You've been waiting for the arrival of your twins for months.
Depending on how intense your pregnancy has been, that time may have flown by—OR you may have felt like you've been pregnant for the past five years and can't wait for them to vacate the premises and join you at home.
When it's Go Time, there's no time to waste. The last thing you want to be doing when you're timing the length of time between contractions is frantically packing a bag, only to realize once you get to the hospital that you've forgotten half of the things you'd meant to bring.
Pack your go-bag ahead of time. Plan to have it packed by the time you're 30 weeks along, and bring it to every OB or fetal assessment appointment from then on.
We've got you covered with this list of essentials you'll want to bring with you when it's time to meet your newest family members.
And while you're prepping things ahead of time, take a few moments to install the infant car seat bases in the car, so you're not scrambling to read instructions and get them into place before heading off to the hospital. It's a good idea to try to do this by 30 weeks-along, too.
And if you're not sure what you'll need two of once you welcome your twins, feel free to check out this helpful guide.
What do you need for your hospital go-bag?
Even if your parently intuition is telling you it's not time yet, you should probably put aside your pride and take a few moments to pack a bag. And then, even if you swear it's too soon to meet your babies, you should probably put that bag in your vehicle before each of your appointments with your OB-GYN or fetal assessment team.
Because JUST in case the medical team suddenly decides it's time to meet your babies, you'd rather have taken three seconds to put the bag in your trunk than have none of the stuff you swore you wouldn't need that day.
So, what do you actually need to bring with you?
- Packing checklist for the mom
I organized my stuff into a few different bags, in order of when I would need them (pre-delivery, post-delivery, and stuff I'd need for the NICU).
- Documents (do a run-through of anything you might need, like your ID, insurance / health benefits coverage cards, etc.)
- Copies or notes about your medical history, so doctors can review, if needed (at my last appointment, my OB-GYN wrote down how dilated and effaced I already was before we'd induced and began any sort of labor, and had me take a picture of it, so that I could show any doctors or nurses at the hospital how far along I already was)
- A copy of your birth plan, if you have one, plus anything specific for the plan (if you want a certain song playing when they're born, etc.)
- Comfy pajamas (loose pants with a drawstring instead of elastic band or a nightgown, if you're planning on breastfeeding)
- Your own pillow or small blanket, if you prefer ones from home
- Eye mask, if you're a light sleeper and think the hospital lights will bother you
- Bathrobe and slippers
- Mini fan, if you tend to run hot
- Disposable underwear
- Underwear with room to accommodate extra-absorbent pads (after birthing twins, you may be shocked to discover it looks like an episode of Dexter every time you go to the washroom; it won't last forever, but you'll be glad to have disposable underwear or mega-absorbent maternity pads to get you through the first parts of the postpartum period)
- A travel pack of tissues
- Toiletries, including body lotion (hospitals are notoriously dry), toothbrush, and toothpaste, and deodorant
- Dry shampoo (you may want a quick refresh after giving birth and before taking photos)
- Stool softener
- Flip flops for the shower
- Glasses, contact lenses, contact lens solution, and eye drops, if needed
- Hairbrush, headband, and hair ties
- Make-up, moisturizer, lip balm, and skin care items, if that's part of your routine
- A t-shirt, a hoodie, comfortable pants, socks
- Plastic bag for dirty laundry
- An extra-long phone charger (hospital outlets tend to be few and far between), a watch charger, if needed, and a portable battery pack, in case you need to charge up while you're doing skin-to-skin time in the NICU
- A book, a laptop, or a tablet with movies or show episodes downloaded on it, or an audiobook or playlist with earbuds for quiet listening while you wait for your babies to arrive
- Breast pump to encourage your breastmilk supply to come in, plus extra pump parts for the hospital pump (you may need to pump while in your room or the NICU, if your babies have to spend time there)
- Sanitizing wipes and a bag for the cleaned pump parts
- Hands-free pumping bra
- Twin Z breastfeeding pillow (you can leave this in the car until they're born)
- Breastfeeding cover
- Lanolin cream
- Nursing bras and nursing pads (even if you're not planning on breastfeeding, your body may produce milk, so you'll want to be prepared to prevent leaks)
- Pen and paper (you'll need the pen for filling out their birth registration and certificate paperwork; you may need the paper if you're still narrowing down / finalizing names once your babies are born, like we were)
- Loose going home outfit
On this note, if you're telling yourself you can wear pre-maternity clothes home because you'll no longer have two babies in your tummy, keep in mind that it will take your uterus several days (read: like, a month) to come all the way down and you'll want pants and a shirt with extra wiggle room while you're dealing with that. I STILL think about my post-delivery pants three years later; I lived in them for at least a week after giving birth.
- Packing checklist for the partner
Usually, a small backpack is enough to fit these essentials.
- T-shirt, hoodie, pants, socks, etc.
- Plastic bag for dirty laundry
- Toiletries, including toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant
- An extra-long charger for phone and watch, if needed
- Portable battery pack to top up phones, tablets, etc.
- Books, movies, video games, audiobooks, or some other form of entertainment to pass the time while you wait for your babies to arrive
- Snacks for both of you (but check with the labor and delivery team about if and when the expectant mother can have them, as she may need to stick with just water and ice pops as she gets closer to delivering)
Also, consider grabbing some change or double-checking you've got a credit card for snack machines in the hospital, which can be hard to find, so try to make note of any at prenatal appointments or when you're checking in for labor and delivery (not like you'll be distracted at all).
- Packing checklist for your newborn twin babies
Consider using your diaper bag for these items, since you'll want to bring that with you for when you all come home, anyway. And when you DO come home, prepare to jump head-first into the pure exhaustion that is parenthood. You can read all how to survive the newborn stage with twins, here.
- Receiving blankets / swaddles (bring extra if you have pets at home who will want to get used to the scent of your babies; after skin-to-skin time, put the blankets in a bag and bring them home for your pets to snuggle up to.)
- Preemie- and / or newborn-sized sleepers (zip up, not snap buttons, you can read about why we love zip-up jammies, here)
- Bodysuits / onesies
- Newborn socks and toques (these are the BEST socks for newborns)
- No-scratch mittens
- Specific outfits or announcement cards/props you might want for a picture at the hospital, if you're planning that
- Noise machine, if you're planning to use one at home
- Pacifiers (if your babies spend time in the NICU, they'll likely provide these)
- Going home outfits for your babies (consider the time of year and if you'll need snowsuits, toques, or mittens)
- Baby Wipes and preemie- or newborn-sized diapers for the diaper bag (the hospital should provide diapers and wipes until you're discharged to go home)
- Car seats with bases installed in the car (try to do this by 30 weeks, too, so you're not scrambling to install them before heading off to the hospital)
- Car seat covers (summer or winter ones, depending on the time of year they're being born)
Grab your keys and go
Whether you go into labor naturally, suspect you're dealing with the early stages of contractions, or are scheduled in advance for a C-section or induction, when it's Go Time, you want to be able to do just that—grab your keys and go—as fast as you can.
Twin pregnancies are higher-risk pregnancies. With closer and more frequent monitoring than lower-risk pregnancies, you may meet your twins earlier than expected, with very little warning, if they end up being born prematurely.
So, it's a good idea to have your go-bag packed by the time you reach your 30-week milestone, or earlier, if your fetal assessment team advises you to be prepared sooner than that, like ours did once we reached 27 weeks and found out that our twins could be born any day. I started packing our go-bag the same day we got that news.
Once your bag is packed, plan to bring it with you to each appointment from that point until you meet your mini munchkins.
It's easy to overpack and bring more than you need. You don't want to have so many bags that you feel like you're moving into the hospital, BUT you also want to make sure you've got the essentials you'll need to get you through the labor and delivery process and make sure you're comfortable during the early moments following the birth of your babies until you're discharged from the hospital.
This list should get you started, so that when it really IS Go Time, you can focus on hopping in the car and talking about your impending path into parenthood, rather than rattling off all of the things you think you may have forgotten in the rush to get out the door.
What was the most important thing you packed for your go-bag? Was there anything you forgot that you wished you'd remembered? Let us know in the Comments section below or connect with us on Instagram to share your thoughts!
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