As you reach the end of your pregnancy and near the arrival of the birth of your newborn, one of the jobs on you’re To Do List is to pack a bag for hospital. I am lucky enough to have my sister currently pregnant with her third baby, so I thought what a perfect time to do a checklist on Packing The Perfect Hospital Bag for Pregnancy.
Now as every birth is different in many ways including location public, private or home birth. In delivery natural, caesarean or home birth. In feeding breastfeeding or formula feeding. This list is not an all-inclusive list. It is more of a guide to assist you in packing your bag.
My suggestions are:
-A light bag that is large enough to carry everything you need but not too large that it’s difficult to carry or will get in the way
– Pyjamas. I suggest a two piece pyjamas set. This allows your upper body to remain covered whilst your lower body can be assessed.
– Cardigan or zip up jumper that gives access to your breasts for breastfeeding whilst your back and arms are still kept warm
– Eye mask and earplugs. It can be extremely noisy in the hospital and bright
– Toiletries and a few extras like hair bands, nipple cream, mouth wash and lip gloss
– An outfit for you to leave the hospital and one for the baby
– A decent sized coffee/tea mug. The ones the hospital supply are ridiculously small or disposable
– A zip lock back with all your current medications
– A few magazines, a great book to read and/or IPad with downloaded movies or Netflix
– Some normal clothes to wear during the day if you don’t fancy being in pyjamas all day
– Breastfeeding pads and maternity pads
– Breastfeeding pillow and breastfeeding tops
– Old ugly undies that if they get stained you can toss out
– Pump action water bottle that after you have done a wee in the toilet you can squeeze and clean yourself properly to keep the stitches clean
– Thongs for the shower and slippers to walk around in winter
– Camera, Video Camera, Phone and all chargers
– Pen and blank paper and any paperwork you have already been supplied e.g. Medicare forms
– Keep all the paperwork the hospital gives you as you will need it for Centrelink and registering the birth.
– Snacks. Whether it’s for the hospital stay, for labour or your partner
– Depending on your birth plan you may have oils, candles and music
– Maybe champagne and some glasses to celebrate the birth
– Private hospitals have provisions for the father to stay with the mother and baby. So ensure he has a bag packed with a change of clothes, jumper, thongs and toiletries. If he is assisting in labour and you are showering swimmers/togs can be very beneficial.
As I have mentioned earlier this is not a complete list nor is it a perfect list. As each child you have will be different so will your birthing experience. I hope this checklist provides you with some tools to enable you to have a comfortable and calm stay.
Congratulations to you for coming this far in your pregnancy. I wish you all the very best for the birth of the new addition to your family.