My Story

First of all, congratulations ! If you are reading this you are on your journey to becoming parents to a new little bundle of squidge! How exciting!! 

The below is a list of items I took into hospital with me with a bit about why you might need it. When we were pregnant we had so many people giving us advice on what to have, sometimes useful, sometimes not, but with an understanding of why you might need it, you can decide if it's to go in your bag or not. It’s entirely up to you how you get ready for your little one’s arrival. 

I have broken things down into stages of use and why they were used, as I appreciate when packing it can seem a little overwhelming. 

***Below in italics briefly talks about my birth story, I have shown where I stop talking about birth for those who want to skip that part. I have purposefully kept it light level as I didn’t want to hear anything about birth before I gave birth myself.

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I had a positive birth and found the hospital staff absolutely wonderful. If you want to ask me about anything please do!

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Our birth story started bang on our due date, I was in labour for 4.5 hours (which is apparently not common for a first timer, and was pretty fast!) and we had an unassisted water birth with gas and air (that did make me sick ... this probably helped with the 4.5hrs, ha). Our Son didn’t cry straight away when he was born and the NICU team helped him get that cry out. He then stayed in NICU as a precaution for a night (he was absolutely fine) he was then was discharged back to us 14 hrs old. As he was in NICU they gave him a 5 day application of antibiotics due to the fluid on his lungs from not crying it out. This meant he needed to be in hospital for 5 days, which meant I also needed to be in hospital for 5 days. I also needed some help with my placenta post birth, so I had an epidural and procedure to remove it. Our Breastfeeding Story ended with us formula feeding with a little expression quite early doors. We tried Breastfeeding, but he was a little impatient with the milk, and had a taste of a bottle while I was healing, so we made the decision to formula and express where we could while we could.

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***End of birth story chat*** 

So here is the list! I do have to note, as I'm sure you all realise, I am not a Health Care Professional. Always ask your Health Visitor or GP if unsure about what to do, this is just what I did my first time round.

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I have grouped the list into items useful before birth, what you might want to take into the hospital, what you might need if you stay longer (usually everyone has a minimum of 1 night in anyway), and what you want at home when you bring little one back.

I have also created another blog to talk about some items that might be useful post birth and in the first 12 months and some really lovely baby groups that have been a great way to meet people, and support groups which is good to know about in Bristol (further blog posts are here)

Lists below:

• Before birth, what I set up during my last week’s of pregnancy:
• Labour Prep,
• Feed station,
• Nappy station,
• Sleep area
• Take to Hospital:
• Labour,
• for her,
• for guests,
• for baby

This is what I set up during my last week’s of pregnancy

Labour Prep:

Puppy Pads/Towel

Keep this in the car.... it will save your seats! You can also use the puppy pads for nappy free time!

links: Puppy Pads

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Fill your car with fuel!

No detail needed, you don't want to have no petrol when you need to get to the hospital!

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Packing cubes

We packed our things in fabric packing cubes to make it easier to work out where everything was quickly. One for baby clothes, one for mum post birth, one for in labour etc

links: Packing Cubes

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Frozen meals.

You will be fed a lot of stew in hospital, I couldn’t eat it for at least 2 months after, so make sure you have something other than stew in your freezer. "Cook" do a really good New Parents Meal Box, the veggie lasagna was the most amazing meal I’d ever had as a first day back with baby. 

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Feeding Station:

Colostrum collection kit / syringes

Colostrum doesn’t always come thick and fast (no pun intended), and when you have your baby it could take some time for your milk to come in. There's a lot of advice out there to gather a supply of colostrum in your freezer in the last weeks of pregnancy so you have some food for the first few days of babies life. Make sure you have sterilised pots to decant into and then use a sterile syringe.  

links:  Colostrum Kits

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Back up first formula feeds

We all go into birth with the hopes of breastfeeding, but if for any reason you need formula you can buy little 70ml bottles of ready made formula with a teat that are perfect as they last months (we were also given them in the hospital). They can be a very expensive way to feed but until you know your feeding journey it's good to have some formula food as a back up. We were formula from the off, and it was not planned. So to explain the amount we would use in a day, we would use 11x 70ml bottles a day in the beginning. This was because we didn't get our heads around "decanting!" into "feed with this bottle" and "keep this bottle ready for more food". Formula has a shelf life once opened and once drank from, so to save you from throwing away 60ml of a 70ml bottle, decant what baby would need into the drinking bottle, and keep the rest ready for pouring. It will save you so much money! See next item below.

links: Tesco example

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Sterilised Collection Bottles

We used these a lot when we had formula. Once a formula is opened NHS says it lasts 2 hours and once the baby starts drinking it's 1 hour (as per 2024). So to not let any go to waste, we would use these bottles to decant into. The teats would also fit the screw lid.

links: Collection Bottles

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Sterilising Bags

If you need to express, it’s useful to have sterilisation bags. You can get these in the hospital but only if they are available. The bags have a 20x use by but all you need is water and a microwave which the hospital ward will have a special area for. They are also packing friendly as a little plastic bag!

links: Sterilising Bags

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Nappy Station:

• Wipeable changing mat
• Nappy Caddy
• Cotton Wool oval pads (more use than balls)
• pot for water (use a weening food pot or old cup as your water holder)
• water wipes when ready to move from cotton wool to wipes (huge help when the poos get bigger)
• sudocreme (for nappy rash)
• nappy bags / Tommee Tippee twist and click nappy bin
• nappies – start with size 1s. We moved to size 2 when we noticed the gel being totally used up rather than the size as they all seemed to fit our baby fine. Changing sizes is also indicated by blowouts/leaks/poonamis as there is no gel left to absorb more pee/poo so it comes out the sides/back. You might be in the camp of wanting to try reusable nappies. We just used Aldi as they had a yellow line that goes blue when he had a wet/dirty nappy (which we soon realised was all the time!).
• puppy pads for nappy free time or changing 

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Sleep area

The cots the baby gets put in at the hospital look like this (link) it’s going to be strange coming home to a different set up but you will get used to in after a few days.

I nearly bought this bed in a panic, but I'm so glad I didn’t, god knows what I would have done with it!). We had the moses basket downstairs (a lot available second hand on Facebook market place) and also a next to me bed upstairs (again secondhand is fine).

Both of these items are barely used as you tend to transfer baby to a cot at 6 months or like in our case, you outgrow them in length as we were a very long baby! Second hand is perfectly fine as all they do is sleep in it.

We put a soft blanket on the mattress as our Son would wake up cold, he couldn't roll at this point so we knew he would be sleeping on his face.

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Blankets

When our Son was first born, we would use the moses mattress on top of the next to me bed and tuck his blankets under the mattress before we moved onto a sleep bag. Stretchier the better, when he started moving around a lot we moved away from blankets as its a SIDs risk. The grow egg (below) we used to assess which tog level of growbag and outfit to put him in.

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Grow egg

Now some people can get a little obsessed with grow eggs. At the end of the day, the colour and the unhappy face when the grow egg is too hot can sometimes not help an already worried mum, but, if you use it as a guide to decide what baby should sleep in it really helps and moves away from "am I boiling my child". See this link for tips on bedding based on grow egg temps. Again the eggs are available on Facebook, it’s not really touched in a house, it’s just plugged in the wall and left. 

​Take to the Hospital

Labour

Birth preferences

We called it preference instead of a plan. Take copies just in case you need to provide it to staff on a shift change. We didn’t give it to anyone after birth in the ward, but we did remind people of our preferences if they continued to be relevant. 

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Bikini top

just in case you want a water birth

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Bobble

your hair might annoy you

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Drinking water bottle with straw

Drinking water bottle with a hard plastic straw so you don’t need to swig your head back. You can also bite down on the straw lol. If you have Gas and Air you also get a very dry mouth.

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Spikey Hair Brush

There is an idea that by squeezing a hairbrush it takes away the pain to be in your hand instead.I however just got loads of tiny marks all over my hand!

For Her

Maternity pads, disposable pants, incontinence pants

It’s likely you will need to stay in hospital for at least 1 night. You get given pads but it’s best to have your own. I lived in the incontinence pants for weeks after, my pelvic floor was not what it was so if I needed the toilet......

links: Maternity pads

links: Disposable pants

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Shower stuff: Towel, shower gel and shampoo. Face wipes, non-spray deodorant.

You won’t use a hair dryer (or find anywhere to plug it in) and might actually find wet hair refreshing in the ward. 

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Flip flops and slippers

Your feet will still be quite swollen. If you need compression stockings the hospital can provide these, but might not give a second pair if they get dirty as they are expensive. 

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super long phone cable and double usb charged plug

in the ward you will have 1 or 2 plugs not in use behind your bed, everything else will have the bed/lights etc plugged into. As the bed is so big, you are so far away from the wall/plugs its impossible to use them without the wire being crazy long! Also, the more you can ram on the plug the less plugs you need.

links: long cable

links: double usb plug

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Charged streaming device.

And check the downloaded films/shows work, I got round to finally watching one while I fed our Son, and the download had expired!! To say I was gutted was an understatement.

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Express Pumps (and sterilising bags)

If you need to express rather than breastfeed, we used Fraupow as Elvie were crazy expensive! You also get online access to midwives with Fraupow.

You can use the hospital pumps while you are in but they have a limited number. (Remember I was in for 5 days so needed to pump)

links: Fraupow

links: Sterilising bags

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Breast pads

for when your milk comes in

links: Boots own brand worked fine for me

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Baggy clothes 

You will want comfy clothes. If you have a C section you might only want to wear baggy dresses. I lived in huge jumpers and elasticated trousers.

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Moisturiser/lip balm

Gas and Air can make you very dehydrated, stock up on hand cream and lip balm.

For Guests

Sadly guests/partner’s don’t get a good deal when it comes to hospital stays. They don’t get fed and they don’t get a bed. Some hospitals will let dad’s stay with mum’s in the ward. You can also bring your own food in.

Toiletries: toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, soap. Shower stuff and towel.

pre-warn you can't use the showers in the ward rooms as these are for mums, guests have access to a bathroom along the corridor.

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Cash

there are some elements you will need cash for, mainly donation boxes for blankets etc 

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super long phone cable and double usb charged plug

in the ward you will have 1 or 2 plugs not in use. These are so far behind your head its impossible to use them without the wire being crazy long! Also, the more you can ram on the plug the less plugs you need.

links: long cable

links: double usb plug

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Food for you 

 you will have access to a hot water tap, so bring some porridge pots to at least make sure you have something in you

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A delivery account like just eat or deliveroo.

You might not have time to go and get something, so make sure you have a quick link to a delivery for yourself. You won’t be any help if mum needs to look after you and baby. Make sure to save any favourites before birth so to grab and go quickly.

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Pillow/Blanket

The aircon can make you feel super cold and my partner ended up staying the night by using the long pregnancy pillow to wedge himself into a chair - as sadly you don't get a bed.

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Slippers

It’s nice not to wear trainers all the time especially when sleeping

For Baby

Vests and baby grows.

You have all the right intentions of putting baby in cute outfits, but when it comes to it, you just want one simple outfit to put them in as in the beginning.

You might need to have regular access to baby's body for checks/weighs so its easier to have a bodysuit (long sleeved and with feet).

What we didn’t realise but what might seem obvious, is a vest or t-shirt body suit always goes under their clothes, it's so hard to put a long sleeved vest underneath a long sleeved bodysuit, so stick with no sleeved or capped sleeved vests (that clip by the nappy).

It’s also the first thing that will get soiled if any nappy leaks (wet or dirty).

We didn’t get on with zipped baby grows as the zip can often bulge, we also had a kicker so getting one leg in and poppers on the other leg was hard! So we only used poppers down the middle and from foot to foot baby grows. 

Wool hats

A lot of outfits come with cute hats, but the best are knitted. They have a stretch to them that helps you get it on baby’s head. They lose a lot of temperature through their head, so when young (regardless of season) you will want at least 2 stretchy hats. Baby will need a hat for when they leave hospital.

Scratch mitts

As babies can have little nails that can scratch their little faces. 

Blankets.

Stretchy knit, soft fleece, plain cotton. For wrapping and for the car seat.

White noise machine

The noise of the ward can be quite loud at times, so a white noise machine can help if you are worried baby needs to sleep.

We used this one, it also has a timer! link.

Changing pack

• nappies size 1,
• cotton wool (oval as can help clean more than balls),
• a small vessel that can hold water for wiping,
• nappy bags. 

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Car Seat

We were told at the hospital to "practice" before coming in for the birth. I know it sounds impossible to do without an actual baby, but try to find a toy and strap it in like a baby to get used to how the straps work. Practice taking it in and out of the car.

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