The Hospital Bag- the bag that you pack and re pack, add more things, take them away and have sitting by the door or in the boot of the car from the middle of your pregnancy onwards!
Initially I was googling everything about hospital bags, did I need swaddles? How many? Should I put in 3 or 4 muslin wraps? Did babies need bibs so early on? And nappies! How many cloth nappies should I put in? Should I put all of it in my change bag? What would I put my baby in for her birth announcement outfit?
I think especially as a first time mother, we make everything so much complicated than we need to- we research too much and take everything as gospel truth when sometimes it is so much less stressful to just go with the flow and let things happen. We forgot to take the hospital bag to the birth room with us! The poor midwife was scrounging around the ward for a spare nappy for us! So even with all the months of organising, I could not have been less organised come the big day!
Simple is best- below is my easy, no frills take on the hospital bag dilemma
- Change Bag - the number one item- everything else goes in this so a baby bag is very important! I loved ours- the backpack style and ample room, made it very easy and simple to fit everything in and all the pockets meant everything has a place!
- Muslin Wraps- I took 2 or 3- you quickly discover how versatile they are! One to wrap your beautiful cherub in once you have had some delicious skin to skin contact with your little miracle and a couple of extras for everything from dabbing up after your let down while your feeding, an additional blanket to pop over your bub, a wrap to pop down on the bed while your changing your bubba- lots of things! They are just super handy to have!
- Breast Pads - I personally didn't use them a lot while I was in hospital but some people love them! Definitely throw a couple in! It can be quite annoying to be feeding on one side and the other side leaks a waterfall. You will find in the early days that you will just start leaking out of nowhere too! It's much more comfortable to have an extra line of defence against this!
- Pads- The messy part of post birth- the bleeding. Make sure you pack a quality maternity pad! The hospital should provide a few- theirs are AH-MAZING! But make sure you bring plenty of your own. You will want to change them very often!
- Nappies- whether you choose to use disposable or modern cloth nappies; make sure you have plenty. You will be surprised at how often newborns need nappy changes- especially when they pass meconium!
- Toiletries - make sure you pack some nice body wash and a washer. You will want to have a nice shower after giving birth and your own stuff will be a lot nicer than the hospitals! Don't forget make-up too if you are a big make-up wearer- it will make you feel good and a bit more human after the big event!
- Clothes for you!- pack some comfortable leggings and a top with easy access for breastfeeding.
- Extras- You might want to pack a cute hat for photos of your bub, maybe a headband if its a girl. You might even want to pop in a cute outfit. Phone charger, an Ipad if you have one- but you won't get much time for down time! When your baby is sleeping you will probably be watching them in awe or grabbing a quick shut eye yourself!
That's it for my recommendations! I think the more simple the better! You will be basking in the glory of your creation; you will most likely find that you do not need a million and one things; just the essentials!
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