Before I went into hospital to have my baby, I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to make sure that I had with me everything that I could possibly need. Because of that, I badgered my friends all about their birth must haves. From there, I made a list, purchased everything and then packed it for myself.

One to discover that once I was in the hospital and my baby was here, I maybe used 10% of the things that I took with me. That is probably more a reflection on myself and how much I packed with me. I wanted to be prepared for every eventuality, but in reality, I just packed far too much. But looking back, I can easily identify my birth must haves and that is what I am going to share today.

 

 

Spray bottle.

Going to the toilet for the first time after having a baby is pretty terrifying. I didn’t know how to sit, wipe or do anything else. The thought of wiping that area with dry toilet paper almost made me heave. That is why I brought a spray bottle. So that after a wee, I could spray myself down with clean water and I wouldn’t have to put any pressure on the area. I bought mine from Boots and it is worth its weight in gold. I used it for a couple of weeks before I felt comfortable enough to wipe!

 

Snacks.

In the grand scale of things, snacks may not seem important. But they really are one of my births must haves. After having our baby, I just wanted everything that brings me comfort. One of those things was unhealthy snacks. I had Doritos, Mars Bars, croissants and just about anything else that would fit inside my bag. Both my husband and I gorged and built up our energy again. It was needed at the time and I am very glad that I had something available that wasn’t hospital food.

 

Leggings.

I have tried to describe the feeling of jelly belly following birth before, but it is just the strangest thing. Straight after giving birth, I obviously still had my bump, but it literally felt like a big, weird cavern on my body. Then, as it started to go down, the bizarre sensation was uncomfortable to me. That is where my Spanx leggings came into play. They have light control and I felt like they held me in place really well. They reduced the strange, empty feeling for me.

 

Wireless speaker.

The last item was a lifesaver for me and that was a wireless speaker. My husband and I absolutely adore music. For me, music sets the mood. So, during my birth I needed uplifting motivation. So, I put on music to carry me through. If it was just silence, I would have gone out of my mind in boredom. My husband and I were taking it in turns to pick a song and then we were singing and dancing along to it in my room. Fortunately, we were in a room on our own or we would have looked like fools!

 

These birth must-haves were all fantastic for me and I am so glad that I purchased them. Some of them really are small and pretty insignificant, but they helped me. Even down to the snacks that I took, they may be pretty minimal, but they brought me comfort at such a crazy time. I think that if I was going to have another baby, I would pack minimally. Then, if I do need anything else, I would send my husband out or ask my family for help. I certainly don’t want to turn up again with a suitcase like I’m going on holiday for a fortnight. As always, I will pop some links to the items that I have mentioned in the post below. Leave me a comment and let me know if you have any birth must haves that you want to share!