My Hospital Bag for Me & My Baby – A Minimalist Approach

My Hospital Bag for Me & My Baby – A Minimalist Approach

I’m 36 weeks pregnant now and have recently finished packing my hospital bag. After only using a few items when I had my first baby, I’m taking a minimalist approach to packing my hospital bag this time around because you really don’t need lots of stuff.

My birth last time around was very straightforward and went well. We only stayed the mandatory four hours before going back home and there were no complications. I know that I can’t predict my second birth to be exactly the same but I hope it will be similar but maybe faster! The mind is a powerful thing and I’m being optimistic and am packing for the birth that I want. If I end up needing anything else, our house is only 15 minutes or so away from the midwife led unit where I’m giving birth so my husband can easily drive home and get stuff.

The actual bag that I’m using is my Caboodle Fun & Funky Baby Changing Bag which is a very large and practical changing bag with lots of pockets. It’s large enough to be used as a weekend bag and easily fits everything I might need for my baby and myself.

Things for my baby:

• Sleepsuits in different sizes. I’m packing Newborn size and 0-3 month size from two different brands and the size difference is huge even thought the label says the same thing. My firstborn could wear Newborn when she was born but we’ll see how big this little baby is! I’m packing two of each so that we have a spare change of clothes no matter which size the baby is.
• Vests. I’m packing two vests, one in Newborn and one in 0-3 months. I love these retro prints.

I don’t have a particular going home outfit as this is not important to me. I can’t remember what my firstborn wore on the way home from the hospital in the middle of the night just after giving birth. The focus is not on fashion during these special first hours. As long as my baby is comfortable and warm, I’m happy!

• Baby hats. It will be May when my daughter is born and living in the UK, it can be quite cold or quite hot. I’m packing three hats, one warmer one and two thinner ones in different sizes for the journey home.

• Nappies. I’m packing nappy samples in size Newborn 1 and 2 as they are very convenient to fit in my bag. I have about seven nappies packed and one packet of newborn wipes. I’m also packing cotton wool (not pictured).

Things for me:

• Maternity pads. At home I will mainly be using reusable maternity pads as they are much nicer to wear and better for the planet. More about this here and more coming soon! For the hospital I have packed one packet of maternity towels from Superdrug.
• Pants. Large comfortable, full briefs in black. Black is the only colour that goes with heavy bleeding in my opinion. I bought a few packets of these from Primark in one size up. I’m normally a Medium so I went for Large. Full briefs are a good idea in case you have to have a c-section as they go high up on your belly.
• Intimate wipes. Heavy bleeding can be very messy… I bought these Mamia Sensitive Toddler Wipes from Aldi. If they’re good enough for young children I think they’ll be good enough for me.

I’m not packing a towel as the maternity unit provide you with these anyway and they are nice and soft. Then you don’t have to get blood all over your own towel. One less thing to worry about.

• Breastfeeding bra. I will probably be wearing one when we go in but I’m packing a spare one.
• Breast pads. It usually takes a few days for the milk to come in so I will probably not need these but I’m packing a few samples from Lansinoh that came in my Emma’s Diary packs.
• Socks for going home.
• Clothes for after the birth. Last time I used the clothes I’d gone in wearing as I’d not been wearing them during the birth and they were clean. I’m packing a pair of soft, old yoga trousers and a maternity dress that’s loose and breastfeeding friendly. All black of course!

Toiletries:

I didn’t use any last time but am packing some bits in case I want them.

• Toothbrush and mini toothpaste.
• Samples of shampoo, body cream and face creams.
• Mini deodorant
• Hotel shower gel.
• Travel hair brush and hair tie.
• Pregnancy vitamins.
• Labour massage oils from Vital Touch Natalia and Motherlylove.

I always have lip balm and hand sanitiser in my handbag.

I’m separating my things and my baby’s things into a wet bag each. These from Amazon are brilliant. They’re large and they hold loads of stuff. They’re waterproof too so ideal for any dirty or wet clothes that you might need to take home afterwards. I can also easily tell my husband where things are if I need him to get me something from the bag.

Other things:

• Snacks! I will not eat hospital food so need my own snacks with me. I’m packing a selection of cereal bars.
• Frozen drinks (not pictured). I will have two large bottles of frozen squash for my husband and I to drink. They stay cold for ages!
• A blanket for the baby. This is the same one my firstborn had. It’s from Vertbaudet.
• A car seat (not pictured).
• My pregnancy notes (not pictured). I still have a few more appointments before my baby will be here so they will be packed last minute.
• Portable phone charger (not pictured).
• Change for parking (not pictured).
• A spare top for my husband (not pictured).

I will not pack any entertainment as there will not be any time for this. The unit where I’ll be giving birth send you home if you’re not ready so there’s no waiting around! When you’re ready to give birth, you will not need any books or films.

A hospital bag could be much more minimalist than this as I’m sure there will be items that I will not get a chance to use. I think the things that I’ve packed are quite realistic though. Not too much but not just the few items I used last time around. I’ll update you after the birth on what I actually used.