Monday 30 March 2015

Hospital Bag Essentials.




With less than two weeks to go now till my due date I thought I better get my hospital bags packed and ready to go, I have been putting bits and pieces in them over the last few weeks but they are now in the car in the anticipation of labour starting at some point soon (please don't keep me waiting little girly!). 

I have two bags packed, one for baby and one for me, I can't remember what I did for Alfie, I think I had two then also but it seems to make sense so that everything is accessible in separate bags. Neither bag is particularly massive so won't be getting in anyone's way once we're at the hospital. For anyone interested the bag on the left is from Flamingo Gifts which is a great website and the one on the right was a Clarins freebie that I use regularly.

I'll start with what I've packed in my bag then I'll go on to baby's. 


First up are my toiletries, I wear contact lenses so one of the first things that I always pack in any of my weekend bags are lenses, solution and glasses (not seen here as I'll add them when I go into hospital). I'm also packing a spritz for my face, labour can get pretty hot and sweaty so this light smelling facial spritz I'm hoping will help. I'm taking two packs of slim maternity pads and a handful of breast pads, from what I remember last time I didn't require many breast pads until my milk fully came in so these should see me through. 

In the pink makeup bag are a selection of travel sized toiletries with the essentials such as toothbrush, toothpaste, face wipes, body wash, razor, deodorant and a little bottle of perfume, also a couple of lip balms, using gas and air can make your lips ever so dry. I'm also taking a small selection of makeup, call me vain but I wear makeup most days and after birth I want to feel a little bit like me so I have chosen a few items that I can quickly just pop on and will hopefully help me feel a bit more human, I'm also taking a flexi hair band to keep my hair out of my way during labour!


I'm taking two large bottles of Lucozade, I had a long and drawn out labour last time so if this time round is anything like that (I pray it isn't) then I will probably be needing triple the amount of these but for the time being these will have to do. I'm also taking a handful of snacks, I got pretty hungry last time so a bit of sugar will hopefully boost my energy levels, also these will be useful for my husband too, can't forgot his needs either. I'll perhaps add a few more when we leave the house. 



The next item is my TENS machine, I absolutely could not be without this during labour, a great distraction from contractions and worked really well for me before during my latent stage of labour. I do need to stock up on some batteries though! For anybody interested I purchased mine from Amazon and it was well worth it.


I'm packing my maternity tankini in the hope that birthing pool is free as the Consultant has okayed it for me to use to pool up to the point of delivery, I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed that I will be able to make use of it.



In my first labour I wore a hospital gown so I'm taking just the one nightie, if needs be I'm happy to wear a gown again, giving birth can be a messy business so I'd rather not ruin anything of mine! I'm also packing a breastfeeding bra for easy feeding, some big knickers (a size bigger than normal just in case I need a section and purely for comfort), a pair of flip flops and a hairbrush for obvious reasons!



Clothes to go home in, I'm packing a simple pair of black leggings, a loose top and some socks, I'll either wear flip flops home or boots depending on what I'm wearing when I leave home. I've also packed my husband a spare top just in case he wants to change. If I need anymore clothes I'll get my husband to pop out and get some as the hospital isn't far from several shops. It's likely I'll be wearing a cardi when I go in so I'll wear that over the top too, when I gave birth to Alfie in May 2012 it was one of the hottest weekends of the year so I left in a maxi dress, this time it's not looking so promising weather wise so I'll play it safe with the leggings!

Next up is what I'm packing in baby's bag.


My little boy is obsessed with the blue version of this bear, it's his bedtime bear and we have three just in case (god forbid) he was to lose one. It seemed apt that when I found out we were having a girl I purchased a pink version for him to give to her when she's born, bedtime bear is from Mothercare costing £9.99. I love the bedtime bears as they are so soft and very cute so this was always going to be coming with me to hospital. I'm also taking one of Alfie's old comforters that he said 'baby smister' could have. I'm also taking two blankets, one a soft one from Mothercare that is cot sized and the other my husband's Aunty knitted and it's a perfect size for a little cot.



I'm taking a pack of sensitive wipes, the hospital provided cotton wool from what I remember but I thought I best pack some wipes just in case, baby wipes are generally something I always carry with me these days anyway! A small selection of bibs and a couple of hats, a pack of nappy bags, a small tube of Sudocrem plus some Lansinoh nipple cream, it's never too early to apply this from my experience last time and this cream is the best you can get, it can also double up as a great lipbalm!



I struggled to choose what baby clothes to take so I picked put a handful of bright vests and pink babygro's, I can't wait to put my little girl in some of these, they are gorgeous! It's difficult to know what size to pack so I've chosen one small baby and the rest are 0-3 so hopefully they'll be ok. Alfie was 7lb 4oz when born so I'm hoping for a similar size!



When I had Alfie I struggled to breastfeed, I found the whole thing very stressful and I didn't enjoy it all, although I'm hoping it will be different this time I refuse to put myself under pressure again so I'm taking some pre-filled bottles into hospital with me because as far as I'm concerned it's surely more important for the baby to fed than not. Anyway, these are purely a back up and fingers crossed I'll settle into breastfeeding ok .



I've selected a handful of girly muslins and a towel, I can't think whether I'll need a towel for baby but it doesn't take up much room so thought I'd pop one in. With a newborn muslins are an actual lifesaver, great for mopping up posset and other spills and messes so these are pretty important to pack.  




The next items are essential to pack, a pack of nappies and a changing mat, I am using Kiddicare's 'Just for Bums' nappies, I used them with Alfie and I think they are really good, £19.99 for a month's supply and we had minimum leakages. I'm also taking a small changing mat just so there is something underneath baby when I'm doing a nappy change. 


Last but not least is the car seat, this is standard I believe in all hospitals that you can't go home unless you have the car seat. We are reusing our old travel system as it's in great condition so we just couldn't justify getting a new one. I've given it a full clean and added a pink accessory to make it a bit more girly.

There are a few items that aren't pictured here that I'll quickly pick up as we leave such as my phone charger, hair straighteners and my Kindle, I'll also throw (not literally) in our camera and probably some loose change for any other snacks or drinks. I will also be putting in my maternity notes but then that probably goes without saying!

I'm hoping that I won't be in hospital for very long again so these things will see me through!

Has anyone else got any other ideas what I should pack? Am I missing anything important?

MaternityMondays


18 comments:

  1. You can definitely see this is a 2nd time round mummy bag packed with the benefit of hindsight! Wishing you all the best for no. 2 x #mummymonday

    http://motherhoodtherealdeal.com/

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    1. Haha thankyou Talya! I'm hoping I haven't forgotten anything! x

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  2. OMG you are taking tonnes...you are sooo organised! hehe. I'm going to have to refer to this post second time around if and when it comes. Pack some Haribo! #mummymonday

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    1. Eek, now I'm paranoid I'm taking too much haha, bet I don't use half of it. Haribo, yes noted, good idea :-) x

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  3. I agree with Talya this is a bag packed by a woman who knows what is actually needed in a hospital bag :) good luck with everything, hope it all goes well xx #mummymonday

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    1. Thanks for the comment, I'm just hoping that I use it all! x

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  4. oh i remember how much was needed and recently just found out i will be doing it all over again , this is a good idea as to what will be needed lol , good luck

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  5. love reading what others pack in their hospital bags, especially if it's not their first time. I've recently packed mine and finally think that I have everything that we are going to need.

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    1. I know I find myself curious too! I'm definitely more sure about what I need this time too :-) Thanks for the comment X

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  6. Oh wow it's getting very real. Great suggestions. Most wards supply milk though so I'd save room and leave that out. Aren't they a good idea though for milk on the go? I can't wait for the birth he he :) #MaternityMondays

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    1. It is Emma, scary how quick it has gone! I'm not too sure if our hospital provides milk, I will check thanks for the heads up. X

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  7. It looks like you've got it covered. I must get hold of a Tens Machine. I borrowed one last time round and it was amazing. I don't think I'd have got through the first stage of labour without it. Good luck! #MaternityMondays

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  8. very well prepared! loved reading this post, and huge good luck! x

    http://the-dress-diaries.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thankyou Leanne :-) I do feel reasonably organised now they're all packed and ready to go! X

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  9. great post :) looks like you have all the essentials and good luck for when the day comes :)

    thankyou for linking up to #mummymonday :) Love, Gemma - host xo
    www.sunshineonacloudyday.co.uk

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    1. Thanks Gemma, here's hoping I haven't forgotten anything!! :-) x

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