Search around by the keyword ‘BB-väska’, and there will be approximately two bazillions of items suggested by the Swedish internet. Bring the camera! And three spare batteries for it! Don’t forget the make-up and ten changes of clothes! Ten more for the child! Some lists are almost endless. A surprising number of them puts great emphasis on bringing your own toilet paper lest the one provided by the hospital is not soft enough.
On the other side of the spectrum you can find the advice from 1177 or the particular delivery ward: they usually say you just need some inside shoes for the mother, some food for her partner, and a special car seat for the baby (babyskydd) if you’re going home by car.
Somewhere in between there are lists written by women who have actually gone through this and analyzed what they used and not used.
diapers for the baby
blanket for the baby
food for the mother
pads for the mother and the special underwear that fits them
mother’s ID
inside shoes, preferably such that you can go into the shower in them
baby car seat for the journey home (aka babyskydd; Råd och Rön’s favorites are Maxi-Cosi Jade + 3wayFix which costs ~4900:- new, Cybex Aton M i-Size+bas for ~4000:-, and Cybex Aton 5 for ~2300:-)
lip balm
two changes of clothes for the baby (size 50 if not premature), preferably as easy to put on as possible. Some babies don’t like clothes going over their head, so omlottbodies are a popular choice. H&M has 5-packs for 250:- or so and the code HELLO20 should currently give 20% off for baby and maternal clothes
a hat (mössa) for the baby, to hide the shape of the head on those first photos :)
in winter, something warm for the baby’s journey home
some food for the partner, especially if home is far away; the delivery ward will usually have some (limited) fridge space and a microwave
personal hygiene items like a toothbrush, if the mother is not planning on going home 6 hours after the birth
a couple of nursing t-shirts and bras, soft and roomy pyjama pants or similar (but you can also lounge in the hospital gown)
underwear suitable for big, big pads (but you can use what the hospital provides — some people even take a couple of those home)
mittens (vantar) — baby nails are sharp and their coordination sucks, so there’s a chance their face will get quite some scratches if not protected by mittens
förlossningsbrev — a letter about your preferences with regards to pain management, presence of students, cutting the cord, etc
katrinplommon (prunes) — commonly recommended to help with digestion
some tvättlappar (burp cloths)
a blanket for the baby, if you don’t want to use the hospital’s one
earplugs — the after-birth rooms are usually shared
inlays for the nursing bras — reusable or disposable
phone chargers
if you’re coming by car and the hospital parking isn’t free: coins (in case cards don’t work)
something to take photos with.
There is no comments section, but if you'd like to give feedback or ask questions about this post, please contact me.