Hospital Packing Checklists From Moms Around the World

Women have been getting pregnant and delivering babies since the beginning of time. But when it comes to how they prep for delivery day, well, that differs wildly depending on where in the world you give birth. The Bump asked moms from places as far-reaching as Brazil and Montenegro to Spain and China to tell us the best things they packed in their hospital bag. The results are pretty surprising.

Montenegro

Sarah Pavlovic gave birth to son Kai in Herceg Novi, Montenegro

In her hospital bag:

• Babylove nappies
• Baby clothes from Target - I was really lucky that my family threw me a baby shower and gifted us a lot of baby clothes. A single onesie in Montenegro costs as much as 11 Euros ($12.30 USD), which is very expensive when you consider the average take home salary is only 400 Euro per month
• Cotton wadding - you can’t buy maternity pads here, you buy cotton wadding instead
• Mothercare disposable underwear
• Ipad
• Apple juice, Suza water, Plazma biscuits, Milka chocolate, mixed nuts
• Book - haha, [for] when you think you’ll lie there serenely reading while your new baby naps!
• 4 bags each with Jancic brand Turkish coffee, Milka chocolate and money for the nurses
• Bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky and money for the doctor
• Souvenir slippers I bought in Switzerland
• Women’s Secret pajamas
• Toiletries from Paula’s Choice
• Boppy nursing pillow

Australia

Kaamna Bhojwani-Dhawan gave birth to son Karam in Sydney, Australia

In her hospital bag:

• iPod
• My small idol of Lord Ganesh (the Hindu god of overcoming obstacles)
• 2 Bonds nursing bras
• Kotex maternity pads
• 2 changes of clothes
• 2 nursing nightgowns with buttons down the front
• A special blanket bought for the baby from India
• Toiletries: Clarins face wash, Heliocare sunscreen, Kiehl’s moisturizer. Revlon eyeliner, NARS lip pencil
• Lansinoh nipple cream
• Sony video camera and Canon SLR camera
• Restoration Baby & Child coming home outfit for baby

Spain

J.R. Duran and his wife gave birth to daughter Addison in Barcelona, Spain

In her hospital bag:

• Deliplus diapers and wipes
• Deliplus sanitizer
• A birth kit with Mustela baby products, including cream and baby cologne (Spaniards are big on making babies smell good!)
• Bottles of pre-mixed Nestle Nativa formula - yes, the candy company, but they also make popular baby formula in Spain
• A turquoise-green onesie from a clothing store called Primark
• My wife’s Motorola phone
• My gateway laptop
• My Motorola phone
• Our Flip UltraHD video camera
• Medela nipple cream we bought from a baby store called Prenatal
• We also had a Medela Swing breast pump we used the second night we were home

China

Suki Lee gave birth to daughter Alyn Deng in Guangzhou, China

In her hospital bag:

• Parents’ ID card to prepare information for the baby’s birth certificate
• Maternity insurance medical card for insurance claim
• Cash, credit card and debit card
• Birth permit - we have [government-mandated] birth population control in China. If you don’t have, then you cannot get the birth certificate for the baby
• Pampers nappies
• Baby and mother clothes from the supermarket Carrefour
• Maternity pads from Jiao Xue, a popular brand in China
• iPhone, Canon camera and VCR (to capture the birth moments) - some hospitals allow the husband to stay in the maternity room to witness the baby’s birth. My husband did that. I think it means a lot to me and the baby
• Dove chocolate for more energy during labor
• Red Bull
• Nursing bra
• Socks for mother and baby from Carrefour to prevent having a cold
• Antenatal records for the doctor to learn more about your pregnancy and the baby’s status

Panama

Rebecca Bennett gave birth to son Rufus in David, Panama

In her hospital bag:

• Baby clothes, including a little cotton hat
• Beaming Baby cloth diapers from the UK and Bambo disposable diapers from Amazon
• Homemade calendula-infused diaper balm
• Homemade baby wipe formula (recipe on my up-and-coming website blog, The Solid Bar Company
• Paper towels
• Baby blanket
• Maternity pads and sanitary towels
• Canon camera
• Blackberry phone
• Graco car seat
• Kindle

Nicaragua

Amanda Cuadra gave birth to daughter Noa Isabel in Managua, Nicaragua

In her hospital bag:

• Victoria’s Secret button-down shirt as pajamas
• Kind bars
• Bottle of water
• Pillow
• Exercise ball
• Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
• Cheat sheet on labor preparation course and on baby’s first poop
• One set of clothes for baby (at the hospital babies can only wear the clothes from the hospital)
• Baby’s first earrings - usually baby girls get their ear lobes pierced at the hospital
• Whole grain muffins from a local bakery for the next day
• Organic disposable diapers
• Receiving blanket

Brazil

Emily Harteau gave birth to daughter Sierra Luna in Florianopolis, Brazil

In her hospital bag:

• My makeshift chart/folder of my prenatal history from Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil while traveling during pregnancy.
• The CPF, a tax ID card for foreigners I had registered for beforehand to have my child in
• Brazil
• A copy of the short term lease we had on a small house in Brazil
• Generic disposable diapers, because I had a hard time finding cloth diapers in Brazil. When my mom came to visit when Sierra was 10 days old, she brought cloth diapers
• Under the Nile organic hand-me-down onesie and Ultra Violet Kids baby clothes
• Receiving blanket
• All-natural lip balm from Dae Williams
• iPhone for newborn pictures and for passing the time while in long, slow labor
• Postpartum outfit - Motherhood.com pregnancy jeans and a Joe’s Jeans cashmere sweater
• My own meal - my husband, Adam, brought me food from Nutri, my favorite local restaurant, which has a great by-the-kilo salad bar. He stocked me up with a huge salad, whole wheat empanadas and roasted veggies, as well as some apple cake for Sierra’s just-born birthday cake. Hospital meals are not that tasty, as you may have heard
• MIZU water bottle

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.