What's in my hospital bag!

7 Oct

Written By Bunty

Packing your hospital bag for birth can be a bit of a daunting task, especially if you're a first time mum! There are so many potential "what if's" that come with birth and sometimes you just don't know whether to go overboard with the packing or to just keep it really minimal and simplified.

I like to weigh in somewhere in the middle and normally pack enough things for a possible few nights stay-not that I normally stay in hospital that long but, like I said, you can never be too sure or too prepared with these things!

Having had a few 'false starts' this week, I have completely sorted my hospital bag now and it is all ready to go should we need to make a quick dash to our hospital. With birth being very much at the forefront of my mind these days, I thought I'd give you a little run through of the items I'm going to take in my bag for me. To be perfectly honest, the contents is pretty similar to my last hospital bag which you can read about (here!) Along with the glamorous essentials of maternity pads, bras, pants etc, I do like to put in a few pieces for comfort like new slippers, fresh pyjamas and toiletries which can all make the world of difference to keeping comfy straight after birth!

1) Labour Nightie- I never seem to make it to the hospital in time to get changed at my leisure pre-birth but on the offchance I do, I have this super cheap nightie from Primark which is light and very comfortable. Plus, as it was so inexpensive I'm not worried about it getting 'trashed' and leaving it behind!

2) Slippers- ideal for pacing the corridors if you're trying to bring labour on, or equally for after birth when you want something on your feet to move about in.

3) Maternity bras- I'm bringing two which I picked up in Primark. I've never had the smoothest journeys with breastfeeding my boys but I'm hoping to give it another go this time around! Maternity bras don't tend to be wired so they're really soft and comfortable which is everything you want post birth!

4) Socks- I'm bringing some comfy cashmere socks to cosy up in. Hospitals are funny places, I swear you're either boiling hot or too cold and sometimes you just want a few extra layers to snuggle down with. I'll probably wear these after having the baby to just relax in.

5) Pyjamas- Some colourful rocket ones will do! I actually love these Asos PJ'S and figured they would be great for post birth lounging. You definitely will want a few pairs post birth so I'll be taking some extras in with me!

6)Pants- The bigger, the better! I normally buy a multipack from Primark in as big a size as I can find because, trust me, they are just the easiest to work with in those first few hours post birth! Again these are cheap and cheerful and I'm kinda anticipating throwing them away to be honest!

7) Toiletries- I like to buy travel sized shampoos and body washes as they're really easy to pack. I'm also bringing travel sized Palmers cocoa butter and a small bio oil to massage into my tummy. Lanolin nipple balm is wonderful stuff, albeit a bit pricey but it really makes breastfeeding a lot more bearable, especially in the beginning when you're first getting it established! As well as this I'm taking a bottle of Avene spring water spray which is deliciously cold on the skin and I think I'll really make use of spraying this on myself when I'm in labour. Along with these products I'm bringing my deodorant and toothbrushes for both Eddy and I, along with toothpaste!

8)Makeup- I know not everyone would consider bringing any with them but I definitely feel better for having just a few essentials to hand. I'm literally just going to be taking some foundation, concealer, bronzer, lip balm and mascara!

I may also bring along my maternity pillow and I'll probably bring a dressing gown too. Aside from those and some kind of going home attire for me, that is essentially all I plan to bring with me to hospital for myself. I might think about bringing a book/iPad with me but we never seem to have much time for dilly-dallying when we do arrive so I'm not sure they'd be much point! We will see!