Guide on what to pack your hospital bag & FREE Checklist

​Guide on what to pack in your birthing hospital bag
 
Packing your hospital bag can be a very exciting time in your last trimester; it’s one more step closer to meeting your little bundle of joy that's been growing & wriggling inside you.

I started to pack my own hospital bag at around 35 weeks, just so it was ready to grab and go straight
to the hospital when my labour started, and we all know babies rarely arrive on their due dates.
 
Packing your hospital bag with these essentials will help you feel more comfortable, with these little home comforts to really help you through your labour.
 
I have split the guide into essential items for Mum, and for baby, and  don't forget to claim free printable checklist if you wish to check off your items as you pack your bag - so nothing is forgot!

​Items for Mum;

• Hospital Notes and Birth Plan
• Dressing Gown, Bed socks & Slippers
• TENs machine (if this is your choice of pain relief)
• Nighties x 2
• Comfortable clothes to go home in, jogging bottoms, t shirts, jumpers
• Black Comfy Knickers
• Maternity Pads (I used night time sanitary towels), Breast Pads – even if you are not breast feeding
• Toiletry Bag, Tooth brush & Paste, Shampoo, Shower Gel, Deodorant, Hair Brush & Tie, Cooling Mist Spray (very useful when in labour)
• Towel & Bikini Top (if you are considering a water birth)
• Camera or mobile phone/tablet with a camera and enough memory space! (Camera Shot list coming soon on the blog).
• Phone Charger
• iPod playlist – soothing music for your labour
• Books & Magazines
• Snacks & Drinks – I forgot to pack these in my bag, and I was famished! And we had no change for the vending machine, snacks such as water, chocolate, sweets and cereal bars come in handy for both you and your partner.

​Essentials for Baby;

• Vests x 3 (I would recommend bringing a tiny baby one too, if your baby is 7lb and under the standard newborn sizes may be too big, which happened to me)
• Sleep Suits x 3 (and one tiny baby) choose the ones with the inbuilt mittens to prevent scratches. (Believe me, I went through 3 sleep suits in hospital)
• Hats x 2
• 10 Nappies, and cotton wool for wiping your baby
• Blanket – keep baby cosy on the way home
• Car Seat

 
I hope you have found this blog useful, and don't forget to enter your email address below to receive your free printable checklist to help with your packing. Please give us a like & share on social media.

​Author

​Sarah Mclean 
I am a specialist Newborn and Baby portrait photographer based in Longridge Preston.
My little girl, Louise has been my true inspiration in my photography career.
She taught me that these fleeting moments can often pass with in a blink of an eye.
​Cherish & preserve those memories. 

Sarah McLean Photography
Newborn Baby & Children's Studio
14a Berry Lane, Longridge PR3 3JA
01772 784499
www.sarahmcleanphotography.co.uk