Packing hospital bag

[SweetSunflowerBoo]

From looking at lists of what people have taken to hospital this is what I've come up with.

I feel like it's way too much but I'm not sure what I will actually need as a first time mum.

Can you say what is and isn't worth taking on my lists and see if it looks okay? Some things have question marks as unsure

Thanks!!

Birth plan
Maternity notes
clothes & coming home clothes & long cardi
Nursing bras
underwear
Nighties & Dressing gown & slippers
warm socks
Flip-flops & flannel & towel (?)
Breast pads & maternity pads
Bikini top
Water bottle
Glasses
Food & drink
COVID-masks & handgel
Phone charger

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Razor
Hair brush & Hairbands
Makeup wipes & makeup & hand mirror
Deodorant
Soap/ body wash & lotion
Shampoo & conditioner
Peribottle
Nipple cream (?)
Lip balm

BABY
Feeding pillow (?)
Stamp set
Muzzles & Swaddle
Blankets
Photo outfit & announcement plaque
Nappies
Wipes
Mitts & cardi
Clothes NEWBORN & 0-3months
Dummy
coming home outfit
Car seat & cover

Birth plan -yes
Maternity notes-yes
clothes & coming home clothes & long cardi -yes
Nursing bras -yes
underwear -yes
Nighties & Dressing gown & slippers -yes
warm socks - up to you
Flip-flops & flannel & towel (?) - my ward they had towels. Flannel and flip flops yes.
Breast pads & maternity pads -yes
Bikini top - up to you
Water bottle -yep
Glasses -for drinks or reading? Either way up to you
Food & drink -yes
COVID-masks & handgel -yes
Phone charger - yes

Toothbrush -yes
Toothpaste -yes
Razor - not sure this is required.
Hair brush & Hairbands -yup
Makeup wipes & makeup & hand mirror - up to you, i wouldn't bother at all!
Deodorant -yes
Soap/ body wash & lotion -yep
Shampoo & conditioner -yep take minis
Peribottle- don't know what this is?
Nipple cream (?) - yep
Lip balm -yep

BABY
Feeding pillow (?) -NO
Stamp set - up to you, I'd wait until home
Muzzles & Swaddle - I'm pretty sure I used hospital cellular blankets. Maybe took two muslins
Blankets - as above I used the cellular blankets for swaddling no need for blanket
Photo outfit & announcement plaque - I wouldnt. Wait until home.
Nappies - I'd take a few but the hospital provided.
Wipes -as above
Mitts & cardi - mitts yep cardi if you want
Clothes NEWBORN & 0-3months - I think I took like two outfits a long with me.
Dummy - if you want
coming home outfit - just make that one of the outfits above.
Car seat & cover - yes.

With regards to how much you actually take...I mean if plan to be there one or two nights. Your partner can bring more stuff if required.
Take a fair number of pants, I'd take like 1 or 2 bras. Miniatures of the toiletries.
The way you've made your list i agree it sounds like tonnes.
Your baby doesn't need to go into an endless number of outfits. Just nappy, vest, babygro or whatever. I didn't do a "coming home outfit" don't really see the difference in that or a newborn outfit!

Bag #1: Labour
Maternity notes
Phone & charger
Nightie
Slip on shoes/slippers
Dressing gown
Water bottle

Bag #2: After birth
PJ's - 2x strappy vest tops, 3x bottoms
Underwear - 2x stretchy bras, 2x socks, 5x big pants
2 packs Always night pads
V cushion (or support cushion if you used)
Breast pads
Toiletries - shower gel, 2 in 1 shampoo, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant.

Pack newborn nappies
3x babygros
3x vests
Hat
2x scratch mitts (baby socks do the same job)
Wipes
Bepanthen

Bag #3: Coming home
Leggings, top and hoodie/cardigan for you.
Cardigan for baby
Car seat and light blanket

We didn't do any announcements or specific outfits for coming home so I suppose that cut down on a few things!

That still sounds like loads to me. I took one bag 🤣🤣
I had one nightie, I didn't actually take flip flops or anything but did wish I had.

I had sections so knew I'd have a 2/3 night stay and couldn't get stuff brought in to me so I suppose it was a better to be prepared thing!

I guess it looks a lot written down but I didn't even fill a small suitcase in the end.

Toiletry bag, clean PJ's each day, clean clothes for heading home and a few home comforts to get me through 🤣

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend
Thank you that was very helpful.
Yes I know the way I wrote it is looonngg but it's one of my anxiety ocd things so I can't help it 😂
I'll cut down on the baby clothes and blankets for sure!

@DoucheCanoe
Did you find that always night pads were enough?
I keep getting mixed answers on maternity pads vs using normal overnight heavy pads

I've split mine down (although I've packed for induction and was in for a week last time so i do have a lot...).

Bag for antenatal ward (my clothes, toiletries, entertainment) and the very first clothes and nappy etc for both me and baby after birth.

Then a second bag that DP will get from the car when he goes to do the phone calls which has baby stuff and some spare buts for me.

We also have a bag of yet more Soares that stays in the car, and then going home stuff (clothes and blanket) is in the car seat to be brought up to the ward when we go.

I also have a snack bag after letting myself get hungry through nerves while I was waiting for my induction to work, I was nil by mouth after i got the drip and epidural which I wasn't expecting so want to avoid that this time!

From your list I'd ditch dressing gown (take an oversize shirt or something but wards are hotter than hell usually), the announcement thing (do that at home) and I don't know what a stamp set is. Oh and the feeding pillow. You prob won't need 0-3 unless you know you're expecting a bigger baby.

Glasses case and towel for you are a couple of things I'd add.

Ah @DoucheCanoe great minds!

@SweetSunflowerBoo I didn't bleed much after as apparently left a lot of it in the delivery room 😬 but I have bought maternity pads again anyway as found them handy padding for stitches- I think the ones I have are called Abeeno, got them from Amazon. They are massive. But then dropped down to normal Boots maternity pads after a few days and found they annoyed my wound!

@8dpwoah
The dressing gown is super thin- just to give me a bit of coverage as I didn't want to purposely buy anything I wouldn't use again (like big tees)

Stamp set- it's a ink kit to get baby foot print the day he's born as I'm getting his footprint minimised and engraved onto a necklace charm

Getting mixed reviews on whether to take my own towel 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hmm I might take a mixture of pads then and see how I feel and get on with them

I would 100% go for maternity pads btw.

The food thing was the biggest annoyance for me tbh. I had taken snacks like maybe a nutri grain bar, some sweets, some dried fruit.

The day I gave birth the meals were ok but DH got nothing and the ward was miles from the cafe.
We actually got discharged that night which was fab but unfortunately got readmitted for a few nights on day 4.
The food was almost non existent.my DH certainly didn't get a thing. So DH went home cooked up amazing concoctions for us and we had like a picnic of lovely warm food.
So for now I guess pack snacks but be aware your partner will need to go get his meals and probably buy you stuff from the cafe too.

I asked for a baked potato and cheese for one of my meals from the trolley and this is what it was like! Just abysmal really. I remember the midwife saying to me at home to make the most of time in hospital, to make use of the midwives BF knowledge and to rest and eat up.
Well when cereal was a 25g portion of rice Krispies and this potato for lunch I honestly just wonder what planet they are on trying to sustain a BF new on that

Ask your midwife is the hospital provides towels.
The one I was at is in Scotland so maybe practices are different here.
Also had free access to the blankets, formula and bottles and teats etc.

Take a zillion maternity pads. I had a really easy birth with my third and still bled like there was no tomorrow for about 15 hours after.

I took everything you have on your list apart from a razor, I ended up hardly using anything as I had to have a c section and got to go home the next day so I stayed in my pjs.
I would also recommend taking for the baby a pack of ready made bottles the ones that have the sterilised teats in the box just in case.
Nappy bags were handy

Also a little tip is put everything into sandwich bags and label them. This was extremely helpful I would put for the baby a vest, sleepsuit , hat mittens and bib all in the one sandwich bag it made everything very easy to grab. I took about 4 different ones with 4 of each things

Also forgot to add

I put £10 coins in a little bag and kept it in my hospital bag for the car park

Yeah the food logic in the NHS is a bit odd isn't it, feeding postpartum women the same menu as poorly people (obviously some women are but most are just there as a precaution) doesn't really make sense does it. Plus on the antenatal I got used to being encouraged to go off for a walk which generally involved getting some top-up food but on postnatal even if I'd wanted to I wasn't allowed to take baby off the ward and you can't really leave them there...

I'd leave the ink kit to do at home tbh as well OP, either you'll be out quick anyway or you won't be feeling like you want to mess about with things like that. I'd had an epidural and had cannulas still in both hands/wrists so I was more or less useless for quite a few hours til they got round to taking those out. Buttered a piece of toast while holding DD in that state though, was very proud of that 😂

@A2304

Also forgot to add I put £10 coins in a little bag and kept it in my hospital bag for the car park

Oh yes, and for the vending machines! Although I'm wondering if they might all be cashless now I've got my little bag of coins too just in case!