If you have found this post you are probably SO close to the finish line of your pregnancy. Doesn’t the last month just seem like time drags!? Baby boy or baby girl will be here soon, so just take a deep breath, relax and hopefully this post will help you do just that… at least relax about what to bring in your hospital bag. 🙂

Essentials:

• Your Phone/ A Camera
• Going Home Clothes for You & Baby: if you want to be super minimalist, you can wear what you came in wearing
• Phone Charger

Seriously, St. David’s Hospital, Baylor Scott & White Labor & Delivery, & Seton Hospital will have everything you absolutely have to have for mom & baby. You may or may not use the following from your bag:

• Nursing Shirt: basically one that has easy access to the milk and comfortable. Button up nighty worked great for me. — they do have the hospital gowns too if you’re good with those
• Loose pants/ Yoga Pants (preferably black to avoid possible staining)
• Robe: I wore this over my nursing shirt when company came
• Nursing Bra/ tank
• Slippers/ Non-Slick Socks: I just wore the non-slip socks they give at the hospital though
• Pillow: If you’re attached to your pillow specifically, bring it. Otherwise they have lots of pillows there. Hospital pillows are white, so bring your pillow in a non-white pillow case so maintenance does not confuse the pillows.
• Phone Battery Pack
• Power Strip / extension cord 
• Big Yeti Cup: Hospital provides big double walled mugs for water to use and take home but if you particularly like your yeti’s ability to keep water ice cold this may be an essential to you.  My 2yo daughter ended up hijacking mine because it was a cool cup with a straw. 😉
• Toiletries: shampoo/ conditioner/ soap/ razor/ hair ties/ deodorant/ etc. — some hospitals may have some shampoo or body wash combination
• Hair dryer
• Nursing Pads: you may or may not leak in the hospital
• Light Makeup
• Lip Balm
• Sounds Machine: if you are sensitive to possible noise from other rooms
• Tablet/ Computer: for me all I wanted to do was sleep, so not a big deal if you forget. There is also a TV in the rooms as well.
• Extra Bag:  for all the goodies you can take home like diapers/wipes etc.

Basically, I have found it is nice to shower once you’re able to walk again after delivery (if you get an epidural) which is a good point to then change into your own clothes. The mesh undies they have are great as you don’t need to worry about staining them from blood overflow. (sorry if that is TMI)

Personal note: these suggestions are from my experience delivering at Baylor Scott & White Lakeway & at St. David’s North. Some suggestions also come from other moms around Austin, Texas.