear they give you at the hospital are not as comfortable as the frida ones, especially after the first few days, and the peri bottle is so much easier to use because of the angle (hospital just gives you a squirt bottle).

This frida mom bundle is a nice gift set which includes all of those things and their labor and delivery gown, ice packs, and pad liners that I didn’t try but that sound great:  https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/frida-mom-hospital-bag-labor-and-delivery-postpartum-recovery-kit/5413539

  • Nipple balm/cream
  • Hakaa manual breast pump (to catch leaking, not to start pumping for real)

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