Labour and Maternity bag? Packed! It feels so good getting this major 'to-do' finally ticked off my list. It gives a little peace of mind that no matter how busy we are leading up to the babys arrival, we are ready to just grab that already packed bag and run out the door.
My first pregnancy, I had my bag packed even earlier than this time around. By 25 weeks it was choc-a-block full and bursting at the seams, and it sat bursting at the seams for a whole 16 weeks longer. Looking back I can now see what I would change and what I would add or subtract from my bag to make my hospital stay more pleasant. So this time, my motto is "Minimalism". Considering the average length of stay for a public health patient with a natural birth is between 4 and 48 hours, it really isn't necessary to take five outfits and three pairs of ugg boots.
I thought I would share with you whats in my minimal maternity bag, and what I am yet to add. What did you pack in your hospital bag? Anything you forgot or wished you had thought of? Or like me the first time around, did you pack to excess?
In the minimal maternity bag;
* A large, comfy, cosy hoody. The one I purchased is actually made for maternity wear so it has a roomier fit around the stomach and an elasticised waist.
* Button down tops. There is nothing worse than needing to entirely strip off for feeding your baby in winter, button down tops give a little more modesty and warmth. Also, tanks designed for nursing with easy 'clip-down' access.
* BDDU'S. Big Dark Daggy Undies...enough said.
* Sleep and day pants. Rather than packing separate pyjama pants and trackpants, I have packed loose and comfortable track pants because lets face it... post-birth there is no difference between night and day.
* A pretty pair of PJ's. Every girl needs one pretty pair of pyjamas, baby or no baby!
* Nursing supplies; washable or disposable nursing pads (I purchased a combination of both), a nipple cream like 'Lanolin', nipple shields and nursing bras.
* Maternity pads, and lots of them.
* Travel sized Toiletries. Shampoo and conditioner, body wash, moisturiser, lip balm, toothpaste and tissues.
* Facewash and moisturiser (post-baby hormones can wreak as much havoc on skin as those teenage hormones we've wished goodbye!)
I still need to add a few finishing touches to my bag, mostly little comforts that will make our wintery stay cozier.
Firstly, a heatapack or hot water bottle. Hospitals can be surprisingly cold places. I also found with Stella that post-birth my uterus contracting was more uncomfortable and painful than I had expected. A heatpack helped soothe these niggles that came especially whilst feeding. My favourites include this cable knit hot water bottle by Sussan, and these sweet little printed heatpacks from Etsy. Secondly, I am dreaming of these Peter Alexander homeboots for wandering around the cold hospital corridors with my baby in tow. Did someone say 'push present'?
Other small comforts that I have deemed totally necessary are; A stash of my favourite lollies, my everyday makeup necessities by Glow Cosmetics and of course, my iPhone for endless photos, videos, breastfeeding apps, social networking and sharing our news with friends and family.
Of course, this is just the bare minimum, if you were expecting to stay longer you could pack more, and more elaborately. I found that when I packed far too much 'stuff', I struggled to find what I was looking for and ran out of room in my small corner of the maternity ward. It also meant that unpacking the bag once arriving home was a big, ugly chore.
I'll soon share with you what is packed in our baby bag for hospital; little all-in-one suits waiting for little feet to fill them!
Plenty of love,
The hot water bottle is a must! With Imogen the uterus contraction were barely noticable, but with Isabel they were excruciating. Especially with Breastfeeding. Because breastfeeding helps the uterus contract.. So just be weary about that and ask for plenty of panadol!
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