20 Easy Nourishing Foods to Pack for Your Hospital Bag

HOSPITAL BAG FOOD CHECKLIST

Preparing for your delivery can be exciting and emotional. But also very frustrating when it comes to the food part. Hospitals do provide food for momys after they are settled in their recovery room. But I found the food to be basic, not necessarily pleasing, and I would say if I may, far from nourishing. ESPECIALLY if your diet is more on the VEGAN side.

And as a person who lives, sleep, dreams, breathes, and cooks food all day long, one of the things that occupy my mind is what should I take to the hospital for the delivery of my 5^th baby. (This post was created on May 2021).

Of course, we must prepare and pack our regular must-have hospital bag, but when it comes to food, what do we really need?! And do we need it only for us, or also for the people who join us, like husbands, sisters, or mom?

The reality and fact are that I already have 4 kids and some experience on my sleeve staying at the hospital for a couple of days, I have come to the conclusion that this is what I needed to survive these few days, in order to nourish my body in a healthy and practical way!

One of the important things I would like to touch on is that, eating the right food after labor is pretty darn critical! Why? Because every few hours a nurse will check in your room and ask if YOU ALREADY WENT TO THE BATHROOM! And if your answer is NO, they would offer you a pill that the doctor recommends in order to help you cleanse your system before you go home.

Why do I put so much attention to that you ask?! I totally do because going to the bathroom after birth can be pretty terrifying, especially if you have stitches.

But here are the good news!  Fruits, and specifically the right fruits, can actually make magic on your system NATURALLY! And these are foods that the hospital might not have for you if you ask. And that is why you want to prepare it yourself!

One of the things I really like to do every day is open my morning with warm lemon water. And because I’m packing food anyways, would I care to add  2 lemons to my list?. So I do.

Then, here is the really really important part: Before I eat any real breakfast, I make sure I get a nice amount of fruits in my system.

The chosen fruits in the below list are in my opinion the most beneficial and helpful ones to get your bowel moving.

     

This, in my opinion, is so so important because no one likes to feel bloated and overwhelmed,  especially when you are not at your house, and there are times that moms are staying even more than 4 days in their recovery room.

The following food list is 99% vegan/ plant-based.

So, after doing some homework, I think that it’s really easy to pack the food that I’m going to mention here on the list below, so you don’t really need to deal with being dependent on a fridge and microwave.

But As far as I know,  most hospitals do offer kitchen access to a fridge, hot water, sink, coffee, and sometimes even a microwave.

 

I think it’s time to begin, shall we?!

 

HOSPITAL BAG Food CHECKLIST

Fruits: Oranges, papaya, Clementine, blueberries, watermelon, apples – are all amazing for digestion! And are most powerful when eaten on an empty stomach before a real breakfast.

Snacks: dates, almonds, walnuts, cashews, dark chocolate,

Food: Rice cakes, avocado, peanut/ almond butter, honey, chia seeds, hemp seeds, tuna in a can, oatmeal (1 minute quick oats)!

Drinks: Lots of room temperature water, decaffeinated teas, mother’s milk tea, honey/ sweetener.

Tools: small knife, small cutting board, disposable cups, plates, utensils, salt, pepper

Another important matter not to ignore is, that during labor, you might not be hungry or able to eat anything. But the people around you, however, (your husband, partner, mom, friend, sister) can get extremely hungry and frustrated with the wait, and they do very much think and want to eat some food.

Now, is that something you should be bothered with and add to your list? I don’t know, but if you did have some foods to offer them instead of having them eat 15 bags of chips from the vending machine I think everyone would feel a bit happier about it.

So what can you pack that is easy?

Pretzels, apples, bananas, a mix of roasted salted nuts, dry fruits, and things of that sort of nature.

 

And if you are anything like me, I like to freeze some food before I give birth. Especially lactation snacks, soups, and easy-to-warm-up meals. These are all so beneficial to have on hand when you come back home with your baby and you crave comforting food, that is easy to warm up and serve in minutes! Especially if you don’t have family and friends around you.

       

It is easy to over-pack and load our bags with things that we are not going to use! (I did that too).  But I do think that when it comes to food, especially for moms who are planning to nurse, eating the right foods is pretty critical. Stay tuned for a blog post on that!

 

I know this might look crazy, but I hate asking someone to give me an extra plate, a fork, or a spoon. SO I JUST BRING MY OWN. Also, hospitals, (I don’t know why) still carry cheap unhealthy

styrofoam cups when serving hot drinks! So I just take a few from home. Or just ask your partner to bring you a glass one from the dollar store. So you can rinse it after each use.

Now, am I missing a really important part?

Let me know in the comments below!

I hope you find this article beneficial and helpful!

Most importantly, I wish you the most beautiful delivery experience ever, healthy baby and mom.

 

So once you are already in your room, arrange everything in the drawers around you by your bed.

   

Have your must-haves next to you!

 

Then, whenever you feel hungry, reach into your healthy date and nuts bowl.

 

In the morning, make sure to have fruits first, use your small cutting board and knife.

   

Your body will THANK YOU after a breakfast like that!

   

And don’t forget, it’s only a few days, so take it easy and try to get as much sleep as you can get.