I have had two babies and what I had packed in my bag for my first was insane! On my second baby I packed a lot less, however if I were to go in for a third time there is very little I would actually pack. There is also tips which I believe make the process of packing less intimidating. less is more!
On my first baby I was overdue and spent 4 days in hospital prior to birth and 4 further days in hospital after having an emergency c-section. Having Netflix on my phone was helpful to pass the time prior to giving birth.
One thing I wish I adopted was a no visitor policy. When I had my first, my overbearing mother in law turned up unannounced and would spent hours there as would my aunts and uncles and friends. I felt the need to entertain them, when really all I wanted was to sleep. I did receive a box of cupcakes from a friend though, which was nice.
I advise you bar all the visitors and make your partner do a bakery run! when you don't have visitors you can sleep when you want, you can nurse in peace and you can enjoy your baby and not have everyone touch your baby. I had my second during covid and realised just how wonderful it was being alone.
When my first was born I would feel weird about staying in pyjamas all day and wore actual clothes throughout the day. On my second I didn't even bring clothes with me except for my going home outfit and this was actually the same outfit I entered the hospital in :) I lived in my pjs for the entire time.
I hope my list helps other expectant mothers. it seems so overwhelming when packing your bag but it really needn't be. You can always have a bag of extra clothes, sanitary pads, nappies and breast pads done up at home should you run out and somebody can drop it in :)
I have included some items in this post which I recommend buying. there are affiliate links therefore I receive a commission if you purchase them!
Without further adieu here is my list of what I feel is necessary
Labour bag (a small linen bag or backpack you can turn into a laundry bag)
- A nightdress
- linen dressing gown which takes up zero space
- stretchy knickers
- socks and non-slip slippers
- lip balm
- A phone, a charger with the longest possible cable and Bluetooth headphones(labour can last a very long time)
- A hair bobbin
- Baby's first outfit, a nappy, hat, blanket and scratch mittens (put them in a little bag)
- make sure your partner has a phone to take beautiful photos afterwards
- Your maternity file!
- 2 pyjama tops (nursing friendly if you plan to breastfeed) and 3 bottoms (you bleed a lot)
- a few stretchy knickers (2 a day)
- breast pads
- 1x box of sanitary pads (again, I brought too many)
- a few snacks (on my first I packed way too many)
- shower shoes - the showers are rotten!!
- slippers with grips
- a couple of pairs of socks
- a hairbrush, a few clips and a couple of bobbins
- a couple of face cloths
- optional: a nursing pillow. I personally didn't use the one I brought
- optional: a couple of clothing outfits if you do not like to spent the whole day in pjs
- a travel size shampoo and conditioner/dry shampoo
- a travel size bottle of shower gel
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- face wash
- a moisturiser
- nipple balm (if you plan to breastfeed)
1. A packet of nappies (I brought too many. store an extra pack in the car if needed)
2. A packet of wipes
3. A couple of muslin cloths to wipe any spit up
4. An outfit per expected day (a zipped babygrow, a vest, scratch mittens and a bib)
5. Fitted sheets (my hospital actually provided a sheet however you may want to use your own.
6. A blanket
7. A dummy if you plan to use one
8. Baby body wash (get one that is good for eczema prone skin)
9. Wash cloths
10. Cerave (or other eczema moisturiser) - my baby came out in a huge rash which turned out to be a cows milk allergy.
11. 2 baby towels (this one is larger than most)
A few pieces of advice I would give:
- Put each baby outfit into a sandwich bag with a nappy for that outfit (store extra baby outfits in a bag in the car in case they are needed)
- Cut a flat sheet into lengths and place a few under babies head. if they spit up you can remove whichever are dirty and you may not need to then change the sheet, in turn not needing to disturb baby's sleep.
- Bring one of everything i.e.; pack of nappies, daily outfit for both you and baby etc into the hospital and keep extras that you are unsure about in the car. that way you do not need to bring too much.
- Don't bother with makeup, a hairdryer or a straightener!
- I saw a lot about posts on what dad should bring. I didn't bother with anything as we lived so close to the hospital, however you could put in a t-shirt in case baby spits up on him :)
- find out if there is a visitor pass. we spent a lot on parking charges on baby no.1 before finding out there is a pass that dads can use
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