We've all been there: sitting on the floor at 35 weeks, a half-open bag in front of you, reading the fifth list of the night and wondering if you really need a portable fan. Packing this bag is the first thing you do for someone you haven't met yet, so of course it feels big.
Here's what we wish someone had told us: you'll be there one to three nights, and what you actually reach for fits in one bag, plus a small one for the baby.
Have it packed by week 36, by the door or in the car. Then let it go and enjoy the last weeks of just the two of you.
One tip before you start: call your hospital and ask what they provide. Many give you nappies, gowns and even the first baby clothes, which saves half the packing (and half the worry).
For you
For labour
- A long, loose T-shirt or nightdress you don't mind ruining
- Cozy socks
- A hair tie and lip balm.
- Snacks and a bottle with a straw, so someone can hold it while you drink
- A long phone charger. The plug is never next to the bed
- Something that makes the room yours: a playlist, a scarf over the light, your own pillow in a coloured case so it doesn't get mixed up.
- A diffuser with lavender oil (our oyur favorite essential oil) does wonders.
- Body oil for massages
- Noise cancelling headphones with your own playlist or meditations
For the days after
- Two or three front-opening nightdresses or pyjamas, for skin-to-skin and feeding
- High-waisted, soft underwear, one size up, or disposable ones
- Maternity pads, more than you think
- Two nursing bras and a few breast pads
- Flip-flops for the shower
- Basic toiletries and a soft towel of your own
- Loose clothes to go home in.
For your baby
Pack each outfit in its own labelled bag ("day 1", "day 2", "going home"), so whoever is helping can find it without asking.
- Three or four bodysuits, in newborn size and in 0–1 month. You won't know which fits until you meet them
- Three or four sleepsuits with feet, ideally with zips or poppers down the front
- A soft hat and a pair of socks or booties
- Two or three muslins. They'll be bib, burp cloth, sunshade and blanket
- A light blanket for the trip home
- Nappies and wipes, if your hospital doesn't provide them
- Crystal nail file, my second one was born with the longest nails!
Choose soft, simple fabrics that open easily. Newborns don't like things going over their heads, and you won't either at 3am.
For your partner
They're there for hours too. A change of clothes, a toothbrush, a jumper (hospitals are either freezing or boiling), snacks and coins for the vending machine.
Papers
Keep them together in one folder, at the top of the bag:
- Your ID and health card
- Your pregnancy records and recent test results
- Your birth plan, if you have one
The ride home
If you're going home by car, the car seat has to be installed before you go into labour. Practise taking it in and out once. Doing it for the first time in a hospital car park, with a newborn, is not the moment.
And if you forget something
Nothing on this list is urgent. Someone can bring it the next day, or you'll manage without it. Years from now you won't remember what was in the bag. You'll remember the first time you held them, and that part needs no packing at all.
If you'd like a hand putting the bag together, write to us or come and see us in the shop. We'll go through it with you, mother to mother, baby clothes and muslins included, and leave out anything you won't need.