What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag with Lucy Felton

A well-packed bag, good to go at a moment’s notice is one less thing to stress about when you’re ready to pop!
Fashion journalist and blogger Lucy Felton relished in baby prep in the run up to the birth of her seven-week-old son Hector.
Here the founder of lifestyle blog The Lucy Edit shares the ultimate list for nailing that important (and daunting) pregnancy ritual – packing your hospital bag…

When my due date loomed, I spent hours researching what new goodies I needed to snap up for baby and myself. Any excuse to shop! The mum-to-be store mooching and laptop browsing was pure indulgence, I mean, there’s no other time in your life when you can legitimately write off a full day window shopping as ‘utterly essential’ than when it’s for your impending baby bundle!

But the one thing I really put off was the undertaking of my hospital bag. I don’t know whether it was to do with subconsciously avoiding the approaching labour, the not wanting to acknowledge that my nine months of pregnancy was fast coming to an end, or just feeling totally overwhelmed by the idea of editing down items that essentially made up the most important luggage I’d ever packed in my life!

All the to-do’s in the run up to birth means that packing THE BAG is just one of those niggling jobs you can quite easily keep putting off. It wasn’t until I developed Gestational Diabetes late in pregnancy and when the doctors began floating the idea of me having an induction earlier than my due date that I quickly realised I needed to pull my finger out and get packing. A couple of weeks before my waters broke I also began getting a strong lower back pain which Dr Google confirmed was a sign of early labour (the latent phase). A couple of hours later my bags were packed and waiting by the door in the hallway!

So to make things a little easier for other pregnant mamas, I’m sharing my hospital bag guide. A list to work your way through and that’ll hopefully eliminate some of the stress that comes with one of the most poignant pregnancy to-dos. Happy packing!

–          Hospital notes (the ones you take to every midwife appointment)

–          Birthing plan (your midwife will give you one to fill out or it can be as simple as a list on the back of an envelope stating your wants, from pain relief to who’s going to cut the umbilical cord)

–          Dressing gown and slippers

–          Something to wear during labour (maybe a nightshirt in a dark colour with buttons for nursing access)

–          Swimwear if using a birthing pool

–          Lots of big dark knickers!

–          Nursing bra

–          Loungewear for a potential hospital stay and clothes to travel home in

–          Towel, toiletries, toothbrush and flip flops for showering

–          Hairbrush, bobbles, grips, dry shampoo

–          Face wash, cleanser and moisturiser

–          Breast pads, maternity pads, nipple cream

–          Eye mask and ear plugs (those wards can get very noisy!)

–          Paracetamol

–          Phone charger and camera

–          Magazine and/or book

–          Money for the canteen and spare change for the car park

–          Water, isotonic drinks, snacks and straws (the straws make it so much easier to sip drinks when recovering and have a few-hours-old baby in your hands!

–          3 x newborn vests and 3 x newborn sleepsuits

–          A couple of hats to keep baby warm in those first few hours

–          Socks and/or booties

–          cardigan/jacket

–          2 x blankets

–          Muslins (you can never have too many)

–          A swaddle

–          Foldable changing mat

–          Plenty of nappies, nappy bags, wipes and cotton wool   

–          Soft toy

With thanks to Lucy Felton X

Molo Babysuit | Naturezoo Panda | Petit Bateau Jungle Print Babygrow

Noe & Zoe Beanie | Absorba Cardigan | MP Creme Ankle Sock | Done by Deer Nursery Pillow