The Hypnobirthing Hospital Bag Checklist: Everything That Creates a Calmer Birth
There is no shortage of hospital bag checklists on the internet. Most of them tell you the same things: maternity pads, snacks, a TENS machine, a going-home outfit for the baby.
This is not that list.
I'm Melanie, a birth doula and hypnobirthing teacher. I have carried bags into birth rooms for many years. I have watched women arrive with so much luggage that it takes two trips from the car, and I have watched birth partners rummage desperately through an overstuffed holdall looking for a charging cable while a woman is mid-surge.
I want to save you from both of those experiences. So this is a different kind of hospital bag guide, one that is built around what actually changes the atmosphere and flow of your birth, and one that takes seriously the practical realities of arriving in labour with your birth partner trying to support you.
Before we talk about what to pack: how to pack it!
This is the piece of advice I give every family I work with, and it makes an enormous difference on the day.
Pack with complete clarity. Your birth partner or doula will need to be able to find things quickly and easily, ideally without having to ask you while you are labouring. If they are rummaging around in a jumbled bag trying to find your eye mask, you will feel it. This disruption to your environment matters.
Organise your bag clearly, packaging certain items together and clearly separate from others. Your birth partner needs to be able to take things easily from the bags without turning everything into a jumbled mess and I absolutely promise you that they will do very quickly.
Use labelled pouches or packing cubes. Pack your birth bag items separately from your postnatal items. Put the things you will need first, your birth plan, your headphones, your drink and any preferred aromatherapy oils at the very top or in a separate small bag that goes in last and comes out first.
And please: do not overpack.
Don't go crazy and over-pack. We need to be able to get you and your bags into the birth centre easily. Loads of different bags to hang off our shoulders while supporting mum can be really difficult.
One bag for labour. One bag for postnatal. That is all you need. If you have a wheelie case your birth partner will also be very grateful indeed!
What actually changes your birth experience?
Most hospital bag guides tell you what you might need. This section tells you what shapes the atmosphere of your birth — the things that affect your nervous system, your oxytocin levels, and your ability to stay in the calm, focused state that hypnobirthing relies on.
Your hypnobirthing MP3s and headphones
This is the most important thing in your birth bag are the tracks you have been listening to throughout your pregnancy: the relaxations, the affirmations, the breathing guides. These are your single most powerful tool in the birth room. They cue your nervous system back to calm. They are familiar. They carry a physical memory of relaxation that has been building with every listen.
Pack a fully charged phone or device with your tracks downloaded offline. Pack wired headphones (Bluetooth can disconnect at the worst moments) and a spare pair. Put them at the very top of your bag.
Your birth affirmations
Whether printed on cards, written in a notebook, scrawled over post-its, or saved as a photo on your phone — have your affirmations accessible if you are using them. Your birth partner can read them to you between surges, or you can place printed cards somewhere you can see them in the room. Words matter in the birth space. Choose yours in advance.
Lighting
Bright overhead hospital lighting activates the stress response. Dim, warm light supports oxytocin. Birth Centres tend to be rooms of dim lighting, LED candles and calm, however, labour wards are often not. Pack a battery-powered fairy light string or a few small LED candles, they are light, pack easily and transform the atmosphere of a birth room entirely. This is something I bring to every birth I attend as a doula just in case we need them and the difference it makes is immediate.
A familiar scent
Your sense of smell has a direct connection to the limbic system — the emotional brain. A scent that you have associated with relaxation during pregnancy (lavender, frankincense, bergamot or whatever you have been using during your hypnobirthing practice) can anchor you back into that calm state in labour. A few drops on a tissue or a roller ball is all you need. Most maternity wards are happy with women using aromatherapy, however, check with your hospital that they are happy for you to use essential oils in the birth room. Certain oils such as Clary Sage are not always appreciated in areas where midwives do not want women to be going into labour.
Your birth preferences: multiple printed copies
As I wrote about in the birth plan blog: print a few copies. One for your notes, one to hand directly to each midwife who comes on shift, one for your birth partner to hold and one for your birth doula if appropriate. Keep them in a clearly labelled clear wallet at the very top of your birth bag.
The practical essentials — in order of priority:
For you and your birth partner: Snacks and drinks for you both. Remember, birth is a marathon, rarely a sprint and you will need energy. Your birth partner needs sustaining too, as we all know a depleted, hungry birth partner is less able to support you.
A change of clothes for you both. Birth includes fluids from amniotic fluid to vomit, so make sure that both you and your birth partner have nice, dry and clean clothes to change into if need be. A warm bath robe for you will be lovely and practical.
For you: Lip balm. Breathing through surges dries the lips quickly. This is a small thing that makes a significant difference to comfort.
A hair tie if you have long hair as loose hair becomes uncomfortable quickly in active labour, I always have a few spare in my doula bag.
A birth ball if your hospital does not have one — call ahead to check. Most maternity wards have them, but not always in the room you'll be in. Never be afraid to ask for one to be brought in from another room or ward.
A TENS machine if you plan to use one and ensure it is charged and you know how to use it before you go into labour. TENS works best if placed onto your back in early labour. Once you transfer to hospital do bring its container bag/box with you so that if you get into the pool it can be packed away easily.
A warm blanket or your own pillow — hospital blankets are functional rather than comforting! Familiar textiles support relaxation and your own things smell of your own home, which makes them wonderful.
A phone charger and/or fully charged power bank.
For after birth
Pack a separate postnatal bag — clearly labelled, separate from your birth bag. This will contain everything that you will need once your baby is born and can remain zipped up until then.
Comfortable, loose, dark clothing — button-front or wrap-front if you are breastfeeding.
Maternity pads and comfortable underwear — more than you think you will need!
Toiletries, travel-sized and in a clear bag. That first post-birth shower is then perfection!
Clothing and nappies for your baby — a few changes, a hat, a swaddle blanket. Whatever is appropriate for the current climate.
Your going-home outfit — chosen for comfort, not appearance. This is not the moment for jeans I promise you. Personally I would stick to maternity wear.
Your car seat — fitted and tested in the car before your due date.
Ready to prepare your birth as well as your bag?
The Better Birth Stories Online Hypnobirthing Course gives you everything you need to walk into your birth feeling genuinely prepared — including the breathing techniques, the MP3 tracks, and the birth partner training that will make everything in this bag list actually work. 94 lessons, £39, 30-day guarantee.
→ Explore the Online Hypnobirthing Course