What to Pack in your Hospital Bag (even if you are birthing at home)

My personal and professional tips on what to pack when you are having a baby. 

Everyone will have and want different things to use during their labour and birth and for after. This list is intended to be a good starting point for ideas on what you may like to include in your bags and this list can be used if you are birthing at hospital or home.

You can begin organising your bags as early as you like, and I usually recommend having them all packed by 36weeks just in case and to feel prepared.

Essentials

- Orange book or otherwise known as your pregnancy record and Medicare Card if you have one.

- List of all the phone numbers you may need when you go into labour. For example, midwife, doctor, hospital, baby or fur babysitter if needed, doula and photographer.

- Your Hypnobirthing folder/booklet with your affirmations and other ‘toolbox’ items you may want to bring with you.

- Couple of copies of your birth preferences for yourself/birth partner and your care providers.

- Any reference booklets or print outs such as acupressure, positions, partner cheat sheet etc.

- Camera or video camera – remember extra batteries or charger as well.

- Headphones and/or speaker to listen to your hypnobirthing tracks

- Music – If you have made any playlists you want to listen too and tell your partner where to find them.

- Hypnobirthing Tracks.

- Aromatherapy, please check if you can use a diffuser at your chosen place for birthing otherwise a spray bottle works well or popping a few drops of oil on a tissue to smell throughout your labour is super effective too.

- Your own box of tissues and toilet paper - some hospitals toilet paper isn’t the best to use after having a baby.

- Pen and notepad – great for timing surges, or what happened when to create a timeline or for after for feeds or what your baby does and when or things to remember like phone numbers for when you get home.

- You may want to take your own towel – hospital towels can be a little small.

- Your own Pillow – great as a comfort brought from home, but also great for after as feeding pillow if need. Some hospitals can be short on pillows and good sleep is important with a newborn baby.

- What you feel you want to use or need in labour, that your place of birth may not provide use of like hot packs, birthing ball, birthing stool, bean bag otherwise taking in your own hot pack, gym ball is a great idea.

- TENS Machine – you can find these to hire in my shop.

- Massage devices such as spiky balls.

- Phone charger.

- Lip balm – you can be surprised how dry your lips can get in labour but also from just being hospital.

- Snacks and drinks for labour for yourself and support people, also to have for after and during your hospital stay – easy light things like muesli or nut bars, fruit, honey straws, biscuits and you may want to take your own coffee and tea as hospital ones can be very basic.

- Your own drink bottle and Hydrolyte or Aquamumma or coconut water – for energy and hydration

- Warm socks – you will be surprises how cold hospitals can be so these can be great for in labour.

- Coins for parking & money for vending machines, coffee shop trips.

- Lighting such as LED candles or small salt lamp.

- Homeopathy such as rescue remedy.

Items for Mum

- What you may want to wear in labour – just because there is a hospital gown doesn’t mean you have to put it on, in maternity they are only really used if you are going through to surgery.

- Change of clothes (including undies) for your partner - good to have if it’s a longer stay than intended plus bathers/boardies if entering the birth pool/bath/shower with you in labour.

- Maternity pads or disposable undies or comfortable knickers/undies – good tip is to get dark coloured ones and a few pairs in the next size up for those first couple of days can be helpful while you are wearing maternity pads.

- Comfortable maternity bras and breastfeeding tops.

- PJ’s/comfortable breastfeeding friendly nightie

- Socks, slippers, thongs and/or shoes

- Toiletries – buying mini travel packs are convenient for things like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash (even though I do not recommend using body wash/soap on your breasts/chest for at least the first 24hours after baby is born, if you are breastfeeding), toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, hairdryer, straightener, hair ties. You may want to pack a toothbrush and deodorant for your partner too if they are staying or even to have if labour is long.

- Clothes – breastfeeding friendly tops, dresses, comfortable pants (loose fitting or not tight around the waist/perineal area or track pants) and outfit to wear home.

- Breast pads and breast discs - highly recommend Multi Mam Compresses.

- Dressing gown.

Items for Baby

- Nappies - plan for around 6-8 nappies per day disposable or cloth.

- Wipes.

- Clothes – singlets, bodysuits, onesies, outfits – pack a few for each day of planned stay as baby’s can wee/poo and spew on their clothes in those first few days.

- A Beanie.

- Socks - which are also great to use for mittens if need.

- Wraps and blankets.

- Baby body wash, creams, and oils.

- Going home outfit.

- Capsule or car seat professionally installed for going home or first outing.

Tips and recommendations to have ready for at home

- Ready-made frozen meals or even better get family and friends to bring you a meal or I can highly recommend The Golden Month Food Deliveries.

- Ice packs for your peri or breasts (can use pads or nappies for breasts by filling them up with water and freezing them) and perineal bath sitz.

If you are making the informed decision to have a planned homebirth these are some things to consider;  

- Highly recommend having your hospital bags packed and ready to go. This way you are prepared for whatever turns your journey may take. In the case of having to transfer to hospital everything is ready to grab and go plus makes easier to find things after a homebirth too.

- Couple of buckets – for wet towels, moving water around if using birth pool.

- Couple of old towels.

- Ice cream container – for the Placenta.

- Hot pack or hot water bottle – to keep baby wraps and towels warm in preparation for birth.

- Sieve if planning to use the bath or pool to remove any floaties.

- Birth pool and liner, tap fitting for hose and of course a hot water safe hose if you are planning to use water immersion for labour or water birth.

- Drop sheets for under the pool or to protect furniture, you can get some they have absorbent layer to them for under the pool.

- Great to have an old quilt and pillows for during and to use after birth.

- Torches and spare batteries.

- Snacks on hand for during labour but most importantly for yourself to have after.

So, there you go this is my professional and personal complied list of what birthing women may find they need during labour and after for all birthplace settings.

It is important to tell your birth partner and support people what you have packed in your bags and how to find it. It is of no use to pack all these amazing tools and things you may need if no one else knows about them or where to find them and it may be hard to remember these things you have packed once you are in labour or even after you have had your baby.

Another idea is to consider a gift if you already have a child/children – to have a present for the older child/children from the baby and a gift for the baby from the older child/children (depending on their age it may be nice to take them shopping with you for something beforehand). It is also great to have a baby doll for the older child so they can have their own baby too.  

I am sure there is more to add, so feel free to comment below if you have any suggestions, as I would love to hear them. 

Love, 

Nikki xx