Hospital bag checklist: what to pack for the birth

Pack your bag at least 3 weeks before your due date. Only about 1 in 20 babies arrive on their due date, so it is best to have the bag ready early.

Ask your maternity unit beforehand what they provide and what you need to bring, because it varies from hospital to hospital.

Documents

• your ID
• your pregnancy records: test results, scans and your doctor’s notes
• your birth plan, if you have one
• a list of the medicines you take

For labour

• loose, comfortable clothes
• a dressing gown and slippers
• a water bottle, ideally with a straw, and light snacks
• a small fan or water spray to cool down
• your phone, charger and a long cable or power bank
• spare glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
• something to pass the time: music, a book, podcasts
• any medicines you take regularly

For you, after the birth

• nightwear that opens at the front, especially if you plan to breastfeed
• 3 sets of comfortable clothes and socks
• 5 or 6 pairs of knickers, including disposable ones
• 2 or 3 comfortable bras, or nursing bras
• breast pads
• 2 packs of super-absorbent maternity pads
• a wash bag: toothbrush and toothpaste, hairbrush, deodorant, lip balm
• a bag for dirty laundry

For your baby

• bodysuits, vests and sleepsuits
• an outfit for the journey home
• a hat, scratch mittens and socks
• nappies
• cotton wool or wipes
• muslin squares
• a blanket or shawl
• a snowsuit, if it is cold

The car seat

If you are going home by car, your baby needs to travel in a rear-facing baby car seat. Fit it before the birth and practise, so you are not working it out on the day you leave hospital.

See also the signs of labour, so you know when it is time to pick up the bag and go.

Sources we consulted

• NHS: Pack your bag for labour

Written by the mam.al editors as general information. It does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.