Hospital Bag

When thinking about pregnancy, one thing I had always heard not to worry about was the hospital. You just show up with a few necessities and creature comforts and everything else is provided for you. The advice from my friends was even to bring extra bags to take home everything from extra diapers to nasal aspirators because hospital policy is not to reuse anything that has been in your room. Packing for the hospital seemed to involve throwing some P.J.’s, sleepers, slippers, music, snacks and maybe glasses or contacts into a bag and having it ready to run out the door.

Upon learning that, like most things, it is just a bit different here I began researching what people take to the hospital. I compiled a list and it included the following. Some may be the same as the states but some I am still shocked that people are expected to provide themselves such as diapers, formula (the hospital won’t provide it unless you have attempted to breast feed and couldn’t for medical reasons) water.

Hospital Bag
*Pack one bag for you and one for the babies
• Ear plugs (you’re in a ward with up to 5 other women and their babies.)
• Old night dress (to give birth in… no hospital gowns.)
• 2 P.J. Sets
• Old underwear
• Your own large fluffy towel (have heard tons of stories of people drying of with the paper towels because no clean towels were available)
• Pillows (You get one flat one.)
• Overnight pads
• Toiletries
• Wet Wipes (To clean out the shower… can’t make myself think about it but because you are sharing a shower with the women on your ward they aren’t always cleaned out when you are able to shower and I have heard horror stories of bloody floors women have had to wipe down)
• Shower Shoes
• Breast Pads
• Journal to keep track of changes and feeds and pens
• Snacks (the café is only open during the day.)
• iPod with Audiobooks (no internet or cable T.V. folks)
• Water (there is a water cooler and Dixie cups should you become thirsty. Otherwise, better bring your own.)
• Camera
• Birth plan and hospital notes (Notes = records)
• Phone numbers
• Plastic bag for really dirty clothes
• Glasses
• Contacts
• Lanolin cream
• Change of clothes for Trey


Baby Bag
• Diapers (New Baby)
• 10 sleepers (extra for twins and sometimes they stay in the hospital longer.)
• 2 baby blankets
• Cotton balls
• Wipes
• Nappy sacks
• Going home outfit

Now, you can only bring what you can fit in your little area of the ward but, fortunately, your husband has to go home when it isn’t visiting hours so he should be able to make plenty of trips home to restock your diaper supply and bring in extra water should you need it.