Hospital Bag
It is best to pack yours and the baby’s items that will be needed into a bag a few weeks before your due date. I would recommend having it ready as early as 32 weeks, as it is so much nicer to be prepared in an emergency situation-rather than relying on a partner or family member to get everything needed and bring to the hospital at a later stage. Only you really know what you want to have in it.
Below I have compiled 1 list for the baby and 1 list for items you will/may need. Some of the things on the mummy list may not even get used, but it’s best to have them in your hospital bag just in case-you can always pass them onto a friend if you don’t end up using them.
For Baby
*1 pack of nappies
*1 pack of wet wipes
*Cotton wool pads
*Nappy sacks
*3 vests
*3 baby grows
*1 pair of scratch mitts
*2 bibs
*lots of muslin squares
*New-born size hat
Although you may only plan on staying in hospital for a few hours after the birth and then getting back home as soon as possible, (all being well of course), even that will be enough time for your newborn to wee or poo on more than 1 vest/ baby grow, so packing a few is essential. Usually a newborn size will be the correct size to have for most babies that are born, but be prepared that if your baby weighs over 9lb at birth then she may not fit into it! I had this problem with my first son, and had to get my mum to take a detour on the way to the hospital to buy some bigger baby grows to put him in. It’s advisable to pack at least 1 vest and baby grow in a 0-3m size.
For Mum
*Birthing night shirt
*Cotton dressing gown – go for a thin one as hospitals are kept at warm temperatures!
*2 clean night-shirts/pyjamas for use after birth-with buttons or front opening if you plan on breastfeeding.
*2 pairs of knickers
*1 pack of large disposable knickers. These are fab to use in the first few days after birth when you are bleeding heavily, as they can just be thrown away if stained with blood. Also great if you end up having a c-section, as they can just be cut off which saves you painfully bending down.
*1 pack of Maternity sanitary towels
*1 pack of breast pads-although you shouldn’t actually need these until your full milk supply comes in around day 3 after birth. It depends how long you end up having to stay in hospital.
*2 breastfeeding bras-if you plan on breast-feeding.
*Slippers
*Dettol wipes/ Hand sanitiser-this is usually provided-but always nice to have your own!
*Your birth plan
*Your maternity notes
*Camera, Phone and chargers
*A notebook and pen
*Wash bag containing toothbrush, toothpaste, shower soap, deodorant and anything else you like.
*Small change for hospital car park or pay phone
*Day clothes to go home in when you are discharged.
by
Lisa Clegg – The Blissful Baby Expert
) i decided to consult with the internet on care suggestions – surely i couldn’t be alone in this quandary!
i wet my hands and apply cleanser gingerly then wash it off the same way (fracking laborious and long-winded 
)…yet, despite my efforts, noted i’d dislodged 3 strands of extensions…checked in the mirror and i didn’t look like a singed dog so carried on with my day 
but last night was something else. I felt like a deflating balloon. This continued for some time, even waking Mrs C from her slumber at one point. For once though, I wasn’t the only perpetrator. What Mrs C’s lacked in cataclysmic force was more than compensated for in duration. An Olympic sprinter would have completed the event for which he had trained for four years sooner than one of Mrs C’s ‘trumps’ had passed.
