Pregnancy: My labour hospital bag – what I found most useful

I thought it would be helpful to write a post about what I found useful, and not so useful in my hospital bag during and after labour. I did lots of research about what to put in my hospital bag, reading blogposts and watching videos on YouTube so there wasn’t much that I didn’t use. I’ve also added a section about Florence’s bag and some thoughts around this.

My hospital bag – I used a hand luggage suitcase
  • A handheld fan* – I had this on me through labour as I got so hot. Chris or my Mum would hold it in my face and it was amazing.
  • Cold face spray/cold flannel – I took a flannel which we drenched in cold water and that felt so nice on my head when I was really hot.
  • A mixture of snacks and drinks – I found that I wasn’t hungry at all but it’s so important to try and keep your energy level ups. It’s hard to pack as you have no idea what you will fancy. I packed lots of sweets but didn’t want them at all! My Mum had bought some grapes for her to snack on and that’s what I ended up having as Chris could easily feed me them and they were easy to digest. So I’d bring a mix of food so there is likely to be something you can eat. Drinks wise I had a Lucozade sports drink but that was horrid (even though it’s great for energy) so just stuck to water.
  • A water bottle which is easy to drink from – I used my Love Island one and it was great. It’s also handy for if you breastfeed as you get ridiculously thirsty and it doesn’t spill as you just suck it from the straw. 
  • A tangle teezer* (or any brush really) – especially if you go in the pool. My hair was like a birds nest afterwards!
  • Nice toiletries for the first shower/bath after birth – that first shower was so good and it was lovely to have special toiletries to use.
  • Flip flops – I took these rather than slippers for the ward and just used the £1 ones from Primark
  • Lip balm – your lips get super dry in labour, especially if you use gas & air so this is a must.
  • Nipple cream – Lansinoh* is amazing and an essential for breastfeeding
  • Tena lady pants – I bought these instead of maternity pads (which I did use a few days) as they were so easy. You don’t have to faff with big pants and a massive maternity pad – it’s basically just a big nappy. Oh the glamour!
  • Spritz for bits – does what it says on the tin and works like a charm!
  • Tens machine – I hired one from Boots and it got me to 4cm. It really helped.

What I packed and didn’t use
  • Dressing gown – luckily I’d only packed a thin one which didn’t take up much space but the ward was far too hot to need it
  • Fluffy socks – same reason as above
  • Front opening nightie – I ended up sleeping in leggings and a maternity vest which I found easy for breastfeeding.
  • Make-up – I bought a few basics with me but didn’t touch it, I couldn’t have cared less!  
Baby’s bag – I packed everything into her changing bag
Most baby stuff is covered in all of the lists you can find online so my extra thoughts are below. 
  • Nappies – take lots of nappies! We used the number 1 sizes from Aldi and Pampers when she was a newborn.
  • Nappy bags – I didn’t think to take these but it was fine as the hospital had them, and have lots of stuff if you do forget something
  • Water wipes or cotton wool – I took both but ended up just using the water wipes as they were more convenient and great for the early meconium poos (which look like black tar!)
  • A tiny hat – we bought a 0-3month size hat which was massive for her teeny little head so my sister had to buy a tiny baby one from H&M which was perfect
  • Sleepsuits in different sizes – again you don’t know how big the baby will be so bring some up to 1 month/tiny baby, and also some 0-3 months. And bring quite a few in case of poo explosions and if you’re in hospital for longer than planned.
  • Cellular blankets to wrap them in and to cover them when they’re sleeping – these are best as they don’t overheat the baby and also cool them down if it’s hot. My favourites are the ones from Asda as they are cheap and super soft.
So that rounds up my thoughts! I hope you found this helpful and please do add anything you found useful that I may have missed.

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Daisy x

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