What to pack in your hospital bag: Top 5 items

If you are expecting, you might be wondering what to pack in your hospital bag. Here are my top 5 items that you might not have thought of.

Water bottle with straw

Firstly – labour is thirsty work. Plus – your uterus is a muscle and it needs to be fed and watered to work to it’s best ability. Sipping water during labour can be really helpful. And why a straw? Two reasons – firstly it’s convenient. Your partner can hold it in your direction, whatever position your in, ready for you to sip. But secondly – you can’t clench your jaw and sip through a straw, so they encourage you to relax your muscles

Hair band

This one is pretty self explanatory – when you mean business, who wants hair in their face?! Also if you find yourself getting hot and bothered, getting your hair up can help.

Eye mask

If you spend any time on the maternity ward before or after birth, an eye mask can be really helpful – especially if you favour sleeping in the dark. Maternity wards aren’t overlay dark, and lights can come on to do routine checks etc and these can be disturbing. You may also find an eye mask helpful in early labour if you are trying to rest and wanting to shut out the world and get yourself in the zone.

Headphones

Listening to affirmations or your favourite playlist can be relaxing during labour, a vaginal birth or a caesarean. Lots of couples tell me how their baby was born whilst they listened to one of their favourite songs and I love this. You can also bring speakers to have music playing out loud when you are giving birth, but some people prefer the intimacy of headphones.

Lip balm

Hospitals can be really dry and the air can make your lips crackly and dry. If you are using gas & air at any point this can also dry your lips out – so having your favourite lip balm to hand can be a lifesaver.

If you’d like a more comprehensive list, head over to my blog Hospital Bag – What to Pack. Or if you are ready to get fully prepped and organised, sign up to my mailing list and I will send you the full checklist straight to your inbox:

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Photo Creds: SavvyJamieRose