Top 10 tips and essentials for making your hospital stay after birth as comfortable as possible.
Includes video footage of my baby’s checkups, my recovery after caesarean, as well as my hospital room and key items I brought from home to survive the week long stay in hospital.
If there is anything I have missed, please write in the comments below:)!

My hospital room
I like the prunes – will make sure to have some handy in my hospital bag.
I didn’t end up using the pjs i had packed for my first birth and quite like the easy access, front-opening style of the ones provided. That and that they were washed daily and a clean pair provided.
Regular Pads for the journey home. The massive ones provided were fine for hospital confinement but wanted something sleeker when leaving.
A roll of cushy toilet paper/ wet wipes – hospital issue was like sandpaper!
Snacks – I could not eat enough after the baby was born. I was so hungry at the oddest times! This on top of the generous hospital meals provided in Japan.
A notepad to take note of the nurse/staff names to write thank-you notes to. After leaving the hospital I struggled to remember names!
Thank you Joey!!
When I gave birth in Japan they didn’t give me an ice pack for my genital area like they did here in the U.S. That ice was so helpful so I would suggest an ice pack you can refill as needed for the first few days.
And key phrases in Japanese if you don’t speak the language well.
Thank you Rachel! Great tips! x Kate