June 2, 2026
What To Pack in Your Hospital Bag: Podcast Episode #345
Packing your hospital bag can feel overwhelming, especially with so many conflicting checklists online. What do you actually need for labor, postpartum recovery, and your baby’s first days?
In this solo episode of Ask the Doulas, Kristin Revere breaks down the must-have hospital bag essentials for birthing parents, partners, and newborns. From comfort items that can make labor more manageable to practical postpartum recovery supplies and baby basics, we share what is truly worth packing—and what can stay at home.
You’ll learn:
- When to start packing your hospital bag
- Labor comfort items that can help during birth
- Postpartum recovery essentials for a more comfortable stay
- What your partner should bring
- Baby items you’ll need (and those you probably won’t)
- Common overpacking mistakes to avoid
- Tips from experienced doulas who have supported hundreds of births
Whether you’re planning a hospital birth, induction, or scheduled cesarean, this episode will help you feel prepared, confident, and ready for the big day.
Tune in for a practical, doula-approved hospital bag checklist that takes the guesswork out of packing for birth and postpartum.
This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Use the code GOLDCOAST to receive a discount of up to 20 percent off.
Hello, hello! This is Kristin Revere with Ask the Doulas, and I am excited to chat with you today about hospital bags. This is the topic that I get asked about from my birth doula clients, from friends, and from my childbirth class students.
In my early days as a doula, I once had a client roll into the hospital with what I can only describe as vacation luggage. There were two full suitcases, a tote bag, Ziplock bags with snacks, a breastfeeding pillow, the whole situation. And so we crowded everything into triage and then needed help bringing it up to the delivery room from staff, and I was a new doula, so I could have done better in advising my client what to bring. I gave a few tips but certainly was not prepared for all of the luggage and gear.
And when labor started, really, none of the extra stuff that was brought mattered. The second suitcase wasn’t opened. It could have been left in the car, if postpartum and labor bags were separated. Her partner could have gone and gotten the second bag later. She didn’t have time to go through makeup to do touchups. Once labor began, things were moving. I do remember dealing with a phone charger that was too short and her partner trying to search for ChapStick – because it does get dry in those hospital rooms – and trying to find snacks for himself that were in the bottom of the bag. I do talk about not only packing in advance and having a bag set while you’re pregnant versus trying to throw something together when you go into labor, but also thinking about intentionally packing what’s important to you, and this is not a week-long cruise. We’re talking a short weekend trip. So think about a carry-on size bag versus full luggage and potentially having a separate postpartum bag. Your partner could easily have a duffel for what he needs.
But I want to simplify this for you and talk about what you actually need, what you can leave at home. It’s your choice, and of course, I support all of your choices. But I think that sometimes the mom groups and Pinterest can be overwhelming with the lists of what people suggest you bring. And of course, everything depends on the hospital you’re delivering at, if you’re delivering in the hospital, or the birth center. If you’re delivering at home, it’s just a matter of making sure that you have things that your midwife wants for you to have in your homebirth bag, and the midwife will help you prepare for that.
So if you are low risk, I would say pack your hospital bag between 35 and 36 weeks. And that is in case you go early, and certainly if you’ve had other children and have gone earlier in the past, even being low risk, I would pack it more like 32 weeks and get an early start on that. Now, if you are high risk, if you’re carrying twins or triplets, if there’s talk of induction, then I would pack it earlier than 35 weeks. Keep the bag accessible. Having it in a front closet is great. And adding to it as your due date gets closer or if induction is discussed or if there’s any indication that labor will begin before your estimated due date.
So let’s talk about what to pack for you, to start with, and why. So you can certainly wear the hospital gown, and often times, they’ll double up so you’ll have coverage in the back; you’ll put on two gowns. Some of my clients love to do that because they don’t want to get bodily fluids on their own clothing. They don’t want to buy new clothing to labor in so it keeps the budget down. If you do want to bring your own, you can wear a flowy skirt and a nursing tank if you’d like. That’s what I wore for my own labor. And now there are so many cute labor gowns. You can look into different brands; Pretty Pushers would be one that has been around for quite a while. Amazon has tons of labor gowns as well to consider. But they allow for cords and skin to skin and breastfeeding. They’re easy access, really cute designs, and still quite affordable. So I have clients that will sometimes get a different gown for the postpartum room than they do for labor because, again, thinking about if the water broke, if there’s any fluids, just having a fresh gown. Some clients will bring a bag to launder any clothing of theirs that they brought from home that they labored in. Some will just dispose of it in the hospital.
Again, I mentioned nursing bras or tanks. Those are important. I don’t like to advise clients to deliver in a sports bra. Sports bras can be very comfortable to labor in, but they are hard to get off, especially if they’re sweaty or if they got wet, when you want to have that hour of skin to skin and bonding with baby and breastfeeding. And sometimes with cords getting in the way or if there’s an emergency, I’ve had clients have to get them cut off. And let’s get real; sports bras are expensive. You don’t to have to have your clothing cut off.
Think about a going home outfit; that could be in that postpartum bag, and also what you might want to be wearing in your postpartum room. Soft, loose clothing; something that’s comfortable, like a lounge set or a PJ set. And if you like your own toiletries, then you can bring them. Similar to a stay at a hotel, the hospital will provide you with shampoo and some of the basics like soap and so on, but bringing your own toothbrush and travel toothpaste – and you can get a lot of the travel-size items at the grocery store or the drugstore to be able to fill your bag without taking up the room of a whole shampoo bottle, for example. But I know I like my products to be sensitive skin focused and organic, so I brought my own toiletries.
A long phone charger is essential so it’s able to reach your bed both in labor and also in the postpartum room. Some of my clients like to bring their own camera. They really want to capture those important moments with baby, or their partner will take photos or their doula might. But most of my clients just have me take photos on their phone, or the partner takes photos if they have their hands free. Or sometimes it’s a mother or mother-in-law. But thinking about documenting.
And then of course, you want to bring your ID. You want to bring insurance cards. And if you have a birth plan or a birth preference sheet, bring that. Some of my clients like to bring pages for a scrapbook to be able to add the footprints and any certificates and so on. That is also important. And of course, your pediatrician information. That will be one of the questions that the nurse asks you for. And with birth plans or birth preference sheets, I tell my clients to bring two copies. If they have a doula, get a copy to their doula in advance at that prenatal visit and get one to their OB or nurse midwife or homebirth midwife if you’re birthing at home, during one of the prenatal visits so they’ve got it on file. But with shift changes and nurses, I find that they’ll often ask to see a birth plan, and it’s helpful for them to be able to know how to support you and anything you might want to decline or request.
Hospitals will provide a lot of your basics, but if you want more comfort and to have things from home that might be sentimental, then certainly think about what is important for you to bring from home. A lot of hospitals will have hot packs that you can twist to put on your lower back, but if you want to bring your own heating pad or something like that, then you can. And most hospitals provide birthing balls and peanut balls for laboring. Some have labor stools, like the cobb. They could be soft and inflatable, or they might be more like a hard labor stool. If you do a hospital tour, you can get a feel for what would be provided to you and what you might need to bring from home.
And then as far as what to pack for your partner: it’s always great for them to have a change of clothes. I find as a doula that I’m often cold unless I’m doing a lot of physical support like hip squeezes and counterpressure, which I often do even with epidurals, but there are times when I get a little chilly. So partners bringing a change of clothes, some layers. Snacks are critical for the partner and for hospitals that allow you to snack. Think about things that are easy to grab with one hand. I love the energy balls and granola bars, bananas, things that will give you energy. Electrolyte drinks for both you and the partner, coconut water if you like it or your partner does. And then you don’t know oftentimes when baby is going to be born, unless it’s a scheduled surgical birth, and sometimes the hospital cafeteria is closed and you just get a basic snack box versus a full meal. And a lot of my clients are quite hungry after delivery. So I not only think about what you might need for your partner during labor but after delivery and in the postpartum room. So snacks to me are one of the most important things. And your partner will often get a hospital pillow and blanket to cover up with, but sometimes you want to bring a blanket from home or your own pillow. And for my clients, I suggest they bring a pillow from home, especially for the postpartum room, that smells like you. Having your own scent – involving all of your senses, taste and smell in labor, touch, sound – is so important. Thinking about that softness versus a starchy hospital pillow that kind of rustles when you’re laying on it – a pillow from home is worth that extra space. Some of my clients will bring portable speakers or just play music from their phone. Of course, you can use TVs in your hospital room; sometimes it’s great to put on a sporting event or a home improvement show for an induction or watch a comedy so you can have sounds from the TV. But bringing in your own speakers – a lot of my clients will want a labor playlist, which is fun, or have relaxing tracks or meditations during labor or as they’re trying to rest after baby is born. So thinking about your partner and what they should pack in a simple duffle with their own things that are easy to grab. A water bottle is great, although the hospital will always provide water for the partner and the patient.
Now, thinking about what to pack for baby after the birth in that postpartum bag. Two outfits are great: one to go home in, and if you’re doing more photos there, something that would be cute in photos. A simple swaddle is always great to pack, and that would be more like a Love To Dream or a SwaddleMe. The hospital will provide more of a muslin type of swaddle, and they’ll actually show you how to swaddle baby. The nurses often will, or a doula can if you have a doula. But one of the most important things for baby that you need in order to leave the hospital is your car seat to be installed in the car that you are bringing baby home in. And I highly suggest you get your car seat inspected by a certified car seat safety technician. Sometimes fire departments will have them. At our biggest hospital, they have car seat safety technicians you can make an appointment with. You can certainly find one near you.
There are some cute Welcome Baby signs that I love for those newborn photos on Etsy. I love when my clients get some of those props after baby is born. And you don’t need a lot of the baby supplies. You don’t need diapers and wipes. The hospital will give a basic onesie and that swaddle that I mentioned. You don’t need tons of outfits because most likely you’re going to be doing photos at home with baby unless you have a birth and postpartum photographer with you. And you might want to talk to your photographer about what they want you to bring. And you will also get mesh underwear and a lot of things for yourself like pads and things for your own postpartum recovery that the hospital will provide that you don’t need to bring from home. A peri bottle would be an example that most hospitals would give you. And you certainly don’t need to bring a pump unless you want one. Sometimes if a client of mine is having an induction and they want to get contractions going, they might bring a little hand pump. But you don’t need to bring any big pumps. And if a pump is needed – like in my case when my daughter was in the NICU, the hospital provided a hospital grade Medela pump, and I brought home all of the parts and ended up renting a hospital grade pump after I got home when my daughter was still in the NICU, to be able to continue pumping. My smaller pump was not going to give me the supply that I wanted. So there are many options, but you don’t need to bring your pump although you certainly can if you want to. It will take up space.
And you don’t need to bring a breastfeeding pillow. That could be something that you could have in the car for the postpartum room. There are so many different brands that are great, but you could just save space and focus on that at home. The nurses will help you fold over different pillows for each side when you’re breastfeeding. But there is a lot of comfort in having that, so if that’s easier for you, you can throw it in the car. And certainly if you are thinking about other options, depending on rules in the hospital, some clients will bring essential oils or sprays. LED candles are great. A portable fan is amazing, but you can also just bring a hand fan. I always have a hand fan in my birth bag, along with LED candles to set the mood. You can control the lighting in your hospital room. It doesn’t have to be super bright lights. You can control if you want it to be very quiet or if you want music or noise. I’ve had clients with playlists that ranged from rap to reggae; it really just varies. A lot of classical music, a lot of very soft, indie vibes. But you can control your environment.
With clients, I talk about having gum; you might feel like your mouth is dry. A hair tie is always great, both in labor and postpartum. Mints to suck on if you are just wanting to have a change of pace, something to distract you. There are some massage tools that are great for labor, like those roller balls, especially. I bring those into my Comfort Measures for Labor class to show students and partners. Some people like to bring a comb as a distraction. You can take the comb and rub it on the back of your hand. I talk to clients about an ice cube and melting that as a distraction. Some clients if they have an induction will bring in videos like their wedding video or a photo from home if they have other kids. The hospital will provide your towels and washcloths and a bin for ice. They will certainly refill your water bottle. There are so many things that you don’t have to worry about. If you are planning a Cesarean birth, you might want to think of a belly support band. Thinking again about loose, easy to put on clothing; high waisted underwear. They will have different ice packs and recovery support as well as just pads. So you can get a lot of the things from the hospital, but if you know you’re having a surgical birth, it can be helpful to have a support band.
Some of my clients will bring in twinkle lights; that can be really fun. Affirmation cards. There are so many great books of cards that you can purchase with different positions for labor or things to try or just full on affirmations. The Labor Deck is one that I show the students in my class. There are so many things to think about, but again, it is all about what you can access quickly and easily and what you think is most important to you and your birth. If you aren’t sure what you want, if you have a doula, talk to your doula about their tips. You can certainly take a childbirth class, and they’ll cover a lot about how to create that birth plan and what to bring. And I do offer virtual and in-person Comfort Measures classes if you’re interested in learning more about how to prepare for your birth both mentally and physically. And we offer baby registry support to help you with a lot of those key items, not only for baby, but also for your postpartum recovery and what you might want to pack in your bag. I’m also a baby registry concierge consultant through Tot Squad, and they offer free baby registry planning in Target in 200 stores right now. I am working at the 28th Street Target in Grand Rapids, but you can find a consultant near you at totsquad.com if you’re looking for more help in items like the swaddle that you might need or some of the postpartum recovery items or those natural products that you might want to pack in your bag for you or baby. Again, they’ll give baby shampoos and so on, but maybe you want some organic products or maybe you want some updated outfits for yourself or for baby to come home in. Target certainly has a lot of that along with many other stores. We would love to help you, and you can find us at www.goldcoastdoulas.com. You can also find other similar episodes to this hospital bag episode at Ask the Doulas. Take care!
IMPORTANT LINKS
Birth and postpartum support from Gold Coast Doulas