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If you're opting to deliver in a hospital, here's a handy checklist of what to bring with you and what to leave at home.

Packing your hospital bag before baby arrives doesn’t need to be a challenge, thanks to our guide. / Photograph courtesy of Getty Images.

“I’m New at This” is Be Well Philly’s biweekly series for new and soon-to-be parents. This educational resource covers the ins and outs of prepping for the arrival of a little one and taking care of them — and yourself — with insight and advice from local experts. Tips featured in “I’m New at This” are recommendations, and we believe in pursuing methods and approaches that work best for your unique family. Have a question you’d like to see answered? Email Be Well editor Laura Brzyski at Lbrzyski@phillymag.com.

Your due date is approaching, which means you’ll need to start gathering items to bring with you to the hospital — if you’re opting for a hospital birth, that is. Most soon-to-be parents start the packing process once the third trimester begins, but you should make sure your hospital bag is good to go by 36 or 37 weeks pregnant, just in case baby decides to get the party started early.

To get some first-hand insight, we turned to local labor and delivery nurse Jasmine Nguyen and Lindsey Stackhouse, South Jersey-based mom to an almost-nine-month old — both of whom are also lifestyle bloggers. Below, their advice on must-have hospital bag items, what to leave at home, and the typically forgotten, but wish-I-would’ve-brought stuff.

“All of these things were provided by the hospital”:

Nguyen recommends grabbing a long-cord phone charger before heading to the hospital. If you don’t have one, our features editor Bradford Pearson says to bring an extension cord instead. Both of them say you can’t rely on outlets being near the birthing person’s bed, and you’ll want to make a phone easily accessible — especially if the birthing person is epiduralized, Nguyen reminds.

Stackhouse recommends packing a Polaroid or disposable camera to capture memories — and to avoid getting your nice professional camera dirty. Our deputy digital editor Laura Swartz regrets not packing flip-flops — you’re not always guaranteed a private shower, so be prepared for a possible communal setting. She also suggests bringing a pacifier, as (1) some hospitals don’t provide one and (2) it can help you and baby get some much-needed rest in those first few days.

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