What we packed in our hospital bag

Several people have asked me recently what we packed in our hospital bag, so I thought I’d pop it into a post on here just in case it’s helpful for any expectant parents. I’ve broken down what we actually used and what we took but didn’t use – though everyone’s experiences will of course be different! I found it a bit overwhelming when I googled what to take, and found multiple lists with quite a wide variety of suggestions.

We stayed in hospital for about 36 hours. This seems to be about average judging by friends who’ve also recently had babies, but you may go home much sooner or stay a few days longer depending on your labour. A lot of this also depends on how far away from the hospital you live (we were a 5 minute drive away), and therefore whether you have the option of someone nipping home for supplies. But the list below should cover you for an average-length labour and at least a 48-hour stay postnatally.

We packed all the clothing etc into a suitcase and then put our water, snacks, and maternity notes in a big, easy-to-access supermarket Bag for Life to keep everything handy. “Hospital bag” really translates as multiple bags and other miscellany wedged under your arms. And obviously you make the people who aren’t in labour carry it all. Honestly, it looked like we were moving in for a week.

For mum 

For labour 

• your hand-held maternity notes (if you’re giving birth in England) – DO NOT FORGET THESE! And your birth plan / preferences if you’ve written one. We didn’t end up brandishing our birth plan in anyone’s faces but it may be useful to refer back to it if things don’t go according to plan A.
• snacks – you need your energy, so pack as if you’re about to climb Everest. I actually only ate one thing during labour – lots of nut butter flapjacks. But I packed almonds, peanuts, strawberry pencils, cereal bars, chocolate… you name it. You never know what you will fancy until you’re in labour.
• water bottle – one that’s really easy to drink from when in multiple positions – my HydrateM8 one was brilliant.
• portable speaker for music during labour – I found a playlist really helpful in making the hospital environment a bit more homely. I even got compliments from the midwives on the banging tunes, most of which came from the late 90s or the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack.
• your own pillow – make sure you take anything but a white pillowcase so it doesn’t get lost amongst the hospital pillows. I also took my C shaped pregnancy pillow which was amazingly helpful during the first stage of labour (before the pushing stage).
• socks – the ones with grippy bits ideally! You don’t want a) chilly feet or b) the worry of slipping in your socks.
• flip flops – for walking around the ward before/during/after labour.
• hair ties and grips – you definitely don’t want to be labouring with your hair in your face.
• cool water spray – I found this helpful as maternity wards are SO WARM and labour is quite a lot of effort as it turns out. I bought a bottle of Evian spray for convenience.
• hot water bottle – sounds like a direct contrast to the above but can be useful for a sore back during labour.
• lip balm – gas and air can be quite drying so it’s helpful to have lipbalm on standby.

For after labour 

• 2x nursing bras – I recommend sleep nursing bras as they are very soft and good for easy access! No fussing with clips. I bought mine from JoJo.
• a nightie you can nurse in – I had a soft button down maternity nightie from M&S which I wore in hospital and it was perfect. I also took a soft maternity dressing gown which was nice to wear when I was pottering around the postnatal ward looking for lunch.
• 10x Lansinoh breast pads – if your boobs aren’t already leaking a bit then they will probably start soon after birth.
• Lansinoh nipple cream – you probably won’t need it straight away but it’s good to have on standby as it’s the best thing for cracked and sore nips.
• 2x 10 pack of the giant maternity pads from Boots – these are like little mattresses and they are AMAZING. Absorbency and softness are your friends in the aftermath of labour. You will want to change your pad every time you go to the bathroom as this helps reduce the risk of infection, particularly if you’ve got any stitches.
• 1x pack of Andrex wipes. Just trust me.
• 3-5x BIG PANTS – seriously, the kind that reach your belly button. You will want these because your belly will feel all weird once there’s no longer a baby in it and you definitely need them if you have a c-section.
• travel toiletries – the shower I had immediately after labour was amazing. Trust me, you definitely want to wash your hair and your face and feel a but more human again, so take nice products.
• A towel – especially if you are hoping for a water birth! You will also need one for that sweet, sweet shower after labour. I took an old one I didn’t mind getting a bit manky.
• hairbrush
• toothbrush and toothpaste
• a very comfy outfit to go home in – think soft elastic, cotton, easy to get on and off. Basically pyjamas.
• phone charger – ideally with a long cable as the plug might be in a really annoying place relative to your bed. Also a fully charged portable charger as it may end up being more convenient.
• Inco pads – these are giant absorbent pads designed for incontience but also very handy after labour. You can sit on them for the car ride to/from the hospital if you’re worried about your waters going/leaking and they make superb impromptu changing mats. We changed our baby on top of inco pads in the bed in our postnatal room as there was nowhere obvious to change him…! I ordered a big pack from Amazon.

For partner 

• A comfy pillow from home – again, not white.
• A light blanket if your hospital has the option for partners to stay the night.
• Deodorant – for obvious reasons.
• Snacks and drinks – at our hospital, Jack was allowed to sleep next to me on a reclining chair but wasn’t allowed any hospital food, so he grazed on snacks and cold pasta in tupperware while I got to eat hospital quality chicken supreme. I’ll let you be the judge of who was better off.
• iPad with downloaded movies – useful if you’re awake keeping an eye on the baby while they (and mum) are sleeping.
• Kindle – see above!

For baby 

• 1x pack of nappies – a small packet of 10-12 is perfect. We used Pampers Premium in hospital and they were brilliant.
• 1x pack of water wipes and/or cotton wool – meconium poo is not easy to clean off so I’d recommend water wipes as they’re super gentle. You might want to use cotton wool and warm water instead, or you might just want some cotton wool for topping and tailing. Either way, it’s handy to have.
• 2x cotton baby hats – one bigger and one smaller depending what size baby you have!
• 4x short sleeve baby vests – these are good to put under sleepsuits to keep babies cosy. I like John Lewis ones. We changed his clothes two or three times during our stay so definitely take a few options. I think 4 was about the right number.
• 4x sleepsuits (full arms and legs) – you don’t want to faff around with tops and leggings etc in the beginning. Get some nice newborn sleepsuits with zips or poppers up the front. Don’t bother with the ones that only have poppers at the bottom – they’re a total arse to get on and off. Again, John Lewis has got your back here. I took 3 newborn size and one 0-3 months size just in case my baby was massive. Spoiler alert – he was.
• 1x baby cardigan – for when you head home.
• 1 x baby blanket – this is lovely to have in hospital but you definitely want to snuggle him or her up with a blanket in their car seat before you brave the elements.
• 1x car seat – most hospitals don’t let you leave without your baby being in a car seat.

Things I took but didn’t end up using

• Dry shampoo – I washed my hair after labour and didn’t stay long enough to need it.
• A portable electric fan – I thought I’d use this but actually the Evian spray was better. Might be worth it for a summer birth though!
• Nipple shields – I ended up using these after we got home but not in hospital.
• Labour massage oil – I wish we’d remembered to use massage for pain relief but I forgot it was an option!
• Silicone drinking straws – didn’t need these, the HydrateM8 water bottle was enough.
• Jar of instant coffee – in hindsight, we didn’t need to bring this as we were offered tea and coffee every few hours on the postnatal ward.

I hope the above is helpful – as I say, this is just reflective of our experience! What did you find helpful in your hospital bag?