If you’re preparing for a planned or elective C‑section, you’ve probably already gone down the rabbit hole of hospital bag packing lists, and read a bunch of tips. I know I did — and in hindsight, I packed far more than I needed, and over-thought a few things!

After a 36‑hour hospital stay, here’s what I actually found useful, what I didn’t touch, and a few other practical tips.

Pain Relief: Be Proactive

One of the biggest lessons from my C‑section was how important it is to stay on top of your pain relief. The nurses were lovely, but they were also extremely busy. During my stay, I had to prompt three times to make sure I received my next dose on time— and you really don’t want to wait until the pain starts creeping in.

As a general guide, I was advised:

Ibuprofen 400mg every 6–8 hours - upto 3 times a day
Paracetamol 1g every 6 hours - upto 4 times a day
Dihydrocodeine 30mg every 6 hours - upto 4 times a day

Don’t feel awkward about asking or reminding staff — your comfort is important, and staying ahead of the pain makes recovery much easier.

Make sure to also delegate this job to your birthing partner if you can, you may lose track of time, and this gives them an easy job to do!

Make Things Easy for Yourself (and the Nurses)

Straight after surgery, simplicity is everything. I found it incredibly helpful to have my baby’s first outfit ready to go — the recovery nurse asked for just a hat and a nappy for when they pulled the baby out— she would then be wrapped up in a towel, and once back in the recovery room, we were then told to dress her in a vest and onesie.

The same goes for you. Having maternity pants and a maternity pad ready for immediately after surgery made getting changed out of the gown far smoother with the recovery nurse helping.

These items I organised into large zip lock food bags, so I could easily whip out baby’s things and my things separately on demand.

Pack a Small “Immediate After Surgery” Bag

One thing that helped me so much was packing a smaller separate bag just for the essentials needed immediately after surgery, rather than stuffing everything into a suitcase.

In those first hours, you’re lying down, moving carefully, and relying on nurses for help. Having everything in one small, easy‑to‑access bag made things calmer and more practical.

In that small bag, I had:

Baby’s first outfit
3 nappies
Wet wipes
My maternity pants, 2 maternity pads, and my front opening nightie (fore asy access breastfeeding)
A water bottle (with a sports top)
A battery pack and charging cable
Alcohol hand gel
A few snacks

This meant I/ my husband didn’t have to dig through an over‑packed suitcase, and neither did the nurse helping me.

Everything else — like the other nappies, spare baby clothes, and less‑urgent items — stayed in the main suitcase. Once I moved to the postnatal ward, I had more space, more time, and more energy to rummage properly and organise what I needed.

I’d absolutely recommend this approach if you’re packing for a C‑section.

I Definitely Overpacked

I honestly didn’t use half the items in my suitcase.

One thing I regret buying was a fancy water bottle with a straw. I’d read it was easier to drink lying down, so I splashed out on a large, trendy one — and totally regretted it. It was awkward, my water tasted odd, and it wasn’t practical at all - I asked my husband to buy a bottle of water from the sports top from Marks and Spencer in the end. A simple bottle with a sports suck‑top worked much better and didn’t spill when drinking at an angle.

I didn’t need a towel either. This is personal preference, but I didn’t want to shower in hospital at all. No one prompted me to, and although they say the wound dressing is waterproof, I felt much more comfortable waiting until I was home, in my own bathroom that I knew was clean.

Baby Clothes, Nappies, and Reality

I packed five outfits for my baby. She wore the same vest and onesie for almost the entire 36 hours. She also didnt go through all 24 nappies, that I had read to pack!

That said, it does make sense to pack more than you think you’ll need — especially if:

your milk comes in quickly and your baby is feeding really well, or
your baby is taking in a lot of formula and doing lots of wees and poos

Some babies are just very efficient from the start.

What worked really well for us was splitting what we packed:

the first few outfits, nappies, wipes and essentials were in my bag
the bulk of extras were left in a suitcase for my partner to grab if needed

This meant I wasn’t surrounded by loads of stuff I didn’t need straight away, but had reassurance that extras were nearby.

For us, because I was breastfeeding and milk can take time to properly kick in:

2–3 spare outfits would have been plenty - Newborns have very sensitive skin, so I personally avoided changing her unless she’d got it dirty from poo/wee, even if she did end up a bit cheesy smelling from spit up milk!
12 nappies were more than enough

Also worth noting: the hospital advised against mittens for babies, as it can be a bit of hazard. Many onsies have fold over sleeves which double up as protective mittens, without the risk of it coming offhands and ending up stuck in mouths/ getting in the way of her breathing.

Things I’d Pack Again Without Question

There were a few genuine must‑haves I wouldn’t be without:

A front‑opening nightie with buttons (ideal for breastfeeding)
A battery pack for your phone (plug sockets are often out of reach)
Flip flops or sliders
3-4 Maternity pants and 8 pads
Prunes (trust me)
Snacks for your partner
A 1‑litre water bottle with a sports top
Alcohol hand gel
Wet wipes
12 nappies
Baby hat, 3 vests, and 3 onesies
Ready‑made formula with bottle teats (even if you plan to breastfeed)
Toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hairbrush
A cellular blanket for baby

I didn’t wear a dressing gown at all — the ward was very warm, especially for the babies.

I also didn’t need a going home outfit, I just wore what I came in on the day!

Music during surgery

They offer to play you music/ use your playlist if you want during surgery. I didn’t want anything playing, but if it is something you would like you could prepare a music playlist.