I never posted one of these whilst I was pregnant with Molly. However I have had a few people ( including my sister who is due in Aug ) ask what I packed in my Hospital bag when I was pregnant. Instead of repeating myself, I decided to write a post about it! Better late than never, right?
I’m the kind of person that needs to be prepared. With something like labour, you never know how its going to go and how long it’ll take. You could be blessed and have a super quick and relatively easy wham, bam thank you ma’am kind of labour. Or, you could be the poor sod who is laboring for over 24 hours ( Hats off to you mamas!) I kept a really open mind when it came to my birth plan because I knew that something could happen and I could end up having some intervention or even a section. Because of this, I packed an extra bag with a few more of the essentials and kept in the car in case labour was a little longer or in case anything happened and we needed to stay in hospital a little longer.
Packing a hospital bag can be quite a daunting task for any expectant mother, but especially the first time mama. I remember Liam and I scrolling through Pinterest at pin after pin of hospital lists.we wrote down so many lists! I’ve compiled a list of the things that we took. Keep in mind that I had Molly at a NHS hospital, and they dont provide as much as a private hospital would ( nappies, maternity pads, birthing ball etc. So check what your local hospital provides you during and after labour.
For Mama
- Hospital Notes
- Nightie for labour x2 (you never know how messy it can get or long it can take)
- Dressing gown and slippers/flip flops (incase you fancy a walk around the hospital)
- New and Comfy pair of pj’s for after labour (ones you can easily nurse in)
- Dark coloured towel and flannel.
- The biggest pair of black granny pants you can find x5 (bigger the better in case of section & can go above incision)
- Comfortable socks (you can get funny labour socks if you really want)
- Maternity bras x2
- The biggest maternity pads you can get your hands on (never underestimate the opening of the floodgates after 9 months period free)
- Breast pads (weather you decided to breastfeed or not, your boobs will still leak!)
- Music/book/magazine (You dont know how long your labour is going to be. Especially if you end up being induced. So take something to get you through the boring parts of labour.)
- Nipple cream (saving grace if you choose to breast feed because it may take a few tries to establish a correct latch – Nobody wants cracked & bleeding nip nips!)
- Pillow from home
- Spare plastic bag for anything that gets a bit dirty.
- Snacks and Isotonic drinks ( Snacks like granola bars, Ritz biscuits and drinks like Lucozade Sport – not the fizzy sort and lots and lots of water will help keep that ketosis at bay)
- Going home outfit. (Something loose. If hot, Maybe a dress . Winter, I rocked over bump maternity leggings and a loose flowing maternity top/jumper and Uggs)
Toiletries
- Shampoo/Conditioner combo
- Body wash (Femfresh is amazing and super gentle for your nether region after birth)
- Lip balm (Entonox aka gas and air can make your lips very dry)
- Face wipes
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush and paste
For Baby
- Newborn vest x4
- Newborn sleepsuits x3
- Up to 1 month sleepsuit x1
- Mits (If the sleepsuit doesn’t have them built in) x2
- Newborn hats x3
- Nappies (1 pack just in case. Better to have too many than not enough)
- Water wipes
- Swaddle Blanket
- Muslins x3
- Baby Blanket
- First Teddy
- Going home outfit
- Milestone card (for that newborn photo)
- Car seat
For Dad
- Change of clothes x2 (you dont know how messy things will get)
- Comfy clothes to sleep (well, try) to sleep in.
- Jumper/hoodie
- Socks and undies
- Deodorant & Toiletries
- Your own snacks and drinks! (No stealing mamas)
- Pillow (You’ll be lucky if the hospital give you one)
Technology/Misc
- Camera
- Camera charger
- Spare SD card
- Phone (Yours and your partners)
- Phone charger (One for you and one for your partner)
- Ipad/tablet (download some movies/books/games etc in case of long labour)
- Ipad/tablet charger
- Headphones
- Cash/change (car park, vending machines, hospital cafe – You just never know)
Things you may or may not want – Birth plan dependent.
- Bikini top and top and trunks for dad – Water Birth
- Aromatherapy and essentials oils for defuser/massage/compress – Relaxation
- Calming Music/ hypnotherapy CD – Hypno Birth
- Soft toilet paper (Hospital Loo roll is rough on your very sore and possibly stitched up nether region)
- Birthing ball – (I took mine and it was used and very useful)
That is pretty much everything that we took to the hospital. All of mine and Liam’s stuff was in our duffel bag. All things baby girl was in a separate bag and kept in the car until she arrived. I had some serious nesting issues when packing our bags. I organized Molly’s things into clear plastic zip lock bags and labeled them. For example, I’d put a vest,sleepsuit,hat & bib into a bag and labeled it ‘first outfit’ or one saying ‘going home outfit’. I’m weird, I know, but it made it crazy easy to grab a bag and know there was a full outfit in that bag all ready to go! No faffing and fumbling around for something in what seems to be Mary Poppins bottomless bag!
You may think some things on this list are unnecessary, but its just what we took. I was induced on the 23rd December and she didn’t arrive until early hours of the 25th December. I spent a good 26 hours just waiting for something to happen, so it all came in pretty useful! Remember that every person and every labour is different.
You just never know!
