Preparing for your baby’s arrival can be incredibly exciting – but when it comes to packing your hospital bag, it can also feel a little overwhelming.
With endless lists of “must-have” products online, advice from friends and family, and shelves full of feeding accessories, it can be difficult to know what you will actually need.
As Louise, breastfeeding educator at The Breastfeeding Educator Hub, explains in our Hospital Bag Essentials video, being prepared doesn’t mean buying everything.
It means knowing your options so you can make the choices that feel right for you and your baby.
So, when it comes to feeding, what might actually be useful to have in your hospital bag?
Breast pads
Breast pads are one of the simplest additions to your hospital bag, but they can quickly become incredibly useful.
Whether you plan to breastfeed, express, or combine the two, leaking milk can be a completely normal physiological response as your body begins producing milk.
Ardo Day & Night Breast Pads are individually wrapped and designed to be worn differently depending on the time of day. With 60 pads in each pack and high absorbency, they’re an easy addition to your hospital bag to help keep you comfortable during those early days.
Even if you don’t need them immediately after birth, they’re likely to be useful as your milk supply develops.
Nipple care
It’s also worth thinking about nipple care before your baby arrives.
In the early days of breastfeeding, your nipples may feel sensitive as you and your baby learn together. Having something available to soothe and care for the skin can therefore be helpful.
Ardo offers two options:
Ardo Care Lanolin is made from 100% ultra-pure medical-grade lanolin, while Ardo Care Balm provides a lanolin-free, vegan alternative.
Both can be used without needing to remove it before feeding.
There’s also another option you already have available: your own colostrum.
If your nipples feel sore or sensitive, you can hand express a small amount of colostrum and gently apply it to the nipple. Many mothers find this soothing.
Persistent nipple soreness, damage or signs of infection shouldn’t simply be accepted as a normal part of breastfeeding. Speak to your midwife, health visitor or infant feeding specialist if you’re experiencing ongoing pain or have concerns.
Nipple shields: useful to know about, but seek support
You may also come across nipple shields while preparing for breastfeeding.
Ardo Tulips are nipple shields designed to be worn during breastfeeding – they are not a pumping accessory. Your baby feeds at the breast through the nipple shield.
They are available in small, medium and large sizes and have a cut-out shape that provides space around your baby’s nose.
Nipple shields can sometimes be a helpful tool where there are feeding or latch difficulties or nipple sensitivity. However, they shouldn’t be used without appropriate guidance.
If you think nipple shields might be helpful for you, speak to your midwife, health visitor or infant feeding specialist. They can help you decide whether they’re appropriate and make sure you have the correct size and understand how to use them.
You may decide to include them in your hospital bag so that they’re available if needed – but seek support before using them.
The hospital bag essential you might not have considered: KindestCup
If Louise could add one less obvious feeding product to a hospital bag, it would be the Ardo KindestCup.
KindestCup is a soft silicone 3-in-1 product designed to support breastfeeding in several different ways.
Firstly, it can be used as a milk collection cup. While feeding or expressing from one breast, it can collect drops of milk from the other breast that might otherwise be absorbed into a breast pad.
Secondly, it can support hand expression. Its wide opening and soft, flexible rim make it particularly useful during the early days when you may be expressing and collecting small amounts of colostrum.
Finally, KindestCup can also be used as a feeding cup, allowing expressed milk or colostrum to be offered directly to your baby. This can be particularly useful during the first few hours and days after birth.
Made from food-safe silicone and free from BPA and latex, it is designed to accommodate a range of breast shapes and sizes and is straightforward to clean.
One small product, but plenty of potential uses – particularly during those important first days of feeding.
Do I need to pack a breast pump?
You don’t necessarily need to buy a breast pump before your baby arrives.
For many parents, understanding the options available and deciding once their baby has arrived may be enough.
However, you may simply feel more comfortable having a pump ready at home. If you decide to purchase an Ardo breast pump in advance and keep it unopened, Ardo offers a 30-day return period, giving you the option to return it for a refund if you decide you don’t need it.
Most importantly, don’t feel pressured into buying every feeding product before birth. Your feeding journey is individual, and what is essential for one parent may never be needed by another.
When you may need to prepare a little more
For most expectant parents, keeping your hospital bag relatively simple is absolutely fine.
However, there may be circumstances where it’s helpful to discuss feeding preparations with your healthcare team before your baby arrives.
For example, this could include situations where you are inducing lactation, your baby has a known condition that may affect feeding, or your baby is expected to need neonatal support.
In these circumstances, speak to your midwife or healthcare team about what might be helpful to prepare in advance.
They may discuss additional feeding support options with you, including products such as the Ardo Supplemental Nursing System (SNS). An SNS allows a baby to receive additional milk through a small tube while continuing to feed directly at the breast.
Your hospital bag doesn’t need to contain everything
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when packing your hospital bag is that you don’t need to prepare for every possible feeding scenario.
Breastfeeding and expressing are journeys that develop over time. You may use products you never expected to need and leave others completely untouched.
Instead of trying to buy everything before your baby arrives, focus on understanding what support and options are available.
Pack a few useful essentials, know where to turn for feeding support and give yourself the freedom to work out what suits you and your baby once they’re here.
Because being prepared isn’t about having everything.
It’s about knowing your options.
