What to pack in your hospital bag for delivery

Pack by about 36 weeks, and ask your hospital what it already provides before you buy anything. Most Singapore maternity wards supply pads, diapers and basic baby clothes. What people actually miss is warm layers for a cold ward, a long phone cable, and both parents' identity documents.

When should the bag be packed?

By around 36 weeks, because labour does not wait for a convenient week.

The NHS lists the signs worth recognising: regular contractions that get stronger and closer, a show, waters breaking, and backache or a period-like cramping that will not settle. Any of those with a packed bag in the hallway is a much calmer evening.

Pack two bags if it helps. A small one for the labour ward with what you want within reach, and a larger one left in the car or brought up afterwards.

What does the hospital already provide?

More than most checklists assume, and it differs by hospital and by ward class.

Most maternity wards in Singapore give you a pack containing maternity pads, newborn diapers and some basic baby clothing, and many provide a gown, towels and toiletries. KK Women's and Children's Hospital, National University Hospital and the private hospitals all publish their own lists.

Call and ask. It takes five minutes and saves a bag of duplicates, which matters because you will be carrying everything home with a newborn and a car seat.

For labour itself

Keep this bag small and reachable.

• A long phone charging cable, because the socket is never near the bed
• Lip balm, a hair tie, and a water bottle with a straw
• Flip-flops for the shower
• A light shawl or cardigan
• Snacks for your partner, who will not be allowed to leave easily
• A playlist or headphones if that is your sort of thing
• Your antenatal record and birth plan

Check with your hospital about eating and drinking during labour. Policies differ, and it is worth knowing in advance rather than arguing about it at 2am.

For your own recovery

• A couple of loose, front-opening nightdresses or pyjama sets
• Nursing bras, and breast pads
• High-waisted cotton underwear you will not mind throwing away
• Socks, and a cardigan, since the wards run cold
• Your own toiletries, including a gentle cleanser, lip balm and a comb
• Dry shampoo for the days before you feel like showering properly
• A long phone cable, again
• Loose clothes to go home in, sized for the bump you still have

Two product notes. Hospital soap can feel drying, so a cleanser you already know is worth the space. Mama's Choice Gentle Face Wash is a sulfate-free, perfume-free gel made with pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in mind, and in a 2022 satisfaction survey of 128 mothers, 96% said their skin felt softer and more moisturised after using it. Nipple skin can also get dry in the first days of feeding, so Mama's Choice Intensive Nipple Cream, which moisturises and protects nipple and areola skin, goes in the small bag rather than the big one. If feeding hurts, ask the ward's lactation consultant to check the latch before you go home.

Also read: postpartum pain and what relieves it

For the baby

The NHS list of what a newborn needs is shorter than any shop display, and the hospital stay is the part where that is most obvious. Nothing is needed for bathing, since the ward handles the first one and shows you how.

The car seat is the item people leave until last and should not. Fit it in advance and work out the straps while you are not holding a newborn in a carpark.

Also read: newborn baby care products you actually need

Documents, MediSave and Baby Bonus

• Both parents' NRIC or passports
• Your marriage certificate details, if relevant to the registration
• Your antenatal booklet and any scan reports
• Insurance details and your policy number
• The hospital admission papers, if you pre-registered

The MediSave Maternity Package covers delivery and pre-delivery expenses, and the hospital's business office processes the authorisation at admission. Bring the identity documents and let them do the paperwork.

Birth registration is completed online in Singapore, so there is no form to fill in at a counter. The hospital will tell you when the record is ready. Baby Bonus and the Child Development Account are also signed up for online, and doing it early means the account exists before you want to use it.

If you have engaged a confinement nanny, confirm her start date and give her your discharge estimate. Arrival day is usually the day you come home, and a nanny waiting at the wrong flat is a bad start.

What you can leave at home

• A full make-up bag
• Anything valuable, including jewellery
• More than a couple of changes of clothes, since somebody can bring more
• A breast pump, unless your hospital or doctor has told you to bring one
• Large bottles of anything, since the bathroom shelf is small
• Scented products, in a room with a newborn and a sensitive nose
• Your own pillow, which everybody suggests and nobody has space for

One thing worth bringing that no list mentions: a pen. You will be filling in feeding charts, signing forms and writing down what the paediatrician said, and there is never one in the room.

Also read: what you need in each trimester

Also read: what swaddling is and when to stop

Also read: breastfeeding benefits for mother and baby