Mummy Mondays - What's In My Hospital Bag!

Hi Ladies!

This week for Mummy Mondays I'm going to show you what I've packed in my hospital bag ready for when I go into labour which fingers crossed won't be in the too distant future (3 weeks until my due date).

You're given lots of different information about when exactly is best to pack your bag, the idea is to have it done in advance so that you don't have to pack all the things you'll need while you're actually in labour. Some websites advise to have it packed from 30 weeks and others say 36 weeks, I haven't been very organised with this pregnancy so I've only just packed mine and I'm 37 weeks now.

I decided to go with a small case this time instead of taking 2 overnight bags which is what I did last time, I just thought it would be easier to have everything in one place.

With my baby brain being really bad at the moment I decided the best way for me to remember everything that needed to go into my hospital bag was to print off a list from a website so I researched a few 'Hospital Bag' lists and the one I thought was best was the one on the NetMums website, click on the link to have a look for yourself. With the list printed off I could tick off each item as I packed it and also see what I still needed to pack as some items can't really be packed until the last minute such as toiletries and makeup that I use on a daily basis.

I'll start with the things that I packed for me

A dark/old towel - It's best to take a dark coloured old one so that it doesn't get stained by blood etc. (sorry I know that's gross)

2 Nighties - I've got one to actually give birth in and one to change into afterwards. They both have buttons down the front for easy access when breast feeding and they were both really cheap ones from Primark again just incase they got stained and ruined.

Disposable pants or several pairs of old pants - I bought a pack of disposable maternity pants when I had Riley and never used them so this time I'm taking about 4 pairs of old pants that I don't mind throwing away if they get ruined.

Socks - I'm just taking one pair incase my feet get cold but knowing how hot it is in hospitals I'm not sure I'll need to wear them other than to go home in.

Dressing Gown - I'm taking my summer dressing gown which is lightweight as it does get really hot in hospitals but it's nice to have something to put on over your nightie if you need to walk around the hospital.

Clothes to go home in - I've packed a pair of maternity jogging bottoms as your belly is still pretty big straight after having the baby so you're not always going to fit straight back into your pre-maternity clothes and 2 nursing tops incase one gets baby puke/wee/milk on it. I got my nursing tops from George at Asda and they were £10 for 2 which I thought was a bargain.

Nursing/Breastfeeding bras - I'm taking 2, one black, one white. I think I got these as a 2 pack from Matalan when I had Riley and they were really cheap so I recommend having a look in there if you're on the look out for nursing bras.

Maternity Sanitary Towels - I'm taking a pack of 10 of the super thick ones and then I have a few packs at home of the ultra thin ones to use afterwards as you can bleed for a few weeks after having a baby. I got mine from Tesco for just 98p for a pack of 10.

Slippers - My Mum bought me some slippers for Christmas from Mothercare so I'm taking those to walk around in while I'm in hospital.

Breast Pads - I didn't actually need to start wearing breast pads until a few days after I'd given birth when I had Riley as it takes a couple of days for your milk to come in but I thought I'd pack a few of the sample packs that I got in my Emma's Diary Pack just incase.

Nipple Cream - As I intend on breastfeeding I'm packing a few sample sized sachets of the Lansinoh nipple cream, the 40ml tube is currently on offer at Boots for £6.66 (normally £9.99). It's a bit pricey but honestly it's worth every penny to not have sore, cracked nipples, I can't recommend it enough.

Mirror - The reason I'm taking a mirror is because when I was on the ward after having Riley there were no mirrors anywhere, not even in the toilets or shower rooms. I had no idea what I looked like and no way of putting any makeup on so I'm taking my own this time. 

Tissues - The reason I'm taking tissues this time is because I didn't take any last time and after having a pretty horrible birth experience when having Riley and just generally being hormonal and in pain I found myself crying a lot while I was in hospital and I hated the fact that I had to keep going backwards and forwards to the toilets for tissues while everyone else on the ward was looking at me like I was a crazy person.

Toiletries - My best friend got me this lovely new wash bag for my birthday from Boots, it's nice and big and will fit everything I need to take including wash things and makeup. Inside I have shower gel, a shower puff, toothbrush, toothpaste, face wipes, lip balm, hand cream, deodorant, hair bobbles, comb and I'll pack my makeup just before we go to hospital. I'm not taking shampoo and conditioner as I don't intend on washing my hair whilst I'm in hospital, my hair doesn't require washing on a daily basis and if I did wash it whilst in hospital it would mean taking a ridiculous amount of products with me and it just seems silly when I was only in for 2 days last time however if you do wash your hair everyday or you know you're going to be in for longer then you might want to take your hair products with you.

Other items on the list that I haven't taken photos of are

Hospital Notes - very important to remember these!

Snacks and Drinks - I'm taking some cereal bars, crisps, biscuits and some small bottles of water as I'm not a massive fan of hospital food and it's nice to have something to snack on without having to go and get food whilst in hospital.

Mobile phone - I was allowed to use mine whilst on the ward, this may not be the case in every hospital though.

A Laundry Bag - I've packed a carrier bag to put dirty laundry in to keep it separate from my clean clothes.

Camera/Camcorder - I've packed both but I'm not letting my husband film the birth just the baby when she's first born.

Magazines/Books - I'm going to stock up on gossip magazines a bit nearer to my due date and pack them straight in my bag for reading whilst in hospital.

Some Loose Change - I'm not taking my purse with all my cards in as there's always a chance it could get stolen (that sounds bad but it does happen) I'll just put some loose change in one of the side pockets of my case just incase I need cash for any reason.

Ok now onto the items I've packed for the baby.

Blanket - The hospital provided me with sheets and blankets for while the baby is in hospital but you'll need to take a blanket for going home, I got this one from TKMaxx.

Vests - I've packed about 5 newborn vests as you never know how many times you might have to change your little one due to nappy leaks or spit ups.

Sleepsuits - I've packed 4 sleepsuits and they're all newborn size but as they're different brands the size varies slightly with each one so some are a bit bigger than others, this is useful as you never quite know how big your baby is going to be.

Going Home Outfit - I've packed a really cute little newborn outfit from TKMaxx with a matching hat, I just hope it fits her, if not she can always go home in one of the sleepsuits.

Nappies - My Mum got me a little pack of Huggies newborn nappies which I thought was ideal for packing in my hospital bag and also these nappies are perfect for babies straight after birth as they have a little dip in the front of the nappy to stop them rubbing on the umbilical cord and clip as these take a few days to dry up and fall off.

Cotton Wool - I'm taking cotton wool pads to clean the baby with as when you use balls they end up pretty tiny when you've soaked them in water and squeezed them out so it doesn't leave you much to work with. Baby wipes are not recommended for use on babies until they're 6 weeks old due to their sensitive skin.

Nappy Sacks - To put dirty nappies and cotton wool in when you're changing the baby.

Muslin Cloths - These can be really handy for wiping up any baby sick etc or as a cover up when breastfeeding. I bought loads of these when I was having Riley and never used any of them as Riley was never sick and never drooled or anything like that but I know loads of people who swear by them and this baby may well be a sicky baby so I'm taking a couple just incase.

Bib - Not sure if I'll really need a bib for the baby but I'm taking one just incase.

Towel - The hospital provided me with a towel for Riley when he had his first bath and I'm glad they did as straight after I bathed him he pooed and puked all over his towel lol I might take one just incase but hopefully I'll just use one of the hospitals towels again this time as I don't want her pretty new towels getting ruined.

Car Seat - You'll need this to take the baby home in but my husband just kept it in the car and fetched it when we needed it.

Socks - I'm not actually taking any socks for the baby as all the sleepsuits I'm taking for her and her going home outfit already have feet in them.

Tens Machine - Obviously you'll only pack this if you're planning on using one which I am this time as I'm determined not to have any diamorphine as this really didn't agree with me last time. This time I plan on having gas and air, using the tens machine and then if they don't work I'll have an epidural. I've hired a tens machine from PregnancyTens.co.uk, it's £17.95 for 7 weeks (they post it out to you when you're 37 weeks and you can keep it up to 3 weeks after your due date) and free postage which I think is really reasonable.

So that's everything I think, please let me know if you can think of anything I've missed off the list. I hope this post was helpful and not too long and boring lol.

XXX