What to pack in your hospital bag? A newborn photographer's perspective
All you need to do to find a list of those necessary items is Google ‘what to pack in my hospital bag’ and you will get all those important bits checked off. I’m here to help with what to ensure you have in that bag or, in my case, suitcase…two of them, to ensure you are making beautiful and everlasting memories of this incredible time. As a newborn photographer in Lincolnshire, I am always looking at things from a photographic angle and how I can create photos that have the most meaning and tell the story. This stems right from that initial announcement photo when you tell the world you are expecting, through to your maternity photos in Lincoln and being in hospital welcoming your little one and then your newborn photos in Lincolnshire too!
If you are interested in the lists I used to pack my own hospital bag, I love this post from Leonora at My Baba who lists the essentials and some luxuries too and then for full on practicality this list from the NHS website is a great go to! The only essential not on these lists that I really recommend are these Top-to-Toe washcloths from Johnsons. I’m pretty sure they are for babies, but they smell great, and when you aren’t feeling quite up to a bath or shower you can have a little wash and feel much fresher!
Once you have the essentials packed, you can turn your mind towards what you would like for your little one to perhaps create the perfect announcement photo, to record all the details you might otherwise forget once your home, or simply for some cute pics you might want to share privately celebrating the arrival of your baby.
This is the photo I used to announce the arrival of our 3rd baby boy…
When I was pregnant, I had a search on Pinterest for birth announcement photos as I wanted to create something a bit special to welcome my baby into the world and I fell in love with the idea of having the pin board with his details on there. Perfect for when you might not know what you’re calling baby and of course don’t know all those birth details yet as you can add them but it did take up quite a bit of room in the hospital bag! Mine was from Amazon and I chose it because I loved the swirly word options and also the hearts and arrows were a must - perfect!
My next favourite thing I had to have was a disc. There are so many different styles out there, and had I known how much I would have loved rainbows after this year I would definitely have had a rainbow design, but I do love this ‘hello world’ design from Bear & Rose and they have so many alternatives too you will be spoilt for choice! Also, I have an exclusive code for my clients to save 10% so just drop me a message if you are going to order!
Before we knew the world in 2020 was going to be an entirely different place, I had planned out a coordinating set of outfits for my 3 boys that I envisioned them all wearing sat on the hospital bed together for Indy’s announcement photo. All visiting was banned when I had my baby in May 2020 so after my initial disappointment, we carried on with the plan as best we could and relocated photos to the bed in The Cabin once we were home. The wrap Indy is in for his announcement photo, is the same one in these photos with my boys and I wanted my big boys to coordinate. I had the big boys jumpers made with their initials and matching leggings with fabric that matched my baby’s swaddle - CUTE! If this is something you want to do, Instagram is a great resource for finding beautiful handmade, custom clothing.
Something I had for my first son was a little Steiff teddy bear which was really sweet and I loved but totally forgot to do for my other two boys! I definitely recommend a little cuddly something as not only does it look adorable in photos, it is something they can then keep for the rest of their lives and know they have had it since birth. How sweet is that? I had these adorable little bears made by The Woolly Crafter for each of my boys in the colours of their birthstone - they did come to hospital with us but with everything going on I completely forgot to take them out my bag! Don’t be me!!
Something I wish I had done is have a baby vest or romper welcoming him to the world made. We were 99% sure of his name before he was born so I could have gone personalised, but if you’re not sure on the name it really doesn’t matter. I work with Becci at BHW Designs on all my vests for families that come to The Cabin and I also buy Indy plenty throughout the year too! Father’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day - he’s had them all! I have an exclusive code for my clients here too to save 10% so let me know first if you want to order!
Whilst pregnant and trawling Instagram in early 2020 I was very fortunate to find Oh Little Bing and I immediately ordered an embroidered Baby Bear baby gro for our maternity photos which Indy wore as soon as he got back home. If I wasn’t so set on all the boys matching (this was before my addiction to Lindsey’s baby gro’s and jumper combos for the older two) this would definitely have been in my hospital bag and I highly recommend snapping one up for yours!
Another beautiful business I found on Instagram recently, who has the added bonus of being local to me in Lincoln, is Knitty Knots. Oh my goodness! Kate’s work is absolutely incredible. She makes the most stunningly detailed embroidered hoops and so much more. I had the pleasure of ordering one for my Mum for Mother’s Day and I had a few requests which were met with excitement and positivity and incorporated so perfectly. When I have another baby I am 100% deciding on their name beforehand so I can use one of these in their first official photo. Although, the stunning options to add birth date, weight and time are so beautiful I may have to force myself to be patient!
When I do maternity sessions, I always recommend Mummies bring a journal with them if they have them. They look so gorgeous in photos, but more than that I am encouraging them to keep a record of this incredible time. I had one with my first and second babies but they didn’t get fully filled in, and then with my third boy I just skipped straight past having one but I wish I had! I am so in love with the bump and baby books from Write To Me. They look gorgeous on the shelf, the pages look stunning and there are some great additional books to help keep record of lots of important moments!
So that’s your hospital bag bursting at the seams! If you have room, take an Instax camera with you as well as it can be nice to have a photo printed of your baby right away and then you can pop it straight into your beautiful journal too!
I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration to help create beautiful memories when your baby is welcomed into the world. I love having pieces for memory boxes and these are all perfect for that.
Good luck!
Ali x