Depending on where you give birth, the hospital may or may not provide you with some of the things listed below i.e. nappies, wipes, towels, socks.

Packing your hospital bag can be a really daunting prospect. Not only are you going to be leaving the hospital with a tiny little human being but you also don’t know how long you’ll be staying in for.

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To try and take out some of the uncertainty, here’s a list of items that I took with me and used for both my deliveries.

Easier to pack two separate bags.

I found it much easier to pack two separate bags; one for me and one for baby. I didn’t do this first time round and we actually found it harder to locate certain items, especially when I asked my husband to find something.

Because he hadn’t packed the bag, he didn’t want to pull everything for the baby out to find something. Having all my items in one bag made finding items I wanted during labour easier.

Read this birth story from a dad’s view

Hospital bag for you – 18 things

1. Trousers – you should pack a couple of loose pairs of comfy trousers to wear. Make sure they would be comfy even if you end up having a C section!
2. Nursing tops and vests if you plan on breast feeding or just loose tops if you’re not.
3. Two nighties that you don’t mind getting ruined.
4. A really comfortable pair of pyjamas or nighty if you have a C section that you can sleep in after delivery.
5. Two towels (one large and one hand towel that you don’t mind getting ruined).
6. Bikini if you are looking for a water birth.
7. Several different pairs and styles of knickers in case of C section.
8. Socks for labour and after (you can get cold during labour).
9. Slippers or flip flops for walking to the toilet/shower etc.
10. Dressing gown.
11. A couple of nursing bras or comfy bras.
12. Maternity pads (at least one pack – you can always keep a spare pack in the car).
13. Breast pads.
14. Cotton pads.
15. Wash bag including: dry shampoo, tissues, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, flannel, body wash miniature, shampoo and conditioner miniature, lip balm, BB cream and hair spray, hair bobbles/clips/brushes, make up remover, hand cream.
16. Hair straighteners! This one I missed first time round and having a water birth mixed with very curly hair… Didn’t quite work.
17. Snacks for you and your birthing partner! My husband nearly passed out the first time round as he was so hot in the pool room and hadn’t had a drink the entire time.
18. Spare t-shirt for your partner as they can get hot or messy and might just want to freshen up.

Hospital bag for baby – 14 things

I used my changing bag for all of baby’s things. Obviously you will also need to take a car seat to take baby home in.

1. Nappies (we took about 10 and left a pack in the boot of the car in case we were kept in).
2. Nappy bags.
3. Wipes (I tried taking cotton wool the first time but it’s isn’t great for getting meconium poos off small bottoms so just went with very pure wipes which worked much better).
4. Sudocrem (or other branded nappy cream).
5. Mini baby powder.
6. Hand sanitiser.
7. Dummies (we knew we wanted to use dummies but didn’t introduce them until day 2).
8. Muslins – I actually prefer the oversized ones as you can also use them for swaddling as well as mopping up milky sick.
9. Baby blanket.
10. Cellular blanket.
11. 3 X baby grows, vests, hats (even in the summer).
12. Cardigan to take baby home in.
13. Booties.
14. Going home outfit (save your nicest one for all the welcome home pictures!).

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I hope this helps anyone looking to pack their hospital bag!