Throughout my whole pregnancy, I had been looking forward to packing my hospital bags. I pictured myself smiling away as I lovingly folded all the teeny weeny baby essentials into the bag. In reality, like most things in life, this didn't actually happen.
As I mentioned in a previous post here, quite late on in my pregnancy we had booked a trip to Liverpool for Chris' Liverpool FC Stadium Tour. We both decided, running up to this time, that it would be best to pack my hospital bags and take our hospital notes and the car seat, in case the unthinkable happened. Well... fast forward to the day before we were due to travel... still no bags had been packed. Finally, I bit the bullet and made a list of things I thought Baby Skerritt would need, once he made his big arrival.
I found it a lot easier to just lay everything out on our bed before packing it all into the bag. Obviously I have no idea how long my stay in hospital will be, so I didn't want to have too much or too little. What I decided to pack was:
- Weekend Bag, purchased from Primark.
- Pack of 23 newborn nappies.
- Nappy bags.
- 2 blankets - a fleecy Winnie the Pooh one and a cotton cellular blanket.
- Antibacterial wipes, in case I become a germophobe overnight.
- Cotton wool squares, for nappy changing.
- Water wipes - I know cotton wool and water is the preferred method, but water wipes are practically the same.. plus I've heard that the meconium poo nappy change can be a bit sticky, so wipes may well be easier.
- Lasinoh nipple cream, just in case.
- A handful of breast pads, in case my milk comes in.
- Tissues, for when I'm getting all emotional!
- 2 comfortable sleep bras which are nursing friendly.
- 3-4 muslin cloths, 1 being an extra large sized cloth, ideal for swaddling attempts!
- A few bibs, no idea if I'll use them, but they don't take up much room in the bag.
- Newborn sized socks, hats and some scratch mitts.
- 6 sleepsuits and 6 vests.
Yes, I feel I may have gone overboard with baby outfits, but hear me out! In the back of my mind I still keep having this panic where the baby comes out, and the midwife announces.. 'It's A Girl!!'
So, just in case, I've packed a few plain white sleepsuits. But if all goes as planned and he is a he, I still wanted some more boy themed sleepsuits for photos. I also plan to pop in one of his newborn toys, but I still need to decide which one!
Anyway, there was no surprise arrival of Baby Skerritt, so the bag has just been waiting around in the nursery for the moment it will be quickly grabbed and put into the car! I did get everything out a week or so ago, to re-pack and check, knowing that it was originally packed in a rush.
Is there anything vital you think I'm missing? What were your essential items from your baby hospital bag? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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