Pack with Peace: Hospital Bag Packing List Essentials

Jul 8

Hey, beautiful mama! If you're staring at your hospital bag wondering if you're doing this whole thing right, you're in exactly the right place. Today we're walking through everything you actually need—not too much, not too little, but just right for your comfort and your baby's first precious days. Families tend to stay in the hospital around 2-3 days, but of course this can vary, so let's get you feeling confident and prepared for this incredible journey ahead, knowing that God has been preparing both you and your baby for this moment long before you ever started packing that bag.

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🎧 Listen to the Episode

The Heart Behind Hospital Bag Packing

Can we talk honestly for a moment? There's something so overwhelming about trying to figure out what to pack for the hospital. Between all the different lists online and well-meaning advice from friends, it's easy to feel like you're either forgetting something crucial or packing way too much.

But here's what I've learned through my own births and supporting countless mamas: this is about preparation, not perfection. You don't need to have every single item on every list you've ever seen. What you need is to feel confident, comfortable, and peaceful as you head into one of the most sacred moments of your life.

I've created a FREE companion Hospital Bag Packing List that breaks down everything we're covering today, and it's completely free when you sign up for the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library. Because the last thing you need is more stress about whether you're "doing this right."

Comfort Items That Actually Make a Difference

Let's start with the items that will truly make your hospital stay more comfortable as you recover. These aren't just "nice to haves"—they're the things that can help you feel more like yourself during a time when everything feels new and different.

Clothing That Loves You Back

Pack some cozy pajamas that are nice and stretchy—comfortable PJ pants and a shirt, preferably one that buttons down for easy nursing access, or even a nursing dress. The key is something comfortable and loose with easy breastfeeding access if that's your plan.

Here's something important to keep in mind: you should expect to look about 6 months pregnant after baby is born, so choose clothing that will be appropriate for this transitioning body. Your belly won't immediately return to its pre-pregnancy size, so those stretchy, forgiving fabrics will be your best friend during recovery.

Don't forget a cardigan or robe (again, with easy nursing access) for those inevitably cold hospital rooms. And yes, bring your own slippers, fuzzy socks, and gripper socks. Most hospitals provide gripper socks, but if you have your own favorites, by all means bring them!

Sleep and Rest Essentials

I'm a "bring your own pillow" kind of person, and if you are too, absolutely bring your pillow to the hospital. Pack an extra pillowcase because birth is messy business, and fluids can get on everything—especially if you're using your pillow during labor.

Bring your own thick, comfortable blankets. Hospital blankets are notoriously thin, and you'll find yourself layering multiple hospital blankets just to stay warm. Your own blankets also bring your familiar scent, which might sound strange but is incredibly comforting when you're trying to rest in an unfamiliar place.

A sleep mask or eye mask is golden—both during labor if you're trying to catch some rest, and afterward when the hospital is bright or people are constantly coming in to check on you.

Recovery Items for Your Healing

Let's talk about the practical stuff that many mamas don't think about until they need it. For the first few days after delivery, you're going to be bleeding—think of it like a period, but more intense initially. Adult diapers can be a game-changer during this time, though the hospital also provides pads if you prefer to wear your own underwear or even better—disposable underwear.

Just know you'll want to be wearing either adult diapers or pads 24/7 for those first few days. As the days go on, the bleeding will definitely decrease, but be prepared for those initial few days.

Breastfeeding Support That Actually Helps

If you're planning to breastfeed, nursing tank tops and nursing bras are essential for comfort and easy access—because nursing truly will become your new full-time job after baby arrives.

Consider bringing a Haakaa (a silicone single-unit pump) or Colostrum Collector if you want to collect colostrum/breast milk or if you're planning to exclusively pump. You can also bring your own breast pump, but honestly, unless you're planning to exclusively pump or want the lactation consultant to show you how to use it, I'd leave this bulky item at home. Most moms end up just nursing the whole time they're there.

Here's where I get personal: I absolutely recommend bringing your nursing pillow like a Boppy, plus a couple extra pillowcases. I'm tall with a longer torso, and nursing without my Boppy makes my back hurt. If you forget it, you can ask for extra pillows to put under your arms, but for many of us, the Boppy just makes everything more comfortable. And since you'll be nursing full-time, the more comfortable you are, the more enjoyable the whole experience becomes.

Hydration and Nourishment for Your Body

A refillable water bottle with a straw is absolutely key. Something hands-free that someone can easily hand to you or hold up to your mouth for a quick sip. This is helpful during labor and essential when you're trying to multitask with a newborn.

I actually recommend having two water bottles—one with plain water and another with electrolytes like LMNT for clean electrolyte replacement. Pack healthy, non-perishable snacks you actually enjoy: RX bars, fruits, nuts, dried fruits, maybe some protein drinks. Whatever nourishes you and doesn't require refrigeration.

Personal Care That Keeps You Feeling Human

Bring your personal toiletries—face wash, deodorant, hairbrush, all the essentials. Chapstick is crucial because of all that labor breathing and the dry hospital air. Your lips will thank you.

Pack breath mints, gum, or cough drops—not just for you, but potentially for your partner or birth team if their breath gets stale. Trust me, when someone's breathing in your face during labor, fresh breath matters!

Don't forget shower shoes for those shared bathroom floors (I've seen some things on those floors!), and have hair ties, headbands, and clips ready. Labor is hard work, and you'll inevitably look disheveled no matter what kind of birth you have. Having these readily available helps you feel more comfortable and confident.

Here's something many people don't think about: nasal saline spray. Hospital air is incredibly dry, and I can't tell you how many moms struggle to breathe through their nose during labor. Sometimes hospitals have saline spray available, but it takes forever to get through all the channels. Bringing your own can make labor breathing so much easier.

Practical Items You Can't Forget

Bring any medications and prenatal vitamins you were already taking regularly. Even if they provide certain prescriptions at the hospital, having your own readily available is important. Plan for potentially being there up to five to seven days, depending on your labor and recovery (although 2-3 days is much more typical).

If you wear glasses or contacts, bring everything including contact solution. These seem obvious but are easily forgotten when you're focused on the bigger picture.

Keep your insurance card and ID easily accessible—at the top of your bag or in your purse, ready for the check-in process. And absolutely bring a copy of your birth preferences checklist (listen to episode 3 where I go into detail about this helpful checklist and also find it inside the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library). This incredible tool gets your entire birth team on the same page quickly about your birth preferences.

What You'll Need During Labor

Wear whatever makes you comfortable. I've seen moms in just nursing bras, others in labor dresses, some in full sweaters. When you're in labor, you're so in the zone that you won't even think about how it might seem strange to be wearing only a bra. Prepare a couple comfortable options that allow easy movement and don't be attached to them—birth is messy, and anything you wear can get dirty, bloody, or stained with amniotic fluid.

Consider bringing a sound machine or speaker for familiar sounds or your labor playlist. (There's a worship labor playlist in the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library if you need inspiration!) Don't forget phone chargers, and maybe an iPad for entertainment, though you'll be shocked at how little actual downtime you have.

For Your Partner's Comfort

Make sure your husband packs comfortable outfits for potentially several days, including layers like sweaters or jackets, socks, slippers for walking hospital floors, his medications, and phone charger. All the essentials for an extended stay.

Baby's First Wardrobe

Keep baby items minimal. Swaddles are huge—while hospitals have receiving blankets, if you prefer Velcro swaddles (like this one we used because I could never master the traditional swaddle), bring those along.

Pack clothes from preemie to three months since babies come in all sizes. Focus on items that cover feet and hands: footy pajamas, socks, mittens and hats. Babies tend to scratch themselves accidentally, so mittens protect them from themselves.

Bring diapers and wipes if you have preferences, though hospitals provide these. Same with formula—bring a preferred brand if you have one, or just in case it's needed.

Consider bringing expressed colostrum if you've been collecting it. The hospital can store it in their fridge or freezer, but give them a heads up and get it to them immediately upon arrival to keep it fresh. Most moms don't end up needing it since they're able to nurse directly, but it's great as a safety precaution.

Don't forget a special going-home outfit and any particular hats you want, though hospitals provide basic hats too.

When to Start Packing

I recommend packing between 34-36 weeks—just before you're considered full term. This gives you time to wash clothes and organize everything without packing so early that you need items from your bag before labor begins.

For last-minute items like toiletries and toothbrush that you can't pack ahead of time, make a list and leave it visible. If you've heard my birth story from episode one, you know my labor started quickly, and I was frantically packing toiletries between contractions with my sister's help. A simple sticky note with last-minute items would have made that so much less stressful!

🙏 A Prayer for Your Birth Journey

Lord Jesus, I lift up this precious mama as she's preparing for the gift of bringing new life into the world. I pray that You would fill her heart with peace and excitement rather than anxiety and fear. Lord, give her confidence in the beautiful way You've designed her body to bring life into the world. Calm any worries about the unknown, and replace them with trust in Your perfect plan for her and her baby.

I hope that each thing she packs is a reminder of Your faithfulness and the miracle that's about to unfold. Lord, prepare her heart for the journey ahead, for the strength she'll need, the joy she'll experience, and the overwhelming love that's about to multiply in ways she cannot even imagine yet. Watch over her, her baby, and her whole family during this precious time. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Remember, mama: this is about preparation, not perfection. You don't need every single item on this list, and if you forget something, it will be okay. The most important thing you're bringing to that hospital is your strength, your love, your incredible body that's about to do something absolutely amazing, and most importantly, your faith in the God who has been carefully knitting your baby together in your womb.

📎Resources & Links Mentioned

✨ FREE Hospital Bag Packing Checklist inside the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library

💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Christian Childbirth Education

🥤 LMNT Electrolytes – My favorite clean electrolyte supplement for pregnancy

☕️ Bone Broth - This is an easy way to nourish and warm yourself during labor and postpartum

📚 Childbirth Education Course – Learn the stages of labor, comfort measures, and labor positions

📣 Let’s Stay Connected

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Grab your free birth prep tools at the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library.

**Meet Your Host —**

Natalie is a certified birth doula and childbirth educator in Jacksonville, FL, who equips Christian women to experience peaceful, faith-filled births through virtual and in-person support. She believes every mama deserves to approach birth with confidence, knowing that God has perfectly designed her body for this sacred work.
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📄 Full Episode Transcript

Hey, beautiful mama, and welcome back to the podcast. If you're in that stage where you're staring at your hospital bag, wondering if you're doing this whole thing right, you're in exactly the right place because today we're going to walk through everything you actually need.

Not too much, not too little, but just right for your comfort and your baby's first few days in the hospital. I've created a companion handout that breaks down everything we're going to talk about today into an easy checklist you can actually use. And here's the best part—it's completely free. When you sign up for the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library, either at faithoverfearbirth.com, or you can check the link in the show notes to sign up for that free resource.

We're going to cover the comfort items that will actually make a difference in your recovery, the practical things that many moms forget they need, and yes, we'll also go over what to pack for your partner and for your precious baby too. So whether this is your first baby or your fourth baby, let's get you feeling confident and prepared for this incredible journey ahead.

So let's start with the items that are truly going to make your hospital stay more comfortable as you recover. Starting with clothing, you'll want to pack some cozy pajamas. These are things that are nice and stretchy—comfortable PJ pants and a shirt, preferably one that buttons down so you can easily nurse, or even a nursing dress. Something that is comfortable and loose, but also allows easy access for nursing if that's what you plan to do.

Another thing you can bring is a cardigan or a robe—something again that has easy access for breastfeeding but is comforting if you find yourself in a really cold room. And then also pack things like slippers, fuzzy socks, and even gripper socks. Most hospitals will provide gripper socks, but if you have your own that are more comfortable, by all means, bring those.

Now let's talk about some sleep and rest items. I love my pillow—when we travel, I bring my own pillow with me. So if you are also that way and you just cannot really get good sleep unless you're with your pillow, bring your pillow to the hospital. That's totally fine. You can even bring an extra pillowcase in case it gets dirty or something like that, especially if you're using it while you're laboring. A lot of times, fluids and blood and things can get on it, so bring an extra pillowcase if you decide to bring your own.

You can also bring from home your own comfortable, thick blankets. They will provide blankets in the hospital, obviously, but they're pretty thin. A lot of times moms will need to layer up a lot of the hospital blankets because they're just not that warming. So bring your own comfortable, thick blankets—that is not a problem. And it also helps bring your own scent, which sounds kind of strange, but it's really, really helpful when you're just trying to get into a comfortable, cozy feeling.

I love suggesting bringing a sleep mask or an eye mask. It's great to have during labor—say you're trying to catch some sleep during the labor itself, or if you're just trying to block out all the other things that are happening in the room. Having an eye mask is great for that. But then when you're trying to sleep and the hospital is bright or there are people coming in, it's nice to have an eye mask.

When it comes to recovery, you'll want to have with you adult diapers if you would like to go that route. They also provide pads and things of that nature if you just want to bring your own regular underwear and then wear the pads. But adult diapers are a great option as well if you would prefer that.

Just know that the first couple of days after you've delivered, you're going to be bleeding a good amount, and it's going to be like a period, but maybe more intense. And then as the days go on, it'll definitely start to dwindle—the amount of blood that you have. But for those first few days, you're definitely going to want to be wearing adult diapers or pads 24/7.

If you're planning to breastfeed, these are some items that I think would be helpful to bring with you. The first being nursing tank tops and nursing bras. Those can be really comfortable, but it's also nice to have that easy access to your breasts when you're breastfeeding because that will be your new full-time job after you have a baby.

You can also bring a Haakaa, which is basically a silicone single unit pump, and that can be really great if you're trying to get some extra breast milk or say you're planning to exclusively pump. That can be great. You can also bring your own breast pump if you plan to pump, or if you want the lactation consultant to show you how to use your pump. But by and large, if you're not planning to exclusively pump or want somebody to show you how to use your pump, I would leave this one at home. It's pretty bulky and a lot of moms end up not needing it. They just end up nursing the whole time they're there. So totally up to you—it's just up to how many things you want to bring into the hospital with you.

I also suggest bringing your nursing pillow like a Boppy and a couple extra cases—like pillowcases for that Boppy—because again, birth is messy business, so you can get some blood or other things on it. It's really great to help you find a more comfortable position as you're nursing the baby, whether that be in the hospital bed or sitting on the chair next to the bed in your room.

If you forget to bring your Boppy, that is totally fine. You can just ask for a couple extra pillows and put the pillows underneath your arms. But for some women it's more comfortable just to have the Boppy. I'm definitely one of those moms—it is very hard for me to nurse without my Boppy because I'm tall and so my torso's longer. And so if my arms are not resting on something, oh my goodness, my back hurts so bad. So bring a nursing pillow if that is what you think would be helpful to keep you more comfortable while nursing, because again, you will be nursing full-time. It will be a full-time job and the more comfortable you are in the positions that you're nursing, the longer you can nurse and it's just a more enjoyable experience overall.

A really important element of the labor and postpartum time is making sure that you are hydrating and nourishing yourself properly. I highly recommend getting a refillable water bottle with a straw. That's the key—something that is easy to drink, hands-free, and that someone can hand to you or put up to your mouth so you can take a sip. Very helpful for labor and very helpful whenever you're trying to multitask and do a bunch of other things after the baby's there.

I even recommend having two—having one with just water and then having another drink with electrolytes like LMNT Electrolytes. I'll put their website in the show notes, but that's a great brand for clean electrolyte drink mix. And having healthy snacks that you enjoy—I'm a huge fan of RX bars. I'll put that link in the show notes. Fruits, nuts, dried fruits, anything that is healthy and is pretty non-perishable. Those are great options to have. You can even pack a couple protein drinks and whatever you like to eat or drink.

Some personal care and hygiene items: Make sure to bring your personal toiletries—your face wash, deodorant, hairbrush, all those fun things. And make sure to have chapstick or something for your lips, because as you're doing that labor breathing and hospitals tend to be very dry, you'll definitely want some chapstick for your lips. Have things like breath mints, gum, or cough drops. All that breathing—whether that's you breathing and you want to have a mint or something at some point—you can also have that there for your partner or your birth team if their breath is starting to be pretty stale. You can have gum and mints and cough drops for stale breath because that is not fun when someone's breathing in your face and it's not the best.

And then having shower shoes—something that you can wear just when you're in the shower. You may not even take a shower when you're there, but it's nice to have that because those bathroom floors are shared, and I have seen some things on those floors. So shower shoes for that.

You'll also want to have with you hair ties, headbands, hair clips—whatever you normally would do to keep your hair out of your face. Labor is hard work, and you will inevitably look kind of disheveled no matter what kind of birth you end up having. So make sure to just have all of those things readily and easily available so that you can keep your hair out of your face and just feel more comfortable.

Also, I recommend having nasal saline spray. The hospital air is very dry and the number of times I have a mom who is having a hard time breathing through her nose during labor. Sometimes they do have saline nasal spray available in the hospital, but it takes forever to get that—it has to go through all these channels to just give you some nasal saline spray. So bring that with you. Very helpful and can just make that labor breathing so much easier when you can actually breathe.

Some other things that are more practical: bring any of your medications and prenatal vitamins that you were already regularly taking. They may give you certain prescription medications there so you're not having to get into your own stash. But either way, have all of those things readily available. You don't know how long your labor and postpartum time will be at the hospital. Plan for up to five to seven days even potentially, depending again on how long you labor and how long you're there.

If you wear glasses or contacts and contact solution, bring all of those things. Really important and can just easily be missed if you're not thinking about that as a need.

And then really important that you keep your insurance card and ID card readily and easily accessible. They're going to ask for those things more than likely when you're being admitted. So it's just nice to be able to have that at the top of your bag or in your purse, ready to go, or just give that to your husband to hold onto for when you get to the hospital for the check-in process.

Also, carry with you your birth preferences checklist. I have an entire episode about the birth preferences checklist, but bring a copy of that as well. That is such an incredible birth preparation tool, and it gets your birth team—the nurse, the OB that's on call, the midwife that's on call, whoever—on the same page as you to know: are you doing any of the newborn procedures? Which ones are you doing, which ones are you not doing? It's very helpful to just have all of that information readily available for your birth team to just quickly get caught up to speed on what your birth preferences are.

Now things you'll need during labor. So wear a comfortable outfit. Many times I see moms wearing just a nursing bra and nothing at all, or they are wearing a labor dress or something they bought that's really comfortable and has easy access, like buttons or different things you can nurse. But those are a great option if you choose not to wear the hospital gown, and really you can wear anything you want or nothing at all. I've even had moms labor and give birth with full-blown sweaters on. So it is just whatever you're comfortable in—wear that and just know that even though it seems strange to be laboring with no bottoms on, when you are laboring, you are so in the zone you don't even think about how weird it is that you are only wearing a bra. So don't think that that's weird. It's totally necessary and needed sometimes.

Just prepare a couple things that you might want to wear for labor to be comfortable, to be able to move into different positions quickly without having things in your way. And just realize too that anything you wear can get really dirty, bloody, have meconium, have amniotic fluid—all of the things. So just whatever you're wearing, don't be married to it. It's okay if it gets ruined, destroyed, dirty, whatever.

Some other kind of practical things to think about: having something like a sound machine or even a speaker—sometimes that can be one and the same—where you can play familiar sounds like if you have a sound machine that you go to sleep with, or having your labor playlist. Inside the Christian Mama Birth Prep library, there's a worship labor playlist in there if you're stumped on what songs to add. But that's a great thing too to include so that you can just kind of get the environment set for you.

Phone charger—having your phone chargers, having a computer or an iPad if you want to have some entertainment. Many times the hospitals will have a TV, but if you want to have something in particular you want to watch, that's totally fine. But then also realize, even though you're going there for several days, you will be shocked at how little downtime you have. So just know that even if you bring your iPad or something like that to watch something, there's a good chance that you won't be watching a ton of TV while you're there.

For your husband's packing list, make sure that he is bringing comfortable outfits. Again, you might be there for several days, so make sure that he's bringing things that are comfortable, that are layered. Same premise here. Make sure he's bringing a sweater or some sort of jacket or something to layer, socks, all the things, slippers for him to be walking around on the hospital floors, medications that he needs to bring, phone charger—all of just those essentials. Make sure he's bringing that.

And then for baby, you'll want to bring minimal things for baby. Swaddles are a huge one. Of course, they will have the receiving blankets and they can show you how to swaddle your baby with that. I personally could never get that down pat, and so we always used the Velcro kind. I'll put a link in the show notes to the kinds that we liked with our kids. But that's really helpful for helping the baby calm down and reduce the chance that their startle reflex will keep them up and awake when they can be resting. So bring swaddles if you know ahead of time that you want to use a different kind than the receiving blanket swaddle that they'll provide at the hospital.

I also suggest bringing some newborn clothes all the way from size preemie to three months. Obviously, babies are born all different sizes, so if you know you're going to have a bigger baby, bring newborn to three to six months. If you know you're having a big baby, if you know you're having a small baby, bring some preemie outfits. The key here is having things that will cover their feet and hands. So onesies are a great option—little footy pajamas and socks and mittens. Those are things that are really important. Babies also tend to scratch their face on accident, so that's why mittens are really great too. It keeps them protected from themselves essentially.

And then you'll also want to bring diapers and wipes if you're not planning to use the ones that are provided in the hospital. They will have diapers and wipes for you, so if you are totally fine with that, they'll have that provided for you.

Same thing with formula. If you are planning to use formula—you know that ahead of time—or say you're wanting to bring it just in case formula is needed and there's a particular brand you want to use, feel free to bring that. You can even bring expressed colostrum—that early milk that your body produces ahead of giving birth. So you can even start collecting your colostrum ahead of time and bring that with you to the hospital and they can save that in the fridge or freezer for you to give to baby if it's needed.

Most of the time, women are not needing the colostrum they've collected—they just tend to breastfeed their baby, and that's all they need. But if you want to bring the colostrum just as a safety precaution—just in case it's needed, you have a complicated labor or you're separated from your baby for a stretch of time, something like that—the colostrum can be saved in the hospital as long as you give them a heads up and you'll want to give that to them as quickly as possible. So as soon as you get to the hospital, they are getting that in the fridge or freezer for you, and it can stay as fresh as possible.

And then of course you'll want a special going-home outfit. This can be like we did with Ellie—a matching robe and onesie, a swaddle, hat and dad shirt for when we were leaving the hospital with Ellie. So if you have something like that, make sure to pack all that. And also having hats, if that's something that you definitely have a preference for. They will have hats for your baby, but if you have a particular hat you want to bring, by all means bring that as well.

Before we wrap up here, going over these hospital bag essentials, I want to go over when to start packing this hospital bag. I would typically say between 34 and 36 weeks. This is just before you're considered full term—it's a great time to start packing it. If you're packing it way too early, there are probably things in there that you'll really need in that time. Maybe not, but you can start packing it earlier, of course. But I would say by 34 to 36 weeks, really start getting these things together, making sure you've washed the clothes and all those things to put them in your bag.

And then if you forget something, you can have somebody go run to the store or run to your home to grab essential things that you've forgotten, but don't stress about it if you do forget something on this list. And just know the hospital does provide many of the basics that you will absolutely need, so that's also available to you.

For the last-minute items like your toiletries, your toothbrush, things like that that you cannot pack ahead of time, essentially make a little list of those things and you can have somebody help you with those things if needed. If you've listened to my birth story, I share about this in episode one, where my labor started pretty quickly and I didn't have a ton of time to really think about all of those last-minute things. I needed to pack my toiletries mainly. So in between contractions, I was having my sister Kellie help me frantically pack things, and so it would have been so much nicer if I had just left a sticky note or a notepad, something showing what were my last-minute things so that I could with less stress get those last-minute items in my hospital bag.

I also wanted to let you know if you decide to do virtual doula support with me, I provide my clients with a Comfort Measures Essentials handout, and this gives hyperlinks to all of my favorite things like the Starry Light Projector, labor combs, having a portable fan, birth ball—all of those things that I recommend just to get the environment right. If you're a client of mine, you know where to find all that. But that's a really, really great resource as well, just getting into more nitty-gritty of things to have in your labor environment.

And just remember, this is about preparation, not perfection. So trust your instincts when you're going through this hospital packing list. If something just doesn't seem like that's something you would need, listen to that. And of course there will be other things in your hospital bag besides the things that I listed. But these are just the essentials that come to mind that can be easily forgotten or just not thought about—not on your radar. I've even had families bring personal items, like a picture of them or something like that, birth affirmations that their older kids helped them make. Things of that nature that just again facilitate a sense of calm for their birthplace.

Before we close, I want to just take a moment to pray over you as you're preparing for your baby's arrival. So let's pray.

Lord, prepare her heart for the journey ahead, for the strength she'll need, the joy she'll experience, and the overwhelming love that's about to multiply in ways she cannot even imagine yet. Watch over her, her baby, and her whole family during this precious time. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

And there you have it, mama. Your complete hospital bag packing guide. I hope walking through this list together has given you that sense of preparedness and peace that you were looking for. And remember, this is not about perfection. You don't need to have every single item on this list, and if you do forget something, it will be okay. The most important thing you're bringing to that hospital is your strength, your love, your incredible body that's about to do something absolutely amazing, and most importantly, your faith in the God who has been carefully knitting your baby together in your womb. He's been preparing both of you for this moment long before you ever started packing that bag.

And again, don't forget to grab the free hospital bag packing list inside the Christian Mama Birth Prep Library at faithoverfearbirth.com, or check the link in the show notes. It will make packing so much easier, and then you can check things off as you go. There's something very satisfying about checking things off of a completed task list. I am definitely one of those people and it's really helpful when you're nesting.

I am so excited for you in this incredible journey you're about to begin. God chose you to be this baby's mama, and He's equipping you with everything you need. Your body knows what to do because He has created it to do this beautiful work.

If you found this episode helpful and feel more prepared and confident, please share this with another mom that you know might need to hear this too. And as always, I'm cheering you on every step of the way, but more importantly, your heavenly Father is holding you in His hands.

Until next time, keep choosing faith over fear. You've got this because He's got you.

Natalie Portman