Pregnancy and birth

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What to pack in your hospital bag

What to pack | Essentials | Food and drink | Extras | What not to pack | What to pack it in 

Packing your labour bag is a bit like packing for a mystery holiday (apart from the holiday bit at the end, of course): you've no idea what you're really going to need, so you just chuck in random stuff to cover every eventuality – and then find when you get there that the one thing you really, really need is the one thing you thought you'd be quite safe leaving at home.

So, to save you loads of suitcase-stuffing time (not to mention the hernia you'll get lifting the darned thing once stuffed), we've pared your packing must-haves right down to the Mumsnet labour-bag essentials...

What to pack

First things first: you are going to hospital, not the Gobi desert – there will be some things already there that you are perfectly entitled (and probably expected) to use. So it's worth finding out exactly what...

"Ask the hospital midwives if they have a checklist, as some hospitals seem to provide more than others. The hospital I'm booked into provide everything for the baby except nappies, for example, while other hospitals provide much less." tabitha

Then, it's just a question of covering...

The essentials

No hospital bag (commpact or cavernous) should be without lydialemon's list of absolute necessities:

• An old nightdress to give birth in.
• Clothes to go home in (you and the baby).
• Bodysuits and babygros (five of each – just in case).
• Baby blanket.
• 'Night-time' towels (better than maternity ones, I think)
• Loads of pairs of 'old' knickers (or paper ones)
• Toiletries
• Nappies, wipes, nappy sacks
• Camera

To these it's definitely worth adding:

"Your birth plan! To be put straight into your midwife's hands! And don't forget your hospital notes." Tamz77

"A list of phone numbers - for all the people your partner needs to ring to tell them the good news. And lots of small change for the phone - and, in our case, for the extremely expensive pay-and-display carpark." caroline55

"Loads of cleaning wipes. I had to use toilets covered in blood and shower in a filthy bathroom. Grim but true." TheDevilWearsPrimark

"Towels. There were none where I gave birth. And, as I hadn't expected to have my baby at 35 weeks, I hadn't packed very well. I had to dry myself on the blue paper stuff in the labour suite." cmotdibbler

And just in case you need to stay in hospital for a while...

"Pack a plastic bag so that you can put anything really dirty in that." mumofmonsters

If you don't think you'll have enough room for the going-home clothes, you can always leave them behind to be brought in later. But if you're other half's not exactly au fait with your wardrobe, you'd be wise to pick out something suitable and leave it in a prominent place...

"Don't trust your DH to find you clothes for going home in. Mine brought me a skirt and heavy, walking-style trainers with no tights or socks. It was February - with snow on the ground." Bozza

The edible bits

Labour is not exactly conducive to fine dining - the very idea of chowing down in the delivery suite will probably make your stomach heave with more than just contractions. But birth-seasoned Mumsnetters will tell you you're often keen for a little something to keep your energy up before the baby comes...

"I'd recommend snacks like melba toast, rice cakes, sweet chalky lollies, jelly sweets and small cartons of juice." melsy

"Fill some sports bottles with water, so you can drink when lying down. I kept two of mine in the freezer till we left for the hospital, so I had lovely cold water for a while. Unfortunately, it didn't quite stay cold for required 30 hours!" chocbutton

... and blinking desperate for a bigger something once the baby's arrived.

"Take food, food and more food! I was taken up to the postnatal ward at midnight and was starving. No food available other than a paltry piece of toast. I ate six cereal bars in about ten minutes. Couldn't shovel them down quick enough." MrsBadger

The make-all-the-difference extras

Now you're pared down to the bare essentials, you've got a little space left to stash something not-needed-but-nice. Here's a list of 12 things you could easily do without but which, according to the Mumsnet postnatal boards, make the whole hospital birth experience a much more pleasant thing...

1. A hairbrush. For essential combing and mussing before the regulation 'happy mum and baby' photos. "I forgot mine and I was gutted. I have long hair - and it looked a mess in the photos." musica
2. A water spray. For dampening you down during hot and sweaty moments. "It's utterly fab. You can spray it all over your face and neck and in your mouth, as it's just a pure mist of water. Really refreshing." Dahlia
3. A hot water bottle. For soothing backache during contractions. "Surprisingly great for pain relief." motherinferior
4. A dressing gown. In a dark colour. "You never know if you have had a leak and you don't want to be traipsing around the ward with a big stain. Or was that just me." suzywong
5. Massage oil, CDs, birthing ball.... "I actually used none of them. But it made me feel confident to have them all there – even the birthing ball in the car." VanillaPumpkin
6. A book. For dull moments - yes, there might be some. "Choose a really simple book because your brain'll be fried. The House at Pooh Corner worked for me." fisil
7. Pen and paper. For the communication of important instructions. "I found it essential to keep producing lists for my husband!" caroline55
8. A pillow/duvet. For a little slice of extra comfort. "I took my own pillow after other Mumsnettters recommended it. It was good to have an extra pillow to lie/lean/kneel over." chocbutton
   "The one thing I could not do without was my duvet! I took in a single one and it was so lovely just to have a bit of home in hospital with me." Mum2Ela
9. A plastic water jug. For post-birth loo trips (really). "It's so handy for pouring warm water over your bits while you wee. Whether you tear or not, you will likely be sore and this can be really soothing." Tamz77
10. "I took in a fold-up changing mat so I could change babes in their cots without worrying about leaving meconium all over the sheets." Jaybee
11. Something for your midwife. Because, once she's delivered your baby, she'll be your new best friend. "And, if you stay in hospital any length of time, take nice chocolates to offer the staff – it's amazing how much more interested doctors get when they're scoffing." Eeek
12. Something to celebrate with. For obvious reasons. "We took champagne but nothing to drink it out of. The orderly found us some specimen bottles or something!" fisil

And what NOT to pack

The golden 'shall I take it or not?" question to ask yourself is would it make you weep if you never saw it again...

"Do not, repeat, do not anything that is precious to you! I had my watch stolen from the delivery suite when I was in labour. I was devastated – it was not expensive but had an awful lot of sentimental value." Ghosty

"Don't do what I did: take my best fluffy bath towel for a bit of luxury. I swear the only time the nurses came near me to do any washing was to quietly remove my lovely towel and put it in the hospital laundry, never to be seen again." redadmiral

... or would it make you weep if you saw yourself in it again...

"Do not take in your pre-pregnancy clothes. My mum told me she was back in her size 10s the very next day after having me, and so I took my lovely clothes in – only to be gutted when I couldn't do them up!" Mum2Ela

What to put it all in

OK, so picture the scene: you're in labour and arriving at hospital.

You have to walk from the car to reception - with your bags. Then from the reception to the maternity ward - with your bags. Then from the maternity ward to the delivery suite - with your bags. Then from the delivery suite to the postnatal ward - with your bags.

That's a lot of bag-carrying for your nominated bag-carrier, especially if he's feeling rather more emotional the usual...

"From my experience, one bag to one panic-stricken man is all you can reasonably expect." SuzyQand2

So, how do you fit everything into one bag, then?

"Pack only what you think you may need for the first day or so in your labour bags, and leave the rest for you and baby packed in a separate bag for your partner to bring when he visits. Put a whopping great A4 label on it, though, so that no-one grabs it in a hurry when you go into labour and brings the wrong bag in by mistake!" boyandgirl

"Put items you need for labour, a couple of pads, a nappy, babygro and baby hat in a smaller bag. Put pack of nappies, rest of pads, dressing gown, bath towel, baby clothes, food supplies etc in larger bag and leave it in the car boot. When baby is out and your partner leaves to ring everyone, get him to make the calls while walking to car park to fetch the large bag. My midwife commented on how light I travel – till she tripped over the large bag on the ward later on!" Fllibbertyjibbet

And finally

"Stock up on things like pads and nappies so you have a goodly supply at home – your partner will be flapping far too much to go and buy the right ones. When I was heavily pregnant, I was in Boots browsing the baby things. A stressed-looking chap with a very red face came up to me with a packet of maternity pads in one hand and breast pads in the other, and said: 'Excuse me, I hope you don't mind me asking, but which ones are for, errr, ummm, down below? My wife has just given birth and sent me out for some." nickname to find

And don't forget that even if you're planning a home birth, it's a good idea to have a bag packed...

"I'm planning a home birth but will be packing a labour bag just in case. I am going to take a tour of the maternity ward so I can get a better idea of the layout and how things work there. I would suggest putting 'bathroom' things in one small bag that fits into the others. Skin/hair care products, lip balm, sanitary pads, toothbrush. Most important though, go through the bag(s) thoroughly with DH/DP and make sure he knows exactly where everything is." chefswife

Due date calculator | Braxton Hicks | Bringing on labour | First stage of labour | Second stage of labour | Third stage of labour | Pain relief | Breathing in labour | Birth partners | Water births | Caesareans | Recovery after a c-section