Most midwives recommend having your hospital bag ready by week 36 — babies don't always wait for their due date. Pack it in one bag (or a small trolley bag for a longer stay) and keep it somewhere visible so you can grab it quickly when the time comes.
Tip: Pack two bags if you can — one for labour, one for post-birth recovery. This makes it easier to find things when you need them most.
For Mum — During Labour
📋 Documents & Admin
- Passport or ID
- Health insurance card / maternity exemption certificate
- Maternity notes / antenatal records
- Birth plan (printed copy)
- Hospital registration / pre-admission forms
👚 Clothing & Comfort
- 2–3 comfortable nightgowns or pyjamas (front-opening for breastfeeding)
- Old dressing gown / robe (for walking the corridors)
- Non-slip socks or slippers
- Supportive nursing bra (2–3)
- Disposable or old high-waisted knickers (you'll need several pairs)
- Comfortable outfit to go home in (think maternity sizing)
🧴 Toiletries & Hygiene
- Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face wash
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Lip balm (gas and air dries lips)
- Hair ties, hairbrush
- Maternity pads (heavy-flow — bring plenty)
- Breast pads
- Nipple cream (lanolin-based)
- Towels (2 — hospitals often don't provide them)
🍫 Food, Snacks & Drinks
- Water bottle (large — labour is thirsty work)
- Isotonic sports drinks or coconut water (energy during labour)
- High-energy snacks: nuts, energy bars, dried fruit, biscuits
- Light meals for post-birth recovery
💆 Labour Comfort
- Massage oil or roller (for back pain relief)
- Headphones and a labour playlist
- Portable fan (labour wards can be very warm)
- Phone charger and power bank
- TENS machine (if using one — check hospital allows it)
- Eye mask and earplugs for resting between contractions
For Baby
👶 Clothing & First Outfit
- 2–3 newborn onesies / bodysuits
- 1–2 sleepsuits / footed pyjamas
- Hat (2 — hospitals are draughty)
- Scratch mittens
- Socks
- Going-home outfit (season-appropriate)
- Swaddle blanket
🍼 Feeding
- Nipple cream (lanolin) — for breastfeeding mums
- Ready-made formula (if formula feeding) — hospital usually provides for first days
- Sterilised bottles if formula feeding
🚿 Hygiene
- Newborn nappies (size 1 or "newborn") — 1 pack
- Water wipes (unscented)
- Nappy rash cream
- Cotton pads and cotton wool
For Your Partner
🤝 Partner's Bag
- Change of clothes and spare T-shirt
- Phone charger and portable battery
- Snacks and drinks (partners don't get hospital meals)
- Cash (parking, vending machines)
- Camera / phone charged for the first photos
- List of people to contact after the birth
Don't Forget — Before You Leave
- Infant car seat — fitted correctly before due date (check with your local fire station if unsure)
- Pram or carry cot ready at home
- Moses basket / crib made up with clean sheets
- Route to the hospital planned — including night-time route and parking
Baby Novum has a built-in hospital bag checklist with 42 pre-populated items — simply tick off what you've packed. You can also build your own birth plan inside the app and take it to every prenatal appointment.