💼 Gear & logistics · Around 35 weeks (month 8)

🧳 The hospital bag and your survival kit

Pack according to your own maternity unit’s instructions.

The other bags to pack

1. What to prepare
Bring identification, pregnancy records, prescribed medicines, comfortable clothes and requested baby-care supplies.
2. What to check
Plan transport home and a suitable car seat if travelling by car. Ask what the unit supplies; keep registration and leave tasks separate from hospital admission.
3. In South Africa
Confirm your clinic or midwife obstetric unit, referral hospital, transport plan and after-hours contacts. Bring pregnancy records and your baby’s Road to Health booklet to visits; private medical-scheme arrangements and public referral pathways differ.
4. In South Africa
Register the birth with Home Affairs within 30 days. Ask which parentage documents are needed for your family; late registration has extra requirements. A birth certificate, citizenship and permission for international travel are separate issues.

A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team