Hospital bag help please

[BabyCJuly]

Hi there,

I was wondering if somebody could help me with exact hospital bag checklist please?

I was also wondering what you wore during birth to be comfy and after birth? In c-section and natural births...

Sorry for all the questions... I just want to make sure I'm fully prepped!

Thank you so much!

For baby:

Nappies
Water wipes or cotton wool to use with water for nappy changes
Sleepsuits in newborn, 0-3 and tiny baby if you think you might have a small baby, just in case

For you if you need to stay in:

Water bottle with sports lid
Snacks- boiled sweets are good
Big loose pants
Maternity bra or any bra that's nice and comfy
Maternity pads
Loose nightie, or loose pyjamas (but if you need a catheter a nightie is easier)
Change of clothes for leaving and for post shower
Flip flops for the shower and a small bag of toiletries (I used travel sized ones)
Phone charger

I think that's all I took and was in for 48 hours, will add anymore if they come to me!

I wore baggy trousers and a t shirt when leaving, my feet were so swollen I could only fit into flip flops!

For mine I’ve also packed some muslins and a blanket for baby, for me several changes of clothes and PJ’s, lots of snacks etc I based my packing off example lists I found on Google and recommendations from a friend. I intend on wearing a basic vest top to give birth but I’m taking a bikini top as well in case I want a bath. I am overpacking maybe but better be safe than sorry.

Ah yes muslins, the best thing I bought for the first few months! I packed 2 bags, one for me and baby if we were allowed straight home, and another with overnight stuff etc which helped me to feel more organised.

Those sound good

Just small advice: I use cotton and water instead of wipes (actually both DDs ended up being allergic to wipes ). If you go this route choose cotton circles. Small ones are ok for newborn. But afterwards the big ones tend to make the job easier

For baby I packed:

Muslin cloths
Baby grow and vest (one bigger and one smaller just in case)
Hat
Blanket
Water wipes
Nappies
Scratch mitts
Nappy bags
Baby milk if you’re bottle feeding

For me:

Slippers
Joggers and t shirt to go home
Loose nightie
Another pair of pjs
Snacks
Flip flops
Shampoo/ conditioner/ shower gel/ tooth brush/ tooth paste
Maternity pads
Lots of big girl pants!
Hair bands - if you have hair long enough to tie up, you almost certainly will want to!
Towel to dry after shower (they provide these but I preferred my own)
Hair brush
Phone charger
Puzzle book
Black carrier bag to put dirty or bloody clothes in
Bikini top
Phone/ camera to take pictures

With DD I had a water birth, which massively helped and calmed me and I ended up only needing gas and air! I wore a bikini top and nothing on the bottom as you can’t see anything down there anyway as the lights are dimmed. You can wear a loose t shirt or something if you prefer to cover up more.

I was exactly the same as you wanting to be prepared and ended up not using half the stuff I took! Better to take too much than not enough though!

Hope this helps x

Pack yourself a lip balm, I packed everything but and could have killed for one!

@confusedbeyond That’s a really good one I forgot off the list! Take lip balm!

Lucozade was recommended to me by the midwife to take too

Everything mentioned above but also packed things like led candles, fairy lights, oil diffuser, and mini speaker to play relaxing music on.
Our hospital is pro-hypnobirthing and encourages a chilled relaxing environment so you can take anything that will help with that. One thing they did suggest is your own pillows but make sure to have non-white pillow cases (just so they’re not confused with hospital ones!)

For baby:
Nappies, water wipes, muslin, car seat, blanket, going home outfit, 2 vests, 2 sleep suits. Both in new born or 0-3 months I can’t remember.

For me:
Big underwear, lip balm, night shirt, maternity pads. Phone charger, Nintendo switch, camera, Gatorade.

I had an EMCS and I found I didn’t need anything else, but wish I’d worn something nicer to the hospital as my waters broke in the night and I thought I’d be able to go home until labour would start but as nothing was happening at all and he hadn’t gotten into position, we were sent to another hospital and whilst there my partner went to grab the freshly packed hospital bag, we only packed it that night my waters broke.

Some really nice shower gel for after you've given birth and can have a shower, ditto moisturiser! A huge bar of chocolate or whatever you love to reward yourself with xx

I ended up giving birth in the examination room wearing a stretchy dress. Packed a baggy T-shirt but didn’t have time for it. Wore the same dress to a Christmas party a few months later!

After giving birth I just wore loose maternity dresses.

I'll add a pillow and a fan to everything above. I spent last night on an induction ward (waiting for a slot to open up on delivery ward so I can have my waters broken) and if I'd not brought either of those things, I would not have got any sleep! I've got a little handheld fan with a stand so I can have it on next to my bed.

If you have a vaginal birth and you have to stay in, I recommend getting some lactulose. It's not a polite topic of conversation but going to the toilet can be somewhat... challenging!
Also, a hairdryer. But that's just my preference. I would have loved to have dried my hair after that first shower. It always feels better.

@Liverbird77 Lactulose is pretty essential after a C-section too!

@Littlehouseinthebigcity thanks for the info...I've no experience of a C section but will be prepared in case I need one this time!

Take shorts/t-shirts for you to wear. Maternity wards are roasting hot!

add a pillow and a fan to everything above.

Check with your hospital - I gave birth last week and fans weren't allowed on the wards due to covid and the potential risk of circulating covid particles around in the air.

Must haves based in my experience last month:

Things for mum:

phone charger with a long cable
boots maternity pads (really thick ones) - 1 pack of 10 should suffice for hospital but buy 4 for home after
portable bidet - look on Amazon- basically water bottle with a spray nozzle that you squeeze when urinating to dilute the stinging
fem fresh wipes. Soothing ones. Really cool and much nicer than brought toilet roll. (Throw in bin and dont flush though)
long cotton nightie - as someone said they are easier if you need a catheta
lots of big black high waisted underwear in a size up - to use with maternity pads. And/or
Tena silhouette high waisted disposable pants - I put the maternity pads inside these as they arent absorbent enough by themselves unless changed very frequently. They were comfortable enough and I liked being able just to dispose of them instead of worrying about changing knickers a lot. > Nipple cream. Lanisoh one is the most recommended
headphones for music/listen to breathing
exercises or the positive birth company freya app
fan as rooms can be very hot

Things for baby:

water wipes. They recommend cotton wool balls and cooled boiled water but that's a hassle at hospital.
a few short sleeve vests with a long sleeve sleepsuit/babygro with built in mitts. Bring 5. I ran out as I was in hospital 3 days. Newborn size should be fine.
size 1 nappies. I found asda ot boots ones smaller than pampers which are a bit loose for my little one even at 3 weeks old.

If you're planning to breastfeed then make sure any nighties/night shirts you get are button down for easy access. To be honest you might want to even if you're not planning to breastfeed to make skin to skin easier.