The Hospital Bag: What You Use and What You Don't
Two lists, one from the checklist and one from experience. They overlap by about a third.
There are hospital bag lists that run to four pages, and there is what you will actually reach for at 4 a.m. on day two. The gap between them is mostly towels, tiny outfits and optimism.
What gets used
Long phone cable. A dark, loose nightdress for labouring in if you would rather not wear a hospital gown. Snacks you can eat one-handed, because the cafeteria closes and hunger after birth is startling. Lip balm. Two changes of clothes for your partner, who will otherwise be wearing the same shirt for three days. A going-home outfit for the baby in newborn size and one in preterm size, because nobody knows which they will need. Whatever you use to sleep, and whatever you use to cope.
- Long charging cable, extension lead if you can find one.
- One-handed food: nuts, dates, crackers, a flask for cold water.
- Loose clothes for the way home that fit a body five months pregnant.
- Nappies and wipes for the car ride, not for the whole stay.
What stays in the cupboard
The four-page list usually includes a stack of books nobody opens, a laptop, a full wash bag, makeup, and enough outfits for a fortnight. Pack one bag for labour, one small bag for the ward, and leave the rest in the car or with whoever is driving you in. Hospitals are warm, corridors are long, and you will be moving between rooms more than you expect.
The single most useful thing you can pack is a note of who to text, with the message written out. When it is over, you will be too tired to compose anything, and copying the same paragraph eleven times is a strange way to spend your first hour as a family of three.
Written by
MudLittle Contributor
MudLittle, LLC contributor
