When pregnant, people seem to come out of the woodwork to give you their advice on everything ‘baby’ in their experience, and whilst it’s great to have that advice – sometimes the simple stuff is the most helpful.

In this blog post I wanted to share 5 simple things to have on hand ready for when you give birth.

Breast pads

Once your milk comes in, you may find that you aren’t able to control your milk supply and you get excess milk leaking from your nipples. Some women get very heavy leaking which means it can make leaving the house difficult.  Breast pads  are great to help with this, and you can buy reusable or disposable pads that fit inside the bra and absorb the excess milk.

Maternity pads

After you give birth you will find that you experience some bleeding from your uterus (lochia). This will last for a few weeks and can sometimes be heavy like a period, so make sure you pack some maternity pads in your hospital bag. Maternity pads are preferable to normal sanitary pads as they are softer, longer and thicker.

Muslin cloths

When babies are born they like to feel like they are still in the womb so a great way to comfort them and create the same experience for them is to swaddle them. Muslin cloths are great for this as they are light and fairly flexible. They are also great for when your baby is a bit older and you are out and about and want something to put over their pram when out and about.

Big undies

Bridget Jones eat your heart out! Big undies are highly recommended after you give birth as they are comfortable and if you have had a C-Section they come up higher than where your wound is likely to be. Comfort is the order of the day!

Nipple cream

Breast feeding can be tough especially when your baby is first born and learning to latch on, and often your nipples will become very sore. I definitely recommend buying some nipple cream such as Lansinoh which will help soothe your nipples and help them to heal if you end up with cracks and lacerations.