Packing for Your Delivery and Hospital Stay

As your due date approaches, it can be challenging to wrap your head around what you need for labour and your hospital stay. With a little help from the Inner West Mums who’ve been there and done that, we complied this list of delivery and maternity ward essentials and nice-to-haves.
Your hospital will probably give you some information on some of the things you will need. For example, some delivery suites provide birthing balls, others do not. Some maternity wards provide nappies and wipes, others do not.
The following suggestions are intended to cover the possibility of either a vaginal or C-section delivery. It may be difficult to determine exactly what you’ll require, both for yourself and your baby, as circumstances and needs do vary. You may want to set aside some additional supplies, such as sanitary pads, loose underwear, nappies and clothing items, so your partner, family member or friend can easily locate these and bring them to you if required.

For the Delivery
Your Medicare card
Your health insurance card (if privately insured)
Your antenatal record (sometimes called a ‘yellow card’)
Any other hospital paperwork you might need
Your birth plan
Any aids you may want to use during labour (a birth ball if the delivery suites do not have these, your own pillow, massage oil, visualisation pictures, music player/speakers, TENS machine, electric oil diffuser, water spray, heat pack etc.)
Any other birth information sheets or books that you might want to refer to
An old T-shirt or nightie to wear during labour
A change of clothes for your partner
Swimwear for your partner (if you’re planning to use a birthing pool)
Closed footwear for your partner (Note these are required in theatre.)
Glasses (if required. Note contact lenses cannot be worn during C-sections.)
Magazines or a book
Phone
Phone charger with a long cord
Camera
Snacks and beverages for you and your partner
Water bottle
Tissues
A coin stash for vending machines

For the maternity ward
Items for you and your partner:
Pyjamas and/or nighties suitable for nursing
Dressing-gown
Pashmina
Socks
Slippers
Loose, dark-coloured underwear (lots of!)
A plastic bag to contain worn underwear
Maternity singlets
Maternity bras
Postnatal belly band
A going-home outfit
Breastfeeding pillow
Nursing pads
Hydrogel discs
Nipple cream
Nipple shield
Sanitary pads (several packs)
Perineal ice packs
A couple of rolls of soft good-quality toilet paper
A large soft bath towel (the hospital ones are often tiny!)
Shampoo/Dry shampoo
Conditioner
Body wash
Razor (if used)
Deodorant
Hand cream
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Lip balm
Hair brush
Hair elastics/headbands/bobby pins
Hair dryer
Nail file/polish (for a spot of luxury in a quiet moment)
Sleep mask (to help catch some zzzs during the day)
Ear plugs (most maternity wards are quite noisy)
Chocolate
Gum/mints
Dried prunes (to help get things moving)
Protein bars/muesli bars/crackers/biscuits (or other favourite snack food)
A selection of your favourite teas and/or beverage sachets
Favourite juices
A bottle of sparkling wine
Reusable bendy straw
A notebook and pen
Any feeding or settling information sheets or books that you might wish to refer to
Magazines and a book

Items for bub:
Nappies (if not provided by the hospital. Will need up to a dozen a day.)
Plastic bag to contain any worn cloth nappies or soiled baby clothes
Cotton squares/baby wipes (if not provided by the hospital)
Burp cloths
Baby onesies
Baby singlets
Dummies
Baby nail clippers
Muslin wraps
A gift from the baby for an older sibling (if relevant)
A going-home outfit for bub
A blanket or jacket to keep bub warm when walking to the car park if the weather is cool
Baby car seat

You might also like:
Beautiful Births
Life with Multiples: An Inner West Mum’s Story
Welcoming Baby Number Two
When Two Becomes Three (or More)