What's in my Hospital Bag?

I've just hit the 38 week mark so it's high time I packed a hospital bag! Both of my babies were born after their due date so I haven't been very organised with anything really! But I met with my midwife last week and she said 'just because the last two were late, doesn't mean this one will be', so I'll take that as my cue to get packing!!

People have messaged me through instagram and asked to share what I'm taking, some saying I must be a real pro by now, but honestly I'm not! LOL! But I have learnt a few things along the way. So here's what I've got.

Packing Cells

These things make me feel so organised!! They keep my suitcase organised and I really don't know how I ever travelled without them. I've packed the baby boy's clothes in a green packing cell, and my clothes in a pink one, and it makes me feel so zen. I purchased our packing cells from Kathmandu, but you can get them at lots of places.

Clothes for Baby

Current estimates are that baby will be around 3.5kg when he is born, which I estimate to be newborn sized clothing. However all the clothes I have are size 0-3 months! I have 1 x long sleeve and long leg sleepsuits in size 0-3, 1 x long sleeve long leg sleepsuit size 0-3, and two with short sleeves in size 0-3 months. Plus some short-sleeved merino singlets for underneath, both in newborn size. I'm also lucky that some family friends have knitted some beautiful cardigans and hats for our previous babies, so I'll be taking those too, though I suspect it will be too hot to wear them.

My experience with newborn babies in hospital is that they're very tired, and get even more tired from having their clothes changed. They also don't seem to get their clothes dirty, they're too young for exploding nappies, or messy food, so I'm not taking many items of clothing for him.

Hat and Socks

I've been told that even in February newborn babies need woollen hats and socks, so I'm taking some of those. I love the Lamington merino socks, so soft and cute.  

List of Names

We still don't have a name for our baby! But on a long car trip over the summer holidays I read aloud the top 1,000 baby boy names on nameberry.com , and from there we managed to compile a list of 10 names that we both like. We will most likely choose a family name for the middle name, once baby is born.

Funny story, my dad wants us to call the baby George Michael! LOL! My dad is a bit older and wasn't really into pop music in the 80's, I'm not sure he knows who Wham or George Michael is!! But when we talk about the baby we call him George Michael, 'I just bought some clothes for George Michael', or 'I was thinking about this wallpaper for George Michael's room'. Funny.

Blanket

The hospital will, of course, provide a blanket for baby, but I do think it's special to take one of our own. We have this Heirloom Baby Shawl in Bianco, which will be nice for wrapping baby up in, and will also look cute in photos.

Food

One thing I remember about being in hospital after my last two babies were born, is that I was the hungriest I had ever been in my life! Both babies were induced, so both times I wasn't able to eat the whole day from induction to delivery. Talk about insatiable appetite!! I remember about an hour after delivery my midwife made me some marmite on white toast with a milo, and it was one of the best meals of my life! This time I'm taking some Tom & Luke Snackballs (chocolate mint is my favourite flavour), some The Lactation Station Cookies, and some hot chocolate sachets. I'll probably also ask my family to bring some fruit with them when they visit, right now I can't get enough nectarines and watermelon!

Oohbubs Baby Wrap

With our last baby we started using one of these wraps right from when we were in hospital, it was a handy way to carry baby when we went out in search of more food!! LOL! It's also a sweet way for my husband to bond with baby, and i find that newborn babies do love to be close to someone's body and feel their warmth and heartbeat.

Nappies

This baby is going to be born at a different hospital to the last two, but I presume the hospital will provide nappies? I forgot to ask when we went there for the tour. I'll take one or two nappies just in case.

Breastpads

I love the Oohbubs Washable Breast Pads, they're soft, absorbent, and honestly more comfortable than the disposables. I always say that you'll start using them to be kinder to the environment, but you'll keep using them every time because they're just better than disposables. 

Clothes for me

For me I'll be taking a couple of nursing bras, comfortable underwear (if there is such a thing when you've just given birth), pyjamas, and a few breastfeeding-friendly items of clothing. I have this Addison dress which I purchased when Remi was a baby, I'm sure it will go into heavy rotation again once this baby is born!

Toiletries

Just the usual toilet bag and make-up bag, plus some lanolin nipple cream. 

Car Seat Capsule

You can't leave the hospital without one. For our new bubba I'm going to install a Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix Capsule, because it's lightweight, has a good safety rating, is easy to use, and fits nicely in my car.

Muslins

Again, I'm not sure if the hospital provides these? I'll probably take a couple just in case. One of my favourites right now is this From NZ with Love one.

Pads

I've left this one for last because I feel awkward talking about it! I'll take some pads, but I'm guessing the hospital will provide them as well. 

Coins

I'm not usually a fan of fizzy drink, but I know from previous experience that weird things happen when you have a baby, so I've packed a few coins so that I can buy a drink from the vending machine in the hospital if I feel like it.

Reader suggestions

After posting a video of my hospital bag our followers came up with some great suggestions, here they are:

• Drink bottle
• Ural sachets
• Meelight nightlight 'great in hospital so I didn't have to turn on all the lights to feed'
• Lanolin nipple cream
• Lip balm
• Jandals
• Phone charger

Now I'm just looking forward to the big day, wish me luck xx Anita