Packing your hospital bag ahead of having your baby is one of those tasks that bring home the magnitude of what is about to happen. I remember starting to pack mine at around 35 weeks pregnant and feeling completely overwhelmed at the realization that in a few weeks’ time we’d be bringing home a tiny little human in the newborn clothes I was packing into my bag.
When I made my hospital bag packing list, I used a combination of lists I’d found online as well as notes and recommendations I’d received from mom friends of mine. I used a medium wheely bag to pack everything into and separated the things I needed for myself from the baby’s items using soft packing cubes I’d bought off Takealot when I went over to Dubai. This made it a lot easier for Kyle and the nurses to help me get stuff out of my bag on day one when I wasn’t able to get out of bed after my c-section, and it also made packing up to go home and keeping everything organised a lot more manageable.
Although I don’t think I necessarily over-packed, I didn’t use half of what I had taken with. There were some super essential items I couldn’t have done without, and a lot of extras I didn’t at all need. Below I’ve listed everything I packed into my hospital bag and made notes on what was needed and what could have been left at home. For reference, I was in hospital for two nights and had a c-section birth (I don’t think the list would be very different for natural birth except you might use one additional set of clothes as c-section moms will be wearing a hospital gown for the first day).
My Hospital Bag Checklist
For Mom
- 2 or 3 pajamas – I only wore one set. Button down pajama tops do make breastfeeding easier although are not completely necessary, you can just pull your top up if you’re wearing a regular one. For the pajama bottoms you want to make sure they’re as loose as possible. After a c-section your stomach is incredibly tender from the waist down so you don’t want any tight elastic bands pressing down on you.
- Gown – I didn’t use this but natural labour moms might.
- Slippers – An absolute necessity!
- 2 pairs of socks – I landed up not using socks as after my c-section my feet were very swollen. If they hadn’t been I definitely would have used these at night as the hospital was quite cold.
- Slops
- Underwear – I used the Carriwell maternity undies. I’d suggest buying two of the mesh undies for the first week or so when your bleeding is at its heaviest. After a few days I changed over to the Carriwell Premium black seamless undies which offered more support and were just a bit more attractive than the mesh ones. In hindsight I would have bought more of the Premium undies as I wore these for much longer than the mesh ones.
- Comfy day clothes – Don’t pack too much here. For the two days I was in hospital I wore one set of pajamas, one long sleeve shirt and a loungewear set to go home in.
- Cardigan or Jersey – The hospital room was cold at night, so I wore a knitted cardigan over my pajama top to sleep in. This made feeding easy and kept me warm. Definitely pack some warm items in, especially if you’re giving birth in winter.
- Going home outfit and shoes – Make sure the shoes you take will be able to accommodate swollen feet if you’re going in for a c-section.
- Bikini – I had this on my list originally when I thought I was going to do natural birth as the labour room at our hospital had a spa bath in it for pain relief.
- Birthing nightie – I unpacked mine but had one ready for natural birth.
- Maternity pads – My hospital provided me with one pack of maternity pads which I used first. I did take a pack of my own which I needed to open on the last day. I bought both the Carriwell maternity pads and the Lil-lets maternity pads, and much preferred Lil-lets as they have an adhesive strip which helps them stay put. The Carriwell pads do not have this so move around and fall out when you go to the bathroom.
- Breast Pads – You will probably not need this at the hospital. For the first few days you only produce colostrum, not milk, so you will not leak that first while.
- Feeding bras – I only used one at the hospital. My favourite so far has been a seamless feeding bra I got at Ackermans.
- Phone charger and adaptor
- Snacks – I had originally bought snacks to get me through natural labour. I landed up not eating any of these but they did come in handy for my husband!
- Earphones
- Face cloth – These were useful for a little bird bath on night one as I was bed-ridden. Not essential but a nice-to-have.
- Toiletries
- Baby Soft Moist Toilet Tissues – This was an absolute essential for me. With everything going on down there post-birth it was really nice to have these to keep clean and fresh. You could also use regular wet wipes or feminine wipes if you’re going to be throwing them in the bin. The nice thing about the Baby Soft wipes is that they’re flushable and biodegradable. I bought mine from Woolworths.
- Dry shampoo
- Lip Ice
- Nipple Cream – Your nipples are going to hurt for the first week or so. Nipple cream is essential! I used the Medela Purelan Lanolin cream which I’ve really liked.
- Water bottle – I drink so much water, so took my own water bottle with to keep on the bed table. You won’t be able to get up and down easily especially after a c-section so this was a must for me.
- ID and medical aid card
- Hair dryer
- Extra toiletry bag – This was an essential for me. I took a fabric toiletry bag and packed it with lip ice, a hair band, ear phones, my phone charger, hand cream Travis’ dummy and gripe water and a few other essentials I would need often. This stayed on the hospital bed with my water bottle so that even when Kyle wasn’t there I could access all of the things I needed most.
For Baby
- Dummy – I took a Bibs stage 1 with and Travis has loved them.
- Gripe water – I had put some gripe water in a little spray bottle to spray on his dummy before he took it (this was suggested to us at antenatal classes). He likes the taste of the gripe water and it also helps a bit with gas and wind.
- Warm blanket, receiver, swaddle, muslin – Basically ALL the blankets! The hospital only had receivers and it was cold inside the room. Take something to swaddle them in as well as a soft, fluffy blanket to keep warm.
- 2 Beanies
- 1 pair of Mittens – We tried these on Travis and took them off within 10 minutes. He loves his hands up by his face and in his mouth so these didn’t work for him.
- 2 pairs of Socks
- 1 long sleeve onesie per day (plus 1 extra)
- 1 vestlet per day to wear under onesie
- Going home outfit
- Toiletries (Cotton balls, nappies, bum cream, wet wipes, spirits) – The hospital provided most toiletries for Travis as well as gave us a sponsored baby bag with additional toiletries so we actually didn’t need anything from home.
- Snuza – we didn’t use this in the hospital as the crib had a breathing pad in it.