After going through the whole process of birth, I feel like I have a better idea of what I should bring to the hospital.

Stuff for the Baby

1. Washcloths: there might be some spit ups so having some dried and cleaned washcloths is useful. Useful for eye discharges if your baby happens to have some eye discharge. Also useful to dry the little butts after wiping with wet wipes.
2. Baby blankets sheets: I never knew how many baby blankets I needed until the kiddo kept on getting poop and pee on their blanket or spit up on the blanket. I would say I needed about 5 blankets + the hospital linen sheets that they provide as well!
3. Baby cloths: although the hospital provides baby cloths, these cloths might get dirty with spit ups and poops, so I prefer to bringing some of my own as a backup.

1. Baby diaper: looking back, I would bring a few Newborn size and a few size 1 diapers (in case the baby is a little big). The first poops are very hard to wipe off the butt, so I would change the diaper as soon as possible with the first few poops. The hospital also provides diapers, so the hospital diapers are also good.
2. Baby wipes: usually hospital provide this, but it’s good to bring your own if you don’t think you can trust the hospital brand baby wipes
3. Baby socks: I noticed that the skin on my kiddo’s feet is kind of dry a few hours after birth, so I think having socks handy would help. I would bring some newborn socks and some 0~3 M socks.
4. Baby bottle and formula: it’s good to have a backup plan to breastfeeding even if you choose to breastfeed. I wasn’t able to have enough milk first, so supplemental baby formula really helped a lot in the beginning

Stuff for the Birthing Parent

1. Bottled water: it is important to be able to pee within a few hours after getting epidural. For me what really helped me pee was walking around and drinking water in the postpartum room.
2. Juice: when it is hard to keep food down.
3. 1/2 size up shoes: my feet was very swollen near the end of my pregnancy, having shoes that is a 1/2 size up really helped me feel comfortable walking around.
4. Snacks

1. Pillow: might be good to ask the hospital for extra pillow but it is nice to bring your own pillow that you are comfortable with as well
2. Thicker blanket: sometimes you can ask the hospital for a heated blanket, but when that’s not possible, it’s nice to have an extra blanket handy
3. Button-up shirts: to help feed the baby easier
4. Change of cloths: you might want to shower after birth. It is also nice to walk out of the hospital with clean cloths. Keep in mind that you will still have a belly after birth, so might be good to just keep on wearing maternity pants/dresses.
5. Slippers/flip-flops: if you end up using the hospital shower after birth.
6. Kleenex: I had to blow my nose a lot! Also useful to clean up after yourself after eating.
7. Extra bag: if you think you might need extra storage space for the goodies that the hospital gives you.

1. Nipple cream: if you choose the breastfeed, breastfeeding can be super hard on your nipples at first. Good to have these handy to help out.
2. Tylenol: to help with the pain. Always good to consult the nurses and the doctors at the hospital on the dosage or whether it is okay to use Tylenol or not.
3. Adult diapers: hospital usually provide this, but this could be nice to have if you know a brand that’s comfortable for you to use
4. Trash bag: the hospital can give you some stuff to take home, so it’s nice to have an extra bag
5. Birth plan: have your birth plan ready to give to the nurse or the support person to advocate for your birth

Stuff for the Support

It’s nice to have a support person with you while you give birth, however, the hospital nurses was very helpful too! I would recommend the following for your support person.

1. Bottled water
2. Snacks
3. Car: it would be nice to get food after birth because sometimes the hospital food might be bad (we got green eggs!).
4. Pillow: there isn’t a bed for the support person, so the support person will most likely be sleeping on the couch. So good to have a pillow that is comfortable for the support person.

General Travel Items

1. Paper cup + tooth brush + toothpaste
2. Phone charger
3. Phone with a lot of free space to take pictures/videos
4. Gaming console
5. Hair ties if necessary
6. Gum: to help calm the nerves
7. Shampoo
8. Body soap