What to take with you to hospital when you are having a baby

A mate of mine is at the end of her 39th week of pregnancy today and said yesterday that she has not yet packed a hospital bag and that's just because she didn't know what to take.  I thought it would be a good idea to put this here for

What to take for Mum
It's always best to take at least 2 sets of clothes for each day you are in hospital after having a baby.  This is because you tend to leak from everywhere! I had complications after the birth and stayed in for a week.  After day 3 my milk came in.  From that day, I was going through 2 shirts even though I was using breast pads because of the amount of milk that leaked.

Also, as embarassing as this is it's something to consider.  After giving birth, whether natural or c-section, you tend to bleed.  ALOT!!! So I would also suggest taking 2 changes of pants with you 'just in case' and at least 2 packs of maternity pads.  I had a natural birth and found I was changing pads every hour, sometimes more often than that.  The first time I breastfed, I had what felt like contractions and bled everywhere! It was very embarassing I must say and I'd just replaced the pad, then bled through that, needed a change of pants, and needed to ask the nurses to change the sheets.

I had a pack of 6 washable breast pads as well as a large pack of disposable breast pads.  The disposable ones were very handy indeed, however I found they would break apart quite easily and I would go through many of them.  Even if you don't intend to breastfeed, you will still find your milk will come in and you will have the same problem.  I might suggest even if you are not intending to breastfeed, it's probably best to do it while in hospital if possible just to reduce what you're having to take in with you.

So this is what my bag contained:
6 sets of clothes (intending a 3-day stay)
8 pairs of knickers
2 sets of pjs
1 pack of washable breast pads
1 large box of disposable breast pads
2 packs of maternity pads
Toiletries bag
A good book for Mum to read as baby will probably sleep and feed mostly which gives Mum plenty of sitting down time doing nothing else

What to pack for Baby
I had a nappy bag already chosen and packed.  This included 6 all-in-one jumpsuits in various neutral colours.  Being a winter baby I bought the Gro Suits that would keep her warm.  Socks to keep Baby's feet warm.  A pair of mittens to stop baby from scratching.  Although I intended to use cloth nappies, I also had a stash of disposables to make hospital life easier.  If you don't intend to breastfeed, and would rather not do it even when in hospital, you will need to consider bottles, formulas, sterilisers, teats, bottle brushes.  It's probably a good idea also to talk to nurses before the baby is born to find out if you can wash them or the other thing is to use the disposable ones while in the hospital.  Don't forget bunny rugs or muslin wraps for baby.  If you are going to introduce a dummy, make sure you also ask about sterilising dummies while in hospital to see if you need to take your own.  Just remember that a dummy can cause complications with breastfeeding if used within the first weeks of life when supply is being built up.

This is what my nappy bag contained:
8 cloth nappies
2 wash cloths
1 large pack of Huggies Newborn nappies
6 neutral coloured gro suits
4 pairs of warm socks
A pair of mittens
4 bunny rugs

Other things I didn't think of but had family bring me later included:
Single serve sachets of coffee with take-away cups bought from Woolworths that had lids on them.  This is because the coffee in the hospital doesn't taste too good.  Remember that too much caffeine and not enough water can affect milk supply but I liked to start the day with a nice coffee instead of one that tasted like Macca's coffee.
Packs of plain biscuits.  I'm a snacker from way back and liked to have a cup of milk and a biscuit throughout the day.
Fresh, nice fruit.  Nothing better than a fruit salad in the afternoon made with REAL fruit!

I would suggest having bags packed and ready to go from week 35 just in case the baby has ideas about joining the world before Mum and Dad are ready!  It's also an idea to have the nursery completed if you have one, and the car-seat installed by week 35.

I hope this is helpful to someone out there.  It's certainly helped prepare my friend, having someone actually write her a list of what she'll need to take with her.