Hospital Bag

[blondielocks29]

Evening all,

I'm thinking about starting to get my hospital bag together and was curious as to what size/type of bag everyone is going to use / has used for previous births.

I'm heading out tomorrow morning to get a few bits off my list and realised that I might need to add the actual bag to my list! I do have a pink floral hold-all that might work (OH hates it...but it does its job!), but thinking a carry on style pull along might be easier for OH to find bits in when we're at the hospital, rather than digging through?
I will be putting the baby stuff in sandwich freezer bags labelled with sizes so that should help him, but I hate having everything thrown all over the place when hunting through for something.

I'm probably completely overthinking this...how has one simple question turned into an essay 🙈

I'm wondering the same thing! Contents wise, im fine, but don't know about the actual bag! Can't remember what I used last time...

I've used a small fabric suitcase on wheels, I got it from ebay for about £11.

It's the perfect size , kind of like a weekend bag.

I bought a large baby changing bag to bring! Meant I could use it afterwards too. It was great as it had loads of compartments so I could easily find things.

I obsessed over hospital bags. I avidly searched Mumsnet and other sites for lists etc. I took huge amounts of stuff all packed in plastic sandwich bags on the back of some very silly advice on the basis of that but barely used any of it.

You will need,

a comfy change of clothes for you to wear after the birth.
a newborn size of clothes x 2 (most sets have gloves and hats attached). Doesn't matter if it doesn't fit they wont be wearing it very long.
Newborn nappies
Your phone charger and phone
Snacks (i took apples, tracker bars and harribo - take more, they do not feed you well on post natal wards!)
Money
babywipes
Toothbrush
Water bottle
big tena lady pull on pants
Paracetamol

anything else is optional

I just used a normal hold-all gym bag type thing, the type you'd take for a weekend away. Got it from primark for a fiver! Could probably have done with something bigger but most of the space was taken up with a bloody great big dressing gown that I had carefully ticked off a list I found online... forgetting I was due in June and the maternity ward was 100 degrees

I did the sandwich bag thing and it worked well, an entire outfit in an easy to grab bag was so much easier than rummaging around my bag.

I used a small suitcase (hand luggage size), much easier to manoeuvre than having to lift a heavy bag. I've put the baby things in a changing bag.

I've got my wheely suitcase for labour (easy for DH to wheel and help me walk if needed because maternity is fucking miles away) and a small hold-all with post birth stuff. Then when baby arrives hold-all can go on top of wheely suitcase and I can wheel it and DH can carry the car seat and baby.

I didn't get a chance to pack a bag with no.1 as he was prem!

Small wheely weekend suitcase.

You can pick one up in Primark for around a tenner

I can tell you what you probably DON'T need....

Dressing gown - I never wore mine because it was so bloody warm in the hospital. I was in for a week after the birth and didn't wear it.

Pads. I packed loads of thick pads and they took up so much room, but the hospital provided stacks of them (maybe check with your maternity unit).

Anything that is tight around the waist or ankles. I stupidly took jogging trousers with elastic round the ankles. Couldn't pull them up to get TED stockings on my huge fat ankles post section. So I had to strip off while a nurse wrestled me into them...

I had the pregnancy last year. Although I had the c-section but not already confirmed about it. Doctor was just said that it might be. I was not too much aware of my bag. I didn't know what to put in it. I put baby clothes, my two suits which were used after c-section. I was admitted there for three days. There were mobile charger, some pads. I don't remember anything if I had used. My bag was really not too big. It had just needy items. You are right. It is great mess when you want to find something and pull down your whole bag. That's why I didn't take too much things along with me. It was comfortable for me.

Thanks everyone..my plan was to grab a wheely hand luggage style bag tomorrow and seems like that is a good idea. If I already had one I'd use it but DH is very a little heavy handed and managed to pull the handle off my old one

The list is sorted, I know exactly what's going in it, it was only this evening it dawned on me that I hadn't sorted out an actual bag to carry it all in lol

Baby stuff will DEFFO have to go into sandwich bags, OH tries but he's so completely clueless with things like that, i need it to be as simple and idiot proof as possible for him 🙈

My DP is an idiot too and I thought the sandwich bags would help.

They didn't.

I'm just going to add an extra tip based on my own experience. If you're planning a straightforward vaginal birth then it's worth having a second bag packed to cover the eventuality that you need a section and/or are kept in hospital longer than you expect.

I was only planning to be there for a night or two and didn't consider the possibility of an emergency section. In the backup bag, pack huge pants with a very high waistband and soft pyjamas/clothes with no elastic at the waist. Enough to last you for at least a few days.

I was in hospital for over a week and although my dh was perfectly capable of picking up some extra baby clothes to bring in, it was a pain to have to try to describe to him the clothes I needed for myself, and where to find them. I'd much rather have put them together beforehand.

Ive got a small wheeled suitcase from primark too. It’s quite stylish so I will use it again so win win

Thanks bingle. I think I'm the most reverse organised person ever as I have my overflow/backup bag already sorted😂

Yep I used a wheely hand luggage sized bag too and will again this time.

I used a small wheeled hold all for all my birth stuff and then I had the changing bag separate with all of babies stuff in.
Left all our going home stuff in the car until we needed it
I did the baby clothes in sandwich bags too, it really helped as dh got our daughter dressed while I was stitched up

Oh and I agree with the pads. Just take one pack I had about four but the midwife told me to take loads of the hospital maternity pads with me when I left, ended up with about ten packs in my bag.