You, Baby and I
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Press
  • Contact Us
  • Read
    • Pregnancy
    • Motherhood
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Lifestyle
Join the tribe
You, Baby and I
You, Baby and I
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Press
  • Contact Us
  • Read
    • Pregnancy
    • Motherhood
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Lifestyle
0
5K
0
3K

What to pack in your hospital bag if you’re having a C-Section

  • 2017-08-10
  • 9 comments
  • 4 minute read
  • Shan
packing for the hospital

This post was updated.

I’ve had 3 C-Sections and from my experience, the most important item to have in your bag is comfortable high-waisted underwear or a belly band that will help with your C-Section recovery especially when you are trying to walk the first couple of days. My last C-Section was 8 weeks ago and this time around recovery was much easier on me. I guess it helps to know what to expect but it also helps to be prepared.

I never watched TV in the hospital and I didn’t get much time to read a book or do my makeup. All I did was bond with my little one and get as much sleep as I could when possible.

The hospital gives you a basic list of what you need to bring for the baby and yourself which really helps if you a first-time mom but there’s also extras you might want to add just to be safe.

For my firstborn, I didn’t carry enough clothes. I was never prepared for the unexpected vomiting, so for my second I ended up carrying way too much clothing but luckily baby clothes are tiny so doesn’t take up too much space.

Rather carry more than less for baby.

Tips for you:

  • It is a good idea to have separate suitcases for you and baby so you don’t have to keep digging in one suitcase for items. If you are using one suitcase, try to get some GLAD bags to separate the items.
  • Try to organize baby’s outfit for the day in one GLAD bag – example: Fold 1 vest, onesie, hat, nappy and mittens together.
  • If your partner is staying with you, pack his clothing with yours.
  • Keep all your toiletries in a vanity bag and use nappy sacks for bath wash etc. so it doesn’t leak.
  • You can carry a nursing pillow if you really want to but I was fine without mine – Never used one in the hospital for any of my births.

Carrying too many items to the hospital may also overwhelm you. 

hospital baf

My Must-have items:

  • Important documents for the hospital including Baby passport (if your hospital has one to help you register your child with home affairs) and a black pen.
  • Cell phone charger and an adapter.
  • Camera, memory card, and charger.
  • Lip balm and basic makeup if you want.
  • Money – if you want to buy something from the hospital restaurant or vending machines.
  • Hairband
  • Hair brush
  • Fiber rich snacks to avoid constipation and flat coke (it helped my milk supply).
  • Full coverage panties – This was MUST buy for my C-Section recovery. It really helps make walking so much easier as it holds against your operation and it keeps your sanitary pad in place. Boodywear has an awesome range of full panties, I purchased like 8 and used one every day during my recovery.

hospital bag

If you are not a big fan of full coverage panties for your recovery, invest in a good tights or belly band.

Carriwell has always been my go-to brand when it comes to breastfeeding bras. I think the quality is amazing and the bras last like forever! I still have a few from my first pregnancy.

What was in my hospital bag:

Please note I haven’t included pictures of every item on the list for my hospital bag. 

  • Glasses/Contact lenses
  • Salveo Stem Cells Kit – We decided to store our baby’s stem cells, read more here.

salveo

  • Toothbrush and Toothpaste
  • 2 Towels
  • Face cream
  • Body cream
  • Body wash
  • Perfume
  • 4 sets of night outfits with buttons so it is easy to open for breastfeeding.
  • 1 Going home outfit
  • Full panties
  • Nipple cream
  • Breast pads – I never ended up using breast pads in hospital but I did always carry a few.

hospital bag

  • 5 Feeding bras
  • Comfortable shoes (warm shoes)
  • Clothing and toiletries for my husband.
  • Disposable panties (I always carry extra, you will bleed a lot during the first 3 days). I used to wear the disposable panty first then my full coverage panty over to secure my operation.
  • Linen Savers
  • Maternity pads

Whats in my hospital bag

What was in my Hospital bag for baby:

  • Johnsons baby oil
  • Sebamed shampoo
  • Sebamed baby wash

What’s In My Hospital Bag

  • Sebamed barrier cream
  • Sebamed facial cream and lotion.
  • Cotton wool and cotton buds.
  • Surgical spirits
  • Telament drops
  • Nappy sacks
  • Dettol hand sanitizer
  • Close Parent nappy changing kit

Close Parent SA

  • Huggies baby wipes
  • Huggies nappies

What’s In My Hospital Bag

  • 6 long sleeve vests.
  • 6 hats
  • Mittens

Hats

  • 6 outfits
  • 3 receivers and 3 blankets.
  • Love to Dream sleeping bag

Love to dream sleeping bag

  • 5 face towels for feeding.
  • 2 bathing towels.

What’s In My Hospital Bag

We installed the Doona Car seat and Isofix in the car before the birth of my sons.

Doona

Facebook Comments
Pin208
WhatsApp
Share
Tweet
Share2K
3K Shares
Related Topics
  • Motherhood
Shan

Hi, I'm Shan. I'm an entrepreneur and a sucker for good adventures. I was listed in Forbes Africa 30 under 30 2019 and just recently launched my start-up – MomSays.

You May Also Like
Questions to Ask Your Medical Aid When You fall Pregnant
View Post

Questions to Ask Your Medical Aid When You fall Pregnant

  • 2019-01-10
  • Shan
View Post

What you need to know about flying while you are pregnant

  • 2018-05-30
  • Shan
View Post

Protein During Pregnancy (What you need to know)

  • 2018-04-10
  • Shan
Am I a wife or a mother first?
View Post

15 things to talk about before getting pregnant!

  • 2018-03-07
  • Shan
View Post

My baby’s cord blood collection was not successful…

  • 2017-12-23
  • Shan
View Post

How much does Stem Cell Storage Cost in South Africa?

  • 2017-11-20
  • Shan
View Post

What happens in theater when you do Stem Cell Storage

  • 2017-10-10
  • Shan
View Post

10 reasons Why you should Consider Storing Your Baby’s Stem Cells

  • 2017-09-05
  • Shan
9 comments
  1. kamilah francis says:
    2015-09-17 at 11:36

    I think you have it covered :)Good Luck

    Reply
    1. Shan says:
      2015-09-17 at 15:46

      Yaaaay! I have no idea why I feel like I’m missing something.

      Reply
  2. Varanna says:
    2015-09-17 at 16:29

    My bag the same but also have socks and a gown and a hoodie in case I get cold

    Reply
    1. Shan says:
      2015-09-18 at 10:03

      Hmmm, will keep that aside at home just in case. 😛

      Reply
  3. Olivia Williams says:
    2015-09-17 at 19:41

    Ive never heard of Sebamed before, suppose its coz im 1st time mommy to be… definitely gonna resesrch it.

    Reply
    1. Shan says:
      2015-09-18 at 10:02

      It’s my first time trying it too! Will let you know what I think, I’ve heard all good things thus far.

      Reply
  4. Pingback: 100 Things I think first-time Moms should know - You, Baby and I
  5. Pingback: 100 Things First-time Moms should know - You, Baby and I
  6. Pingback: 10 reasons Why you should Consider Storing Baby's Stem Cells

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Podcast
Podcasts
Trending
  • credit score 1
    Here is how you can check your credit score and why you should! 
    • 2022-10-10
  • savings 2
    How to teach your kids to start saving
    • 2021-08-03
  • Struggling to get your kids to eat healthily Do this! 3
    Struggling to get your kids to eat healthly? Do this!
    • 2021-10-13
  • mushroom 4
    5 Easy Mushroom Recipes to try!
    • 2021-02-24
  • 5
    You can never own too many sneakers
    • 2022-08-23
  • Raising an entrepreneur in the middle of a pandemic 6
    Raising an entrepreneur in the middle of a pandemic
    • 2021-08-12
You, Baby and I
  • Disclaimer
  • Work with me
  • Contact me

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT