If you’re expecting a baby in Birmingham, you’ve probably seen the giant hospital bag checklists. But I hear Birmingham moms ask what they need specifically for their hospital, and whether all the items on those lists are really necessary.

I’m Rachel, a birth and postpartum doula with Eleison Doula Services. I’ve supported moms at Grandview, UAB Women and Infants Center, UAB St. Vincent’s, and Brookwood, and I’ve packed my own hospital bag more than once. So let me save you some lugging.

You need a lot less than you think. And a few of the things that make the biggest difference are things nobody puts on the list.

One quick note before we start. This list is for moms birthing at Birmingham area hospitals. If you’re planning a home birth, your midwife will usually give you a list of supplies to gather. I go over that list with my home birth clients during our prenatal visits too. It’s a different list, though, so it’s not the focus of this post. If you want more detail about hospital or home birth options in Birmingham, you might also want to check out my free guide, “Where to Give Birth in Birmingham.”

What Birmingham Hospitals Provide Before You Pack Your Hospital Bag

The good news first. In fact, all four of these hospitals are pretty similar in what they provide, and they provide a lot.

For your baby

The hospital will give you everything your baby needs during your stay. Diapers, wipes, blankets, the little hats. All of it.

For your own recovery

Your postpartum supplies are covered too. For instance, pads, peri bottles and the famous mesh underwear will all be waiting for you.

Some moms like to bring their own postpartum underwear because it’s more comfortable. That’s fine! But you really don’t need to.

Labor tools

Every one of these hospitals has a birthing ball, peanut ball, and a squat bar that attaches to the end of your bed. So you can leave yours at home.

What’s Different at Each Birmingham Hospital

These hospitals are more alike than different. But there are a few local quirks worth knowing about.

Brookwood

Brookwood offers you a little electric fan to clip on the side of your bed. Moms in labor get hot. Really hot. That fan is wonderful, and they even let you take it home. As far as I know, the other hospitals don’t offer one, so consider bringing a small fan of your own.

Brookwood is also close to a Target, which is handy if you forget something.

UAB

UAB has a labor tool I love called the CUB. Basically, it’s an inflatable U-shaped birthing stool you can sit on, lean on or recline into. It’s a great alternative to the birth ball, and a lot of my clients have really enjoyed it. You don’t need to bring anything for this. It’s just nice to know it’s there.

Grandview

Grandview is known for having the best food of the bunch. It’s also the only hospital here that includes the partner in the meals provided to mom. There’s an Aldi and other stores nearby.

St. Vincent’s

At most Birmingham hospitals, you labor in one room and then move to a mother and baby unit a couple of hours after your baby is born. St. Vincent’s is the exception. More on why that matters for packing in a minute.

St. Vincent’s and UAB are both downtown, with a Publix nearby.

My Two-Bag System for Hospital Packing

This is my favorite packing tip, and it saves families so much hassle.

Pack one bag for labor. Pack a second bag for the rest of your stay, and leave it in the car.

Here’s why. At Grandview, UAB and Brookwood, you’ll move rooms a few hours after giving birth. If you haul everything up to labor and delivery, someone has to pack it all back up and move it before you’ve used any of it.

So keep the labor bag with you. Keep your extra clothes and long-stay items in the car. Once you’re settled in your postpartum room, your partner or a family member can go down and grab it.

If you’re delivering at St. Vincent’s, you’ll stay in one room, so splitting your hospital bag matters less than at other Birmingham hospitals. Still, a lighter bag is a happier bag.

What to Pack in Your Labor Bag

Comfortable clothes

Keep wearing those stretchy maternity clothes after the baby comes. You’ll want soft, loose, easy things. Bring slippers too.

You might want your own gown or robe. You can wear it in labor, postpartum or both. Hospital gowns are not anybody’s favorite.

Toiletries

Pack whatever you need for yourself. I’d keep these in your labor bag rather than the car bag, so they’re with you from the start.

A really long phone charger

Get the longest cable you can find. The outlets are never convenient in any Birmingham hospital, so a long cord earns its spot in your hospital bag.

Your own pillow

The hospital will give you a pillow. It may not be a very good one, and there aren’t always extras. A pillow from home makes a real difference.

Comfort tools for labor

You don’t need anything fancy. A few ideas:

• A plain plastic comb. Squeezing it during contractions presses on points in your hand and can really help.
• LED candles or battery-powered string lights, so you can keep the room dim but cozy.
• A playlist you love. A speaker is nice, but your phone works fine.

Things that remind you of what you love

Surrounding yourself with things that remind you of what you love is a great way to get oxytocin flowing. That’s the hormone that keeps labor moving, so it’s worth a little space in your bag.

A few ideas:

• Birth affirmation cards
• A photo of your other children or your pets
• A favorite stuffed animal (no judgment!)

My Orthodox Christian clients will often bring icons. St. Olga of Alaska is a favorite, since she was a midwife and has a special place for childbearing moms. Mary the Theotokos is another one I see often.

Drinks that aren’t sweet

I talk about this one a lot. If you’re being induced or you have an epidural, you’ll most likely be limited to clear liquids. The hospital will offer you Jell-O and popsicles. Both are sweet. Many moms in labor just can’t face sweet things.

So I recommend two things:

• LMNT electrolyte drink mix. It’s fruit flavored but salty instead of sweet, and a lot of laboring moms find regular electrolyte drinks far too sugary.
• Bone broth packets. Beef, chicken, whatever you like. Many have around 9 or 10 grams of protein per packet. Just ask your nurse for hot water and mix it up. It’s a fantastic way to keep your energy going on a restricted diet.

What to Pack for After Baby Arrives

Snacks, and lots of them

Hospital meals come about three times a day, and when they show up depends on when you get your order in. You’ll be hungry between them. Breastfeeding and recovering make you hungry!

Think high protein, easy to eat and good for energy. Meat sticks are a favorite. If you’re on clear liquids during labor, save the real snacks for after the baby is born.

And if you run low, don’t panic. You can DoorDash to every one of these hospitals.

A going-home outfit

Bring the special outfit you want your baby to come home in. If you’re planning Fresh 48 or newborn photos at the hospital, bring a few outfits you’d love to see in those pictures. Otherwise, the hospital has your baby covered.

A little treat for you

This is my personal favorite. Every time I gave birth, I bought a magazine I’d enjoy reading cover to cover, but would never normally spend the money on. For me, that was Country Living.

I tucked it in my hospital bag as something to look forward to. It was perfect for late night feeds, getting woken up for vitals, or early labor when I wasn’t trying to sleep or cope through contractions yet. No brain power required. It felt indulgent. It felt like me time. Pick whatever your version of that is.

What to Leave at Home

This is where most families overpack their hospital bag.

Baby showers bring a lot of sweet gifts. The nasal bulb. Baby nail clippers. A baby bath. It’s tempting to pack all of it. Please don’t.

You won’t use those things in the hospital. Either it’s too early, or the hospital already provides them. All they do is give someone more to carry in, and give you more to dig through when you’re looking for the one thing you actually want.

How Your Birth Plan Changes Your Hospital Bag Packing

Induction, spontaneous labor or C-section

Honestly, not much changes. With an induction, an epidural or a C-section, plan for clear liquids only during labor. Lean on the electrolytes and bone broth, and save the snacks for later.

A first baby or your third

The list is mostly the same. One sweet idea I’ve seen some parents use: if older siblings are coming to meet the baby, pack a small present. It can be a gift from the big sibling to the baby, or from the baby to the big sibling. Something small that helps them feel included in welcoming the new baby.

A longer hospital stay

You’ll need more clothes and more snacks. But you don’t have to fit it all in your hospital bag, because every Birmingham hospital on this list is close to stores. Someone can always run out for more.

What Partners Should Pack in their Own Hospital Bag

Partners often forget they need a hospital bag too, and Birmingham hospitals don’t provide much for them. Here’s what they’ll want.

A pillow and blanket

Partners usually get a sofa or a reclining chair. The hospital may not provide much else for them. Bring a pillow and blanket from home.

Clothes and toiletries

Unless they plan to go home every day to shower and change, they’ll need their own. That might depend on how far away you live and whether there are older kids at home.

Their own food

Outside of Grandview, partners aren’t included in hospital meals. There are cafeterias, but it’s nice not to have to go downstairs every time you’re hungry. Pack snacks for both of you.

Earplugs and an eye mask

The postpartum unit is busy. Someone will likely come in every couple of hours to check vitals on mom, baby or both. Earplugs and an eye mask can help partners sleep through the disruption.

One of my clients took this a step further. She brought a Nerf gun so she could wake up her partner when he was sound asleep with his earplugs and eye mask in. I still laugh about that one. Use at your own discretion. 😄

Shorts or a swimsuit

If you’re planning an unmedicated birth, chances are mom is going to want to get in the shower at some point. For safety, she should have someone in the bathroom with her.

That’s where partners come in. Pack a pair of shorts or a swimsuit, so you can get in the shower with her. It can actually be really nice for both of you.

What’s in My Doula Bag for Birmingham Hospital Births

People often ask what I bring to births. Feel free to borrow ideas.

Comfort tools

• A massage tool
• A long scarf for certain comfort techniques in labor
• Combs
• Essential oils
• A fan
• A TENS unit
• A tennis ball

All of these can help in labor, and I bring them for the moms I support. Some moms like to learn how to use them ahead of time and bring their own, and that’s great too.

For me

Snacks, my own electrolyte mix (I told you I love them), a book and, of course, a phone charger.

Bottom Line for Birmingham Hospital Packing: Pack Light and Pack for Comfort

When you pack your hospital bag for any Birmingham hospital, remember this. The hospital has the supplies. You bring the comfort.

Your pillow. Your robe. Drinks you’ll actually want. A long cord. Something that makes the room feel a bit more like yours. That’s what turns a hospital room into a place where you can settle in and meet your baby.

Want more Birmingham-specific help? Grab my free Birmingham birth guide. It walks you through your local birth options so you can go into labor feeling prepared and confident.