What to pack in your hospital bag (from a Midwife)
At the time of writing this, i’m 35 weeks pregnant with our second baby and am packing my hospital bag with all the essentials!
Below i’m sharing all the items that i’m personally packing in our hospital bag this time around.
I’m Jazz! I’m a Mumma, Registered Midwife, Nurse , Sleep Consultant and Founder of Let’s Sleep.
For context - I am birthing in a public hospital and had a very short stay with our first child (stayed approx 12 hours post birth). I don’t anticipate needing to stay too long and am hoping for another vaginal birth (these things are all factored in to what i’ve decided to pack).
There are a few things to consider when packing your hospital bag:
Are you going to a public or private hospital?
Often the stay will be 1-3 nights for a public hospital (depending on vaginal birth, CS and any complexities)
Often the stay for a private hospital will 4 or 5 nights so you’ll need to pack extra clothing to last
Check with your hospital to see what items you need to bring (some hospitals require you to bring nappies, wipes, bottles and formula if applicable and sometimes maternity pads for your stay)
Do you plan to breastfeed?
If you plan to formula feed straight away - you may need to bring formula and bottles with you to hospital (check with your birthing hospital)
If you plan to BF in hospital - you may need to consider some extra items like reusable breast pads, nipple cream, BF friendly bras and clothing
Things I have packed for myself:
Heat pack
TENS machine
Essential oils (I pop this directly on my wrist/neck)
Water bottle
Snacks
Labour clothes (comfy stretchy bra, stretchy black undies, gown/T-shirt and shorts)
Slippers
Bathers top (last time I was in the shower lots during labour)
2 x breastfeeding bra
3 X pairs black high waisted stretchy undies
5 X disposable underwear
1 X pack maternity pads
2 X sets reusable breast pads
Perineal wash bottle
Compression socks
Nipple cream
Birth comb / wooden balls
2-3 x BF friendly tops
1 x pair soft shorts
1 x pair trackies
1 x jumper
1 x nightie
Toiletries (toothbrush and paste, shampoo / conditioner, non fragranced body wash, eye contact solution & case, hairbrush, deodorant, scrunchie)
Glasses
Phone charger
Waterproof wash bag for dirty clothes
Pen and Medicare card
Pop into a separate compartment/small bag for post birth shower:
Toiletries
Black high waisted comfy undies
BF bra
Pads / postpartum undies
Comfy pjs or nightie
Thongs for shower
Slippers for after shower
Pop into a seperate compartment/small bag for labour:
Heat pack
TENS
Essential oils
Water bottle
Labour clothes
Bathers top
Phone charger
Speaker and charger (optional)
Birth affirmation cards (optional)
What i’ve packed for baby:
2 small 00000 baby suits with feet covered
3 newborn 0000 suits with feet covered
3 newborn singlets 0000
Important: it’s very common for parents to pack 000 newborn size clothing for hospital however this mostly suits babies 4-4.5kg plus. I’d recommend packing a range of sizes from 000 to 00000. When Hazel was born she was 2.9kg and the clothes we had packed for her were way too big! I had to ask my Mum to go and buy some smaller clothing as i’d assumed she’d be 3.5-4kg for some reason!)
Swaddle
Muslin wrap
Blanket
Nappy cream
12-15 cloth wipes or disposable wipes
Wash bag for dirty wipes
1 pack newborn disposable nappies
Announcement card
When is the best time to pack your hospital bag?
Personally, I have packed the hospital bag around week 35 / 36 of pregnancy. That way I know it’s packed and ready to go anytime.
If you have any prior history of premature birth - you may want to pack your bag much earlier.
TIP: Pack everything that you can in to your hospital bag. Any items that you need to continue using right up to leaving to the hospital - simply write a little list and stick it to the top of the bag. Then your partner or support person can quickly retrieve those items from around the house prior to leaving for the hospital. Eg contact case and solution, glasses, charger cord, drink bottle.
I hope this is helpful for you if you’re starting to consider what to pack in your hospital bag! Share this blog with a friend or family member expecting a baby soon.
Jazz x