What’s in my hospital bag!

4 May

Hi ladies,

Eventually I have the bags packed and I’m ready to rock… I think!

I’ve been procrastinating over this hospital/baby packing business for weeks now. What on earth took me so long, I do not know. I couldn’t make my mind up on anything.

I was making lists and folding different piles of clothes for days. You’d swear I was leaving the country for a few weeks I was deliberating that much over it – so silly! But anyhow, it’s all done so here I am to share what I’ve packed.

It must confuse lots of other women too because I’ve lost count of the amount of requests for this post or maybe we’re all just nosey. It’s like ‘what’s in my handbag’ – I personally love reading those type of blog posts or seeing them in magazines. Maybe it’s a women thing?!

Let’s start with baby:

– Delivery outfit (baby receiving gown/hat/vest) from www.babybeeminematernity.com

– Vests X 5 (Mothercare/Dunnes in size newborn)

– Baby grows X 5 (Mothercare/Penneys in size newborn). The sheep ones are Ollie’s – he wore these the first 2 days he was born so I wanted to use them again for baby no 2. They’re so cute. I can’t believe Ollie fit into them. They’re ‘first size’ from Next.

– Mittens x 2 (Mothercare )

– Hats X 2 (Mothercare)

– Cardis X 2 (sheep one is Ollie’s and the neutral one is Mothercare)

– Cellular blanket

– Muslin cloths for feeding

– Newborn nappies/cotton wool/waterwipes

– Personally I like to wash the baby clothes before I use them. I wash them using Fairy Non Bio.

– I only buy a handful of ‘newborn’ sizes. These really don’t last long (unfortunately!) as baby grows out of these tiny sizes in only a couple of weeks. I’m going by Ollie here – he was 9lbs and never lost an ounce, just kept gaining! So I’d recommend very little newborn sizes until you know what weight your baby is. Everything else I’ve bought are in sizes 0-3months.

–Tip! Pack your baby outfits into food bags or zip lock bags and label them. So include a vest, baby grow, hat & nappy. This way you or whoever is with you wont have to search for anything – it’ll be easy to put your hands on the food bags.

For me:

– Gownie… This is a hospital gown I bought on an American site babybeeminematernity.com – they do really cute matching items for mum & baby. I got a delivery gown, which is the exact same as the one the hospital would provide you with. It’s grey with white polka dots. (My sister thinks I’m gas even thinking of this! I love it though.)

– Pjs – I kept with a navy theme so I could mix and match bottoms and tops. Opting for darker colours is a better idea – I wouldn’t recommend white pjs for your hospital stay!! I got mine from Penneys, they’re all loose fitting and light in material. I wouldn’t opt for cosy fleecy pjs, you’ll be too hot in those. I got a nice navy cami that is seemingly a cooling fabric. All of the pj tops or nightdresses are easily pulled down, so keep that in mind when you’re buying yours if you think you might be breastfeeding. Eeven if you’re not feeding yourself, they’re a good idea for skin to skin with your baby 😉

– I also packed a cosy pair of socks, a pair of slippers and a light knee length navy dressing gown.

– Nursing bra X 2 (nude & black) both ASOS.

– Granny knickers/Bridget Jones knickers (whatever you’d like to call them!!) Get those 5 packs in either Penneys or Dunnes – I wouldn’t spend anymore than that on them as you’ll want to burn them afterwards!! Get high leg ones- as in not mini briefs, they’ll sit too low- especially not ideal if you’ve had a C-Section. The high legged ones are just more comfortable.

– Maternity pads (Boots brand)

– Breast pads (Lansinoh)

– Nipple cream (Lansinoh) – this was such a life saver around day 3/4, god the agony- I remember it well, but this cream was excellent and really helped

– Nipple shields (Boots brand)

– MultiMam compress pads- I haven’t used these before but when I was packing on Snapchat I had so many women snap me to say these were excellent so I picked some up in Boots. Seemingly they’re even better kept in the fridge.

– Towel (dark colour)

– Mini hair dryer/brushes/hair turban – neater than bringing a second towel, I bought one in boots. Hair bobbin/Dry shampoo (if you don’t want to wash your hair)

– Toiletries – I think I have everything possible! Shampoo/conditioner/body lotion/hand cream/face serum/eye cream/moisturiser/lip oil… And more! They’re all mini sized so I’m just bringing them all- whatever gives you a bit of comfort and whatever will make you feel good afterwards bring it I say- it could be your favourite handcream or body lotion! Pack it if it’ll perk you up 😉

– Essential toiletries like toothpaste/toothbrush/deodorant

– Make up bag, this is the lightest make up selection I’ve ever packed!! I’ve got my Pippa Palette – obviously! And a few other bits I might like to put on like mascara, concealer, nude lipgloss.

– Arnica 200c tablets from Down To Earth, Dublin. These are excellent- you take after birth to help reduce swelling & bruising, speed recovery, helps to control bleeding.

– Belly Bandit – it’ll be my first time to try this. It’s come so highly recommend by lots of women I know. It can be used after birth to support your back, provides comfort if you’ve had a section, supports your core muscles, helps your tummy to shrink back. It cost €95 from Bella Baby.

– Nursing pillow – brilliant for supporting baby and your back while bottle or breastfeeding baby.

*Extras since packed*

-Going home outfit (something comfy like joggers/trainers/loose denim shirt)

-Spare top for Hubby!

-Phone charger/camera

-Small pressie for Ollie from baby 😉 This is a nice idea I think. Ollie will be delighted to get a pressie from baby in the hospital when he comes to visit.

-Stokke baby car seat – you can get it here

I have enough to do me for 4/5 nights. You might only be in for 1/2 nights though, it really depends as everybody is different. You could have a 2nd bag of extras at home that could be brought in for you should you need more.

I have 2 bags packed – the wheelie one contains all of my essentials for the first day or 2 and the second bag (which I love by the way, it’s so summery, from Stella & Dot) has all of our extras and going home things.