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Mind over Mama

Discussing the ups and downs of parenthood, whilst promoting positive mental health

Birth, Pregnancy

Hospital Bag Checklist: What I ACTUALLY Needed

February 4, 2022 Leave a Comment

* This post contains some affiliate links

As someone who loves organisation and lists, packing my hospital bag was a particularly satisfying experience. I read many different examples of lists, one of my favourites included a mini bottle of champagne (shout out to that mama!). Then from this, I wrote my own based on what I thought I needed and then some.. So I thought it would be helpful to share what I actually used, in order to spare the over packing. See below the exact hospital bag checklist I used for Liam (birth partner), Indie and I. Feel free to save these and add your own items, or download a blank version for free here.

hospital bag checklist
hospital bag checklist
hospital bag checklist

Products I Used

It’s easy to say order x, y and z, but I found it really helpful to have recommendations from friends/other bloggers on products they found worked well. Here are some of mine I found useful (click the heading to access the link).

Nightie – This nightie was great as it has buttons down the front meaning when I was being checked I did not need to remove any clothing, just popped open a few buttons. Trust me, anything that makes life easier during labour is a must! I ordered a couple to take in and still wore them after birth as well for comfort.

Water bottle – A water bottle with a straw is a must, as again doesn’t really involve much effort when you’re feeling tired. This is similar to what I bought (and less money!)

Fan – I got a handheld fan from B&M which I think was about five pound. I don’t have a link for this, but you can get similar on Amazon (though a little bit more expensive).

Projector light – Some of the hospitals already have these, but I took my own in case they were not available. Liam had bought me one as a present, so I did not buy it especially for labour, but it did help me to feel calm throughout. Plus the baby loves to use it now! I also took in little tea lights from B&M.

Cooler – This was my best friend throughout labour and my stay in the hospital. I don’t know about your local hospital but mine is about 300 degrees so this helped keep me cool.

Nursing bras – I bought almost all of my maternity/nursing bras from ASOS and H&M. These ones were definitely the comfiest and felt a bit more luxurious with the lace.

Maternity leggings – I still wear these four months postpartum. They are so comfortable and feel more expensive than they actually are. They were a godsend after birth to come home in, as wearing tights for a few days was a bit of a no go.

Coming home clothes – I wore this maternity dress to come home from hospital in. As it’s a smock it was nice and loose, as trust me, you do not want anything clinging! My stomach was still quite tender so light and floaty worked well.

Birth Announcement Card – I ordered Indigo’s birth announcement card from this shop on Etsy. I have since ordered a Christmas Eve board for Santa and both orders have been amazing! I would highly recommend this store (not an Ad, just loved it!)

I had also packed a TENS machine from Boots and some heat pads from B&M. I found the heats pads helped initially when I had mild back ache at the start of labour, however the TENS machine irritated me. Some hospitals already have TENS machines, so if you were wanting to try one, please ask your midwife about availability.

Hospital Bag Checklist: Snack Edition

Packing the food was almost as important as packing the essentials (I mean I’d even argue more important). The hopsital I went to do not provide food for the birthing partners, but would provide hot water. Therefore Liam’s snack pack looked a lot like this (please don’t judge the lack of nutritional value in this list haha) :

  • Pot Noodles
  • Curry (this was from B&M, though I can’t remember the brand, you basically added boiling water to make)
  • Flapjacks
  • UHT milk (to make tea)
  • Tea bags
  • Crisps (his favourite)
  • John West ‘on the go’ salads (again from B&M)
  • Sandwich (My Mam brought in a full picnic when she was allowed in!)

For myself I had little things I could snack on during labour, as meals were provided. My snack pack included things such as flapjacks, cereal bars and haribos (my favourite). I tried to include things that would give me little bursts of energy throughout. Unfortunately, I was nil by mouth from the morning of induction (which I did not know about before), so I could not eat during labour. Silver linings was I had quite the picnic for afterwards!

During my stay I used a lot less than what I packed, so this list may seem short, but I only wanted to include what I actually used. I definitely felt I had to pack an enormous amount of things ‘just incase’, but it was actually more of a faff getting it all home with baby in tow. I hope this hospital bag checklist helps and feel free to download and share the free resources!

Click here to read how the birth went!

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My Birth Story
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Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes

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Holly | Blogger
What we used E V E R Y D A Y on our holiday 🏝 What we used E V E R Y D A Y on our holiday 🏝

β€’ Pacifier clip. We use the Mam pacifiers, but you can get different brands with different clips to fit. I’d stick to using the same brand for the clip as the pacifier you use, just to ensure it fits properly. These are lifesavers as Indie took to throwing her dummy out of the pram (quite literally πŸ˜…)

β€’ Pool float. We got this before travelling as we wanted to make sure we had the correct size. This little crab float was from Amazon (I’ll link it in my highlights) 

β€’ Swimsuits with a built in nappy. Inbetween swimming, we used a normal nappy, but when Indie was in the pool we relied on the swimsuit nappy. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but it went well! No accidents to report and easily cleaned πŸ˜…

β€’ You may have seen my @joie_global pushchair on a previous reel, but it really did make life easier whilst travelling. I’d recommend a lightweight, easy to fold down pram. One that fits in the overhead of a plane is even better. 

β€’ Clip on pram toys are a must. They kept Indigo entertained for hours whilst we ate out, or relaxed. She loves them! 

I’ll link the products to my highlight. What are your travel must haves? Leave a comment below and save this to come back to.
DIY IKEA highchair hack πŸ™ŒπŸ» I’d seen a few DIY IKEA highchair hack πŸ™ŒπŸ»

I’d seen a few people on here doing this and thought I’d give it a go. I am not in the slightest bit good at creative/putty together things, so I didn’t have much hope πŸ˜… But @mycovebaby have you covered with a really simple way to give your IKEA highchair a much needed glow up! 

Products we used:
β€’ @ikea Antilop Highchair: Β£15 
β€’ @mycovebaby splashmat (colour apricot): Β£12
β€’ @mycovebaby cushion insert: Β£6
β€’ @mycovebaby vinyl leg wrap (colour beech): Β£14
β€’ @mycovebaby footrest (colour beech): Β£20
β€’ @mycovebaby cushion cover (jungle safari): Β£20 

The total time putting it all together, including the chair assembly, took around 15 minutes (if that!) and I like the idea that we can change designs easily if we wanted to. I’m also impressed at how the vinyl legs wrap look like actual wood, as I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out. 

Have you done a highchair glow up? Save this as some inspo ✨
Indie’s last week at @bloomnorthumberlandandtyne Indie’s last week at @bloomnorthumberlandandtyneside πŸ₯² These classes were a bit of a lifeline in the earlier days. Those 45 minutes of entertainment and venting to other Mam’s really did the trick, so I’m pretty sad it’s come to an end. 

If you’ve followed me a while, you might have seen those first few weeks were not smooth sailing. Indie was hugely overwhelmed, tearful and appeared hesitant to join in. It took a while, but eventually we started to get through the class without tears πŸ˜… I was torn between feeling like a bad Mam for putting her through it and trying to teach her to adapt to new environments.

I would feel worried that she was β€˜behind’ all the other babies, even though logically I know all babies go at their own pace. It’s hard not to worry about those things, isn’t it? As a parent, it’s hard not to feel completely responsible. Was I not doing enough? Was I a bad Mam? 

Well, I’m so pleased we preserved. Even up to the last class Indie was building her skills and confidence. It’s as if she knew yesterday was her last, as she showed me there was never any need to worry as she joined in with all of the activities. Her confidence bloomed (pardon the pun πŸ˜‚). A special thank you to Anthea for all her patience and kindness shown in the classes, she always made us feel very calm and welcome. 

NGL I felt teary when I left. I was relieved that we pushed through the challenges and in the end she enjoyed it. However, ten seconds later the guilt set in that I ever doubted her. And that my friends is motherhood πŸ˜… 

It can feel like anytime we feel a positive emotion, it can be quickly offset with a worry or guilt. I quickly reminded myself that these are just thoughts, it doesn’t make them real. If it was someone else in this situation, I’d be compassionate and empathetic to their situation. So I tried that with myself instead. 

Learning from this experience: Motherhood can feel a bit like β€˜you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t’. The guilt we feel is probably based on unrealistic expectations. Try to understand where they come from and alter these to be manageable. Do your best, it’s all we can do. 

Save as a reminder ❀️
We’ve been enjoying the sunshine this weekend at We’ve been enjoying the sunshine this weekend at @helloworldclasses fest πŸŽͺ🎸

As Indie gets older and is showing more interest in things, it has become very apparent that she loves music. I mean most babies probably do, but I like to think she’s heading for that Pyramid stage at Glastonbury πŸ˜… That being said we’ve registered for next year and wondering are we completely mad for attempting a huge festival with a one year old? Stay tuned to find out πŸ˜‚

Have you done a festival with a baby before? Leave us some inspiration below ⬇️
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