I have seen countless articles and guides to what you need to take to the hospital when you are in labour, but one thing that is often forgotten is mum! Trust me this won’t be the last time you take a backseat to baby, but there are some things that you really will be glad that you put in your mum’s hospital bag. So start as you mean to go on and practice a little bit of mummy self care. You will be really pleased that you did!

Mum's Hospital Bag Checklist — The Essentials Mum’s Hospital Bag Items

The first thing that I recommend is that you have a mum’s hospital bag. So have your own bag separate from baby’s bag. That way you will know where your stuff is and should you need help getting anything you will be to easily direct proceedings. This also means that you can have a smaller bag and keep it next to you more easily. In the middle of the night when you have just got your newborn back to sleep you don’t want to be rooting around trying to find your stuff in a massive bag. So keep it small and organised, but with all the vital essentials that you need in your mum’s hospital bag.

What do you need for you? Mum’s Hospital Bag Essentials

Hairbands – When you are in labour and getting hot and sweaty the last thing you want is your hair getting in your way so find some hairbands that you find comfortable to wear for a while
Pillow – Your own creature comforts really do make everything feel more relaxing so I strongly recommend bringing one. Also in NHS hospitals these seem to be like gold dust so you may only be given one and it isn’t very comfortable when feeding baby if you can’t prop yourself up
Hand Held Fan – Labour and Maternity wards are hot and this can really help
Phone- to share your fab baby news with everyone and for taking zillions of pictures of your little love
Chargers – no one wants to run out of battery. Right?
Tablet or Laptop – make sure you have downloaded some movies and tv shows to watch. I really suggest keeping these lighthearted. In the middle of the night when baby won’t settle you can feel a bit stressed out and a good comedy show can really help.
Headphones – If you are going to be on an open labour ward then you will need headphones so you can listen to your tablet whenever you want to
Loose Fitting PJs or Night Shirt – remember you will have bleeding (like a very heavy period initially) so you will more than likely need more than one pair. Also remember you will most likely be breastfeeding so they need to have buttons for easy access
Comfy lightweight trousers – if you end up having to stay in hospital for more than a few hours then you will want to get dressed so I always take something like a cotton harem trouser. You can also wear these home
Dark Maternity Knickers – they are not attractive but they are essential
Flip flops – For walking around in the hospital. I like flip flops rather than slippers as you can even wear them in the shower

Wet Wipes – If for any reason you can’t get up and walk about straight away you will be so happy you have some wipes as you will feel a bit grim. The shower I had after having my first child is an amazing feeling that I can genuinely still remember
Flannel or Wash Cloth – I don’t ever use these at home, but after I had my babies everything was so tender and I actually felt so grim I really felt like I needed to get clean and the wash cloths really helped with that
Maternity Pads – the NHS do give you these when you are on the labour ward initially, but they are not the most comfortable so I would recommend bringing some of your own
Make up – I am not talking a full face or anything, but lets be honest you will be in pictures and a little bit of lip gloss or foundation always cheers me up
Hairbrush – when you feel a exhausted even just brushing your hair can brighten your mood
Towel – Like the pillow it is just nice to have your own
Snacks – if this list were numbered this would be number one for me. You might not love the hospital food and a breastfeeding mum who has just given birth needs to eat. I recommend having things like oat or protein bars handy and I also have always brought some treats like chocolate. You deserve a treat in your mum’s hospital bag after giving birth. Don’t you think?