Inside Aimée Kelly's Hospital Bag

We sat down with actress, Aimée Kelly, ahead of her birth of her second son to discuss the journey and what she’s packing in her that all-important hospital bag.

The pregnancy journey:

As my second pregnancy, it wasn’t such an initial shock to the system in the way of morning sickness or back pain but I am for sure lacking the energy this time around when you already have a toddler to keep you on your toes.

Due date:

Due date is not until early February but since I am opting for a planned C Section, he will be coming a couple of weeks early (end of January).

Girl or boy?

Another little boy.

The birth plan:

We are hoping to have the same relaxed, uncomplicated birth as my first son. We delivered by planned c section, my friend Jodie was the midwife in theatre and the whole experience was so peaceful. We were extremely lucky and Jodie will be there again this time around so hoping for the same lovely experience.

The hospital bag:

Avery Row – always. It’s the same bag I used with my first. It’s the perfect size and we have everything in the nursery from Avery Row. We love the grasslands print.

What are you packing…

For the baby;

Baby MORI vests & sleepsuits. There is no other organic cotton that compares to the quality. If they did adult sleepsuits, I’d buy one! I prewash all the clothes in Kit & Kin laundry detergent. And lots of Kit & Kin nappies.

For you;

Sacks, coconut water, Kindle, Placenta Plus box. To pass the time whilst we anxiously wait, I take my time curating my post op food order on Deliveroo for my husband to get straight after. This time I was craving Beeker burger & Acai.

For feeding;

DockATot feeding pillow in the Strawberry Thief print.
Aden & Anais muslin cloths they are the perfect size.
Medela organic nipple balm.
Optibac infant drops, these are the best infant probiotics I’ve found and they are suitable from birth onwards.

For sleeping;

If Only nightie – the breathable, lightweight and gentle cotton was so nice for recovery and easy to feed with. You forget how warm the labour ward is too, so this came in perfect paired with a fan.

For baby sleep;

Our sleep consultant (the lovely Anna at Sleeping Bunnies) had us do their amazing new born sleep course called Bunnies In The Woods. We consider Anna the third parent in our marriage because she has supported us in every single sleep transition with our first born. When we did the course they actually recommended a cot that rocks in aiding little ones to sleep so this time around we have went with Snuz Pod. My favourite thing about this is the reflux tilt, I have always placed blankets under my little ones mattress if they are congested or have a cold so find the tilt super helpful when digesting after a feed or even if they are a little stuffy.

For recovery;

Again, the Fridamom C Section Recovery Kit has been game changing, I didn’t have this the first time round. The stoov heating pad I have lay on constantly since coming home. Symprove probiotics, lots of crosstown doughnuts and Placenta Plus gummy bears!

With hindsight this time around, I will be visiting Flow at Flow Physio London to heal my C Section back. So much stress is on your back from a mixture of carrying for 9 months as well as the procedure of the C Section and she has been amazing in pain management and recovery.

Going home outfit for yourself and your baby;

We used the same hand knitted hat and cardigan on both our boys to bring them home, it’s been so lovely to compare the photos.

I was kindly sent the Halo bassinet which has been really useful for recovery as we have it in the living room and it’s somewhere we can set down the newborn, out of the toddlers reach but not have to bend down and disrupt my wound too much. He seems very happy in there watching and listening to the world go by.

My one piece of advice is you can never have too many nappies so we have a whole drawer full of peachies. These are so silky soft for newborn skin.

Going home must-haves:

The Trip Trap high chair by Stokke (from the Natural Baby Shower) with the newborn attachment has been game changing. Having somewhere safe to put him down in the kitchen out of reach of the toddler has been so useful. The height is perfect as it doesn’t require me to bend down and disrupt my stomach stitches and I love that it will grow with him. It’s such good quality wood and it just the perfect edition to the kitchen.

Lansinoh C Section Recovery Gel Pads to keep the wound protected and cool to stop the itching of the scar tissue whilst it heals. Frida Mom C Section Recovery Kit – the whole kit is amazing and includes the perfect toiletry bag that I kept all the drugs they discharged me with and vitamins so I had them all in one place and it made it easier remembering to take them.

My favourite must-have that I couldn’t do without is the Fridamom C Section Disposable Pants. They are high wasted so keep your wound safe and clean and are super breathable. I also could not live without my Hakka Ladybug Collector and the Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags. Trust me, I have tried and tested every milk storage bag on the market and these ones are the most reliable. The Avery Row Nappy Caddy I also have at the side of my bed stuffed with all the essentials for the night feeds, kindle, chocolate, peachies, nappies and more.

I also appreciate good quality house hold appliances that make your life easier when you have multiple children, for example our JosephJoseph dual recycle and waste bin to keep the kitchen tidy, the dual laundry basket in the bathroom, this is so great because it separates the endless laundry into whites, dark and colours. And finally, the Medela hands free pump, hands free is the only way with 2 under 2 running around.