The arrival of your little one is just around the corner and you have started to think about what you should pack in your hospital bag for you and baby. Packing your bag is exciting, but it’s also quite overwhelming, especially if this is your first time. I know with my first child, l had no idea what to pack. So having just given birth to my second child, I wanted to make sure l had all of the essentials.
I wanted to be prepared this time, so l found creating a hospital bag checklist for both me and baby really helpful.
My Hospital Bag
Here’s what l packed in my hospital bag for both me and baby, I thought it would be useful to share with you, especially for first time mums.
For me:
- Hospital notes
- T-shirt/nightdress for labour (bikini if you are having waterbirth)
- Hair bobble/clips and brush
- Laptop/tablet/book – I was induced so had some downtime at the start of the process
- Earphones (I found it calming to listen to podcasts/music before labour got underway)
- Phone Charger
- Tens machine and spare batteries
- Hot water bottle (l find heat really relaxes me. I used this at early stages of labour – midwives were happy to fill it up. Remember to cover the bottle and not to put directly on to your skin and I kept it away from my tens machine too)
- Snacks – take food that is easy to eat and gives you energy (I took energy bars, dried fruit, bananas and dark chocolate, and for after birth my partner kept me supplied with green smoothies!)
- Own tea bags (green decaffeinated and peppermint)
- Water bottle – one that is easy to drink from, especially if you are lying in bed.
- Comfy nursing clothes for afterwards (I had two sets of t-shirts and leggings – we never know how long we will be in hospital so always useful to take a couple of options – l was in for 5 days this time and had to have my partner bring in some extra clothes)
- Dressing gown or cardigan
- Flip flops/slippers/socks (flips flops are useful if you have a shower in the hospital)
- Towel
- Wash Bag – toothbrush/toothpaste/bodywash/face wipes etc
- Nursing bras x 2
- Breast Pads
- Maternity Pads or tena/always pants (my friend recommended the pants and l found they worked better for me this time around)
- Big pants – if you are not using the tena/always pants then have plenty of big pants
- Nipple balm (if you breast feeding)
- Bag for dirty clothes
- Clothes to travel home (comfortable clothes – l had a maternity shirt and leggings)
And for baby:
- Baby grows & vests (I took 5 of each and a mix of new-born and 0-3 months; we don’t know what size baby will be)
- Cardigan
- Hat
- Blanket
- Nappies
- Nappy sack
- Wipes or cotton wool
- Muslins x 2
- Formula & bottle (if you are not planning to breastfeed or have trouble feeding – I took along a starter pack that came with 6 bottles and teats to avoid having to sterilise and make up bottles)
- If its cold outside, you may want to pack a jacket or pram suit for baby to go home in
And your birth partner needs to bring along spare change for the carpark or download the car parking app in advance ……and remember to bring the car seat on the day you are going home.
Focus on the essentials. For my first birth l made a playlist for labour, brought along fairy lights, massage oil, my hypnobirthing flash cards…..it was all lovely but l didn’t use them all so decided to not pack them in my bag this time.
I hope this was useful.
Goodluck.
Kerry x