What should be on your hospital bag checklist for the arrival of your baby

I’ve written a few posts already about what I put in my hospital bag when I went to have my baby. If you’re ready to write your hospital bag checklist, then they are worth checking out. Below are some of my most essential items to put on your pregnancy hospital bag checklist.

Previous hospital bag posts

• What’s in my hospital bag? – baby edition
• What’s in my hospital bag? – mum edition
• What’s did I used from my hospital bag?

Now I wanted to write a post about some of the actual items I took that I would recommend.

These are essential hospital bag items that I used and find myself telling other mums that are having a baby soon they should invest in. I found these items really helped keep me comfortable for my hospital stay and the days after.

A labour gown.

I took two labour gowns with me, I bought one that turned out to be too small for my bump so ended up buying the one above. It was easy to slip into when we got to the hospital and the poppers down the side meant when Leo was born, it was easy to put him on my chest for some skin to skin. It also was good for best feeding a couple of hours after he was born.

It took a while for me to get cleaned up, as I had a big bleed and then an episiotomy (a cut made to my perineum to help get his MASSIVE NINE POUND HEAD out) so needed stitching back together.

As you can imagine, the labour gown was covered in all sorts of bodily fluid by the end. When I got changed (I say, I got changed, what I mean is the midwife undressed me and gave me a bed bath), my partner took it with him to wash in case I wasn’t able to go home the next day and needed it.

Although I did go home the next day, I ended up back in the hospital due to severely low iron and pre-eclampsia. Surprisingly, this labour gown came out clean from the wash so I was able to wear it in the hospital when I went back. I also wore it a few times during the first few weeks as I was hot all of the time! I’ll probably wear it again when the weather is warmer due to the ease of access to boobs (for breastfeeding, not any funny business!)

You can check out the one I bought from Amazon here.

Rechargeable pram fan & power bank.

Well, now I feel like an idiot as I’ve only just realised that this is also a power bank and you can use it to charge your phone! That would have been handy to know. I shall blame it on the baby brain.

But even before I knew this was a power bank too, it was already on my list!

Trust me when I saw those delivery rooms and the maternity wards are HOT.

This was an absolute lifesaver. It claims to have a battery life of 6-40 hours depending on which mode you have it on. I’m not sure how long I had it on for but it was for most of my labour. As it’s a clip-on fan, I could clip it to the bed tray.

I can also use it in the summer to clip on the pram for those three hot days a year we have in the UK.

The fan itself is so strong! There was a big fan in the room my mini fan was so much better! Don’t believe it’s that good? Read real reviews about the pram fan right now on Amazon.

Cooling towel.

This was another lifesaver for me in that hot hot delivery room! When the baby was born, I wasn’t allowed the fan on because the baby needs warmth. But I was so hot and the baby was so hot. That’s another thing nobody tells you about – babies come out absolutely boiling!

So there Leo is, boiling hot and on me wrapped in two massive blankets. I 100% threw up because I was too hot. You just wet this towel and it turns ice-cold for up to 3 hours. I had it around my neck for ages. Then I used it again when I had to go back to the hospital.

It was actually my Mum that got me into it, as she and my Dad have one and they take it on holiday with them. When they’re out and about during the day in the heat, they have it around their neck to cool them off.

Get your own cooling towel here.

Peri Bottle

Lots of women swear by these to help them wee after giving birth. That first wee is really scary! Lots of women say that it really stings so they use a peri bottle to pour water onto themselves while they wee. It dilutes the urine so it doesn’t sting.

While the first wee was scary, it was more the anticipation of if it would hurt and the pressure of sitting on the toilet that was uncomfortable. It didn’t sting me.

But what I used this bottle for was to ensure I kept my stitches clean to prevent infection. I didn’t want to keep wiping it and touching the idea, so filling the peri bottle with warm water to clean the area a few times a day helped me to keep it clean without irritating it.

Check out the peri bottle I bought from Amazon here.

Bottoms Up Spray

This soothing spray is a godsend for the first couple of weeks after birth. It’s got lavender, witch hazel, cucumber and arnica in to soothe your vulva and perineal area after pushing a whole human out of your vagina. Trust me when I say it really hurts and feels like your fanny has been in a fight. Pow pow.

My fanny lost, by the way.

It can also be used on c-section wounds.

Some information about the ingredients:

• Lavender: Antiseptic, anti-fungal, pain-relieving properties, promotes healing – improves the formation of scar tissue.
• Witch Hazel: Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, astringent – promotes healing – tightens tissues together, moisturises, cools, soothes, relieves itching, disinfectant.
• Cucumber: Pain-relieving properties, soothes, anti-inflammatory, promotes healing – helps to heal scars, moisturises.
• Arnica: antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, promotes healing – stimulates the formation of granular tissue, soothes and promotes skin renewal.

I used to spray this on the area after showering or using the peri bottle.

Check out the prices for Bottoms Up spray here.

A flask with a straw.

This was probably the most essential item for me. I still use it every day now!

During labour, my partner was able to give me a drink using this bottle whenever I needed. Every time I got a new jug of water from the midwives, it was straight in this flask. When I was pushing, my partner was there ready to give me a sip in between each push.

Later on, when I was alone in the delivery room with the baby, it was really hard reaching to get things. But I could have this flask on the bed with me. Then when I was home, the flask was aways on the sofa when I was stuck breastfeeding during those early days of cluster feeding. You get so thirsty when breastfeeding so need a drink (and snacks!) at all time.

I got mine from Tesco, but this is a similar one from Amazon.

Washable bamboo nursing pads

How quickly you will need these depends on how quick your milk comes. Mine took 3 days, so I needed them the second time I was in the hospital.

I was not ready for the amount of boob leakage that would occur! This is an environmentally friendly way of preventing milk. leaking through your bra and top.

There are 5 pairs in this pack and they are all a differet colour with a beautiful lace design. They also come with a lovely little box and a bag to wash them in, so they would make an ideal baby shower present too.

Read more about these nursing pads on Amazon now..

Long phone charger.

When you’re up all night with a baby on your boob, it’s the perfect time to catch up on all those messages you’ve been getting congratulating you on the birth of your baby. At my hospital, the plugs were on the wall behind the bed so a normal phone charger would not reach. I ended up getting a two pack of chargers.

This meant when I got home, I could also have one in the living room and one by the bed. You spend a lot of time stuck and awake and I was using my phone lots!

Get your own long chargers here.

Of course, there are lots of other things you pack in your hospital bag, but these are the more unique items that I would not do without!

Check out my other mother and baby essentials posts:

• Third-trimester essentials
• Breastfeeding essentials
• Weaning essentials 
• Taking a baby swimming for the first time
• What maternity clothes do I really need?