Packing your hospital bag ready for birth is such an exciting thing to do, all the little baby grows, the toiletries and the snacks (if you haven't already eaten them).

But what will you actually need to pack in your bag ready for labour? Find out what I packed in my own birth bag, I have included the checklist below for you and then see what I actually used.

2 months before my due date, I had downloaded a checklist which included all the essentials that I needed to pack ready for birth.

I had thought about everything and if I’m being honest I think I was overly prepared. I had a suitcase for myself, a bag for the baby, a carrier full of snacks and then a small bag for my husband. My husband joked that we didn’t even pack that much for a two-week holiday abroad. I am very much a home bird though, I love my comforts and wanted to make sure that during labour I had everything that I could possibly need. Packing my hospital bag for labour was exciting, I think I packed it and unpacked it about 3 times just to make sure that everything was there.

Here’s the exact list that I used when packing my hospital bag to make sure I had all the essentials that I needed for birth:

Here’s what I actually used from my hospital bag during labour…

Nothing!! But I already had 3 essential things without even knowing I had them.

Yep, you heard that right. Now, if you have read my birth story before (you can find it here), you will know that I left all of my things in the car as I was expecting to go home, I thought I would be told I was around 2cm dilated, in actual fact, I was 9cm dilated and headed straight to the birth centre. I refused to let my husband leave my side. So, I gave birth with absolutely nothing.

I didn’t even have my bikini top for the birth pool so I gave birth naked

I would NEVER have thought I would have given birth naked, that is not me at all but I wasn’t bothered in the slightest. Now, you might be thinking, surely not, how did you give birth without a single item but honestly, it was amazing and it made me realise something important.

I had packed the 3 most essential things for labour without even realising I had done it, you couldn’t fit them in a hospital bag, they included:

Confidence - I didn’t need anything that I had packed in my hospital bag because I felt so confident about giving birth. I had worked so hard throughout pregnancy making sure I felt positive and confident about birth that when it came to it, all I needed was trust within myself that I could do it and during labour that came through.

Hypnobirthing - All the techniques that I had been taught during pregnancy helped me to relax during labour (I’m convinced hypnobirthing allowed me to stay at home until 9cm dilated), the breathing, the visualisations, the state of hypnosis all helped me to work with my body and my baby. I was able to relax the muscles of my uterus and let my body do what it needed to do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I would have loved the LED candles and the affirmation cards but I was able to use all of the techniques without needing any physical items with me. The hypnobirthing practice throughout pregnancy also allowed me to build my confidence for labour.

A supportive birth partner - My husband was amazing, it makes me tear up thinking about how incredible he was. He held my hand, he breathed with me, he reminded me how well I was doing, he whispered positive affirmations to me, he massaged me, he encouraged me, he gave me cuddles, he looked into my eyes and told me our baby was nearly here. He was more valuable than anything that was in my hospital bag in the car.

Giving birth doesn’t really require much at all

Everything that you have packed in your hospital bag is a bonus, on top of the confidence, the hypnobirthing and the supportive birth partner that I hope you have also managed to pack.

To read my full birth story of how I managed a high-risk pregnancy and had an empowering birth, click the button below:

Trending Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Blog Posts: