You may have packed a hospital bag before. You know the drill. Comfy clothes, toiletries, chargers, snacks, underwear you won’t mind saying goodbye to.
But you may never have packed one as a surrogate.
This time, your bag gets to be about you.
About what will make you comfortable during labor, what you’ll want beside you afterwards and what will make those first hours of recovery a little easier. So pack the good moisturizer. Bring your own pillow if you sleep better with it. Take more snacks than you think you’ll need and absolutely bring the extra-long charger.
You’ve done a pretty extraordinary thing for another family. This is not the moment to pack light.
Start with what makes you comfortable
Surrogate birth is still birth, and your body has done all the work of pregnancy to get here.
So think about what makes you feel comfortable when you’re away from home. Soft pajamas or a nightgown, a robe, slippers or slides, toiletries, lip balm, hair ties, your skincare and clothes you’ll actually want to put on when it’s time to leave.
And yes, underwear.
Not necessarily your best underwear. Birth has very little respect for your best underwear.
Your own pillow can be worth the space it takes up. An eye mask can help when the hospital lights have other ideas about nighttime. A favorite blanket, fluffy socks, headphones or anything else that makes the room feel a little more comfortable is completely fair game.
Your hospital will have plenty of supplies, and your care team can tell you what they provide. But if having your own things around you will make you feel better, bring them. There are no bonus points for packing light.
Bring the snacks you actually want
Hospital food has its moments. It also has its moments.
Pack things you know you’ll be happy to find in your bag, subject to whatever your medical team recommends around eating during labor.
That might mean protein bars and fruit. It might mean crackers, candy, your favorite chips or the very specific snack you’ve been thinking about for the last three weeks.
A refillable water bottle is useful too, and if there’s an electrolyte drink or something else you love when you’re tired, add it to the pile.
This bag is about looking after you. Pack accordingly.
Pack for the woman coming home, too
It’s easy to think about the hospital and forget about the trip home.
Your body will still be recovering from birth, so give future-you a little consideration while you’re packing.
Loose, soft clothes are your friend. So is comfortable underwear. Depending on your birth and what your medical team recommends, you may need postpartum supplies, medications or other recovery items after discharge.
If you’re having a planned C-section, think particularly carefully about what will sit comfortably around your abdomen. Something loose and easy to put on is going to feel much better than an outfit that requires negotiation.
And if your birth doesn’t go exactly according to plan, don’t worry about whether you packed for the “right” version of it. Your hospital, support person, NewGen team and intended parents are there around you. Anything else can be brought in.
The important thing is that your recovery gets as much consideration as everyone else’s preparation for the baby. ACOG’s postpartum recovery guidance is a useful resource for what to expect physically and emotionally after birth.
What if you’re planning to pump?
Some surrogates choose to pump breast milk after delivery and others don’t. It’s a personal decision and something to talk through with your intended parents, medical team and NewGen team before birth.
If pumping is part of your plan, check what your hospital provides. You may be able to use a hospital pump while you’re there, and your care team can help with the practical side of pumping and milk storage.
You might also want a pumping bra and any breast-care items recommended by your medical team.
If you aren’t planning to pump, your care team can help you understand what to expect when your milk comes in and how to manage any discomfort.
If you’ll be expressing and transporting milk, the CDC has clear guidance on safe breast milk storage and preparation, including storage times and handling recommendations.
Either way, having the conversation beforehand means there’s one less thing to work out when you’ve just given birth and would much rather be resting.
Bring something for the waiting
Birth involves a surprising amount of waiting.
Waiting for things to start. Waiting for things to progress. Waiting for someone to come back into the room. Waiting for discharge paperwork. Waiting for the person who said, “I’ll just be five minutes.”
Bring something that lets you switch off for a while.
Headphones, a Kindle, a book, a downloaded series, podcasts, games on your phone. Whatever lets your brain go somewhere else when you want it to.
Download things before you leave home rather than trusting hospital Wi-Fi with your happiness.
And we really do mean it about the long charger.
Make a plan for going home
There’s naturally a lot of planning around who will be there when the baby arrives. Spend a little time thinking about who will be there for you afterwards, too.
Who’s taking you home? Who’s looking after the kids while you’re in hospital? Is your partner staying with you or coming and going? Who can bring you something you’ve forgotten? And what do the first couple of days at home look like if you’re more tired or sore than you expected?
Make life at home as easy as possible before you go in. Accept the school pickup. Let someone bring dinner. Put the clean laundry in a basket and decide that folding it is somebody else’s problem for a while.
You’ve just carried and delivered a baby. You’re allowed to be looked after.
That support doesn’t begin at the hospital door. It’s part of the wider journey, from matching with intended parents through pregnancy, birth and recovery. NewGen’s step-by-step surrogate process also gives a broader picture of where birth sits within the full surrogacy journey.
The surrogate hospital bag checklist
We’re firmly on team pack it if it will make you more comfortable. You can always leave it in the car.
For the hospital
- Photo ID, insurance information and any paperwork you’ve been asked to bring
- Comfortable pajamas or nightgown
- Robe
- Loose clothes for going home
- Plenty of comfortable underwear
- Supportive bras or pumping bras, if relevant
- Slippers, slides and comfy socks
- Toiletries
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hairbrush and hair ties
- Lip balm
- Skincare
- Glasses or contact-lens supplies
- Any medications your medical team has told you to bring
- Extra-long phone charger
- Headphones
- Water bottle
- Plenty of your favorite snacks, where permitted
- Book, Kindle or downloaded entertainment
- Eye mask
- Your own pillow or blanket if you want them
- Whatever little comforts make you feel more at home
If you’re pumping
Talk with your care team about what the hospital provides and whether you’ll want your own pumping bra, breast-care items or anything needed for storing or transporting expressed milk.
And if you forget something?
You probably will. Everyone does.
Someone can make a Target run. Your partner can bring something from home. The intended parents can help. Your NewGen team is there. And the hospital will have far more supplies than you could reasonably fit into a suitcase anyway.
So don’t worry about creating the perfect hospital bag.
Pack generously. Pack the things that make you comfortable. Pack for the birth, but also for the woman who has spent months carrying and caring for a very wanted baby.
Everyone is getting ready to welcome that baby.
We want to make sure someone is getting ready to look after you, too.
