Hospital bag: how many of each for a three to five day stay

Hospital bag lists enumerate very well and count very badly. They say "bodysuits", "sleepsuits", "something to change into", which leaves untouched the only question that comes up the night before.

Before counting anything, ask a different question, and ask your maternity unit: what do they supply? Most French units supply nappies during the stay, many supply toiletries, some supply the first bodysuits. It is the variable that changes the bag most, and the only one you cannot guess.

For you, across three to five days

Three nightdresses or front-opening pyjamas, which matters as much for examinations as for feeding. Three nursing bras, sized one up from your pregnancy size to allow for your milk coming in.

Half a dozen disposable briefs, a dressing gown, slippers or non-slip socks. And one outfit to go home in, chosen in a comfortable size rather than your pre-pregnancy one.

What must be ready and is not in the bag

The car seat, which is required from the moment you leave the unit, including for a five hundred metre drive. It needs to be fitted and tried beforehand, not discovered in the car park on the day.

Then the documents: ID, health insurance card, top-up insurance card, your pregnancy notes, and the pre-birth acknowledgement of parentage if you made one. Those are the only things whose absence creates a genuine administrative problem.

Pack it earlier than the date in your head

The bag gets packed around 34 to 37 weeks. Not because an early arrival is likely, but because packing late means packing in a hurry, and that is exactly when documents get forgotten.

One practical tip: two bags rather than one. A bag for labour and birth, a bag for the stay. Your partner will not have to empty the whole case onto a hospital room floor to find a toothbrush.