Preparing for parenthood is both thrilling and unnerving. But one of the most amazing feelings is awaiting the birth of your little one.
And as parents, it is natural to want to leave no stone unturned and be fully prepared on the big day. One essential part of these preparations is getting your maternity hospital bag checklist ready!
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What To Include In Your Maternity Hospital Bag Checklist
In this blog, you’ll find a list of 10 crucial items to carry in your bag to make sure you have a well-prepared, hassle-free birthing experience.
Let’s get started.
1. Important Documents
The foremost thing is to remember to pack all your essential documents way ahead of time.
These include your identity cards, insurance papers, and past medical records or hospital files. What’s even more important is your gynaecologist’s prescription.
Additionally, check with your hospital beforehand if they need any additional documents and keep them ready.
2. Cash And Cards
We don’t need to tell you how important these are! Even in the world of online shopping where everything is available on your mobile phone, the importance of sufficient cash and cards for payments or last-minute purchases cannot be overstated.
Occasionally, you might find a vendor with an ‘only cash accepted’ sign even in large establishments.
Moreover, there are times when card payments get you good deals and discounts. So it’s a good idea to have them in place.
3. Comfortable Clothing
The next item to add to your maternity hospital bag checklist is comfortable clothing. Below is a list of all the important clothing materials that you will need both before and after your baby’s birth:
- Front-opening or loose nightgown
- Loungewear
- Robe
- Comfy cotton underwear
- Maternity and nursing bras
- Slippers
- Hair ties
4. Toiletries
A hospital is no hotel. You need to carry your toiletries for hygiene and overall comfort. And even if these are provided, they may not always suit you.
So do not forget to include the following in your maternity hospital bag checklist:
- Napkins and wet wipes
- Moisturisers
- Lip Balm
- Your favourite hand cream
- Sanitary napkins
- Nursing pads
5. Mobile Phone And Accessories
Do we even need to tell you the importance of your mobile phone? But we will. Because it is possible to forget even the basics at a time when labour kicks in.
Along with your mobile phone, remember to pack the charger, headphones, and any other accessories that you think might be useful.
6. Pillows
Carrying a pillow to the hospital may seem unnecessary as these places already have enough of them.
However, not all pillows are designed to suit you or make you comfortable. Some tough pillows may even give you neck pain and lead to poor-quality sleep.
So dear parents-to-be, remember to add this to the maternity hospital bag checklist.
7. Snacks
Craving for some snacks is natural when you’re going through this mentally and physically taxing stage. And it’s also natural to be tempted towards fast food like chips, cookies or sweets.
Therefore packing healthy, homemade (non-perishable) snacks will not just take care of those cravings but also save you from those unhealthy, off-the-shelf snacks.
8. Baby Care Essentials
Your newly arrived munchkin deserves all the special care and attention in this world from Day 1.
So it’s a good idea to pack the following items to ensure their comfort and well-being.
- Diapers
- Baby wipes
- Towels
- Diaper creams
- Baby Clothing
- Baby blankets
- Baby lotion
- Pacifiers
- Car seat
9. Going-home Outfit
This is a valuable addition to your maternity hospital bag checklist because you want to go home with your baby in a comfortable yet presentable outfit. You can choose one depending on the weather conditions but it should preferably be loose and with drawstrings.
10. A BabyCord Kit
Your baby is born with the power to protect your entire family from the impact of 90+ medical conditions. This power can be harnessed by saving their precious cord blood cells at the time of birth.
All you need to do is sign up for stem cell banking before delivery, after which you receive a cord blood collection kit.
So do not forget to add this to your maternity hospital bag checklist. Also, it’s vital to find a reputable stem cell bank to entrust your baby’s cord blood cells with.
If you’re exploring one such bank, you might want to consider LifeCell’s BabyCord – India’s largest and most preferred stem cell bank. LifeCell’s community banking programme gives you access to the largest inventory of Indian-origin cord blood cells that provides a >97% chance of finding a match if there is a need for a transplant in the future. For more information visit www.lifecell.in or call 1800 266 5533.
Final Words
Thank you for reading! We hope that the blog helped take some pressure of preparing a ‘maternity hospital bag checklist’ off you. Do remember that this list is a generalised one, and you can always add or subtract items based on your requirements.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Share this blog with your friends and family members about to have a baby. And do not forget to check out LifeCell’s BabyCord – your family’s potential life-saver!
About The Author:
Stacey Smith is a freelance health writer. She is passionate about writing about women’s health, dental health, diabetes, endocrinology, and nutrition and provides in-depth features on the latest in health news for medical clinics and health magazines.
