The Muslim Woman's Hospital Bag

I remember researching for hospital bag lists and watching countless YouTube videos to make sure I was all ready and prepared - making myself (and my mother, my husband, my grandmother, my village clan...) feel better.
But I also remember, very clearly, not ever coming across any list that would cater for the Muslim woman who covers herself from head-to-toe and what extra things she would need.
So I've decided to list the things I took with me.

The usuals that I took with me:

• Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
• 2 toothbrushes & toothpaste (I took toothpaste with me, I remember packing it and when I'm looking for it completely disappeared!?!! I put an extra toothbrush for hubs!)
• Deodorant, soap, moisturiser, Tresseme shampoo & conditioner, hairbrush, lip balm, (nothing beats the shower in your own home though!)
• A gown & towel - for after the shower. 
• Backless, comfortable slippers - these were sooo comfortable and I went home in these too.
• Hair scrunchies
• Socks, underwear & nursing bra
• Nursing pads, Maternity pads & Nipple cream (I've also heard coconut oil works well as nipple cream and to moisturise baby's dry skin)
• Phone, phone charger & headphones
• Long, loose top (with buttons!) & pyjamas/leggings to give birth in & another pair, at least, for after birth.
• Cardigan - in case you get cold, of course
• Plastic bag for dirty clothes
• Little jug/water bottle - for bathroom purposes

Baby things:

•  Carseat & carseat newborn insert
• (16 for a 2 day stay) Nappies, nappy bags, 1 bag of cotton wool, little pot for water, vaseline/nappy rash cream
• 6 bodysuits & 6 babygros/sleepsuits
• 2 cellular blankets
• Baby jacket for home
• Baby socks - (these work as good mittens too)
• Bibs
• Going home outfit - I didn't put this on, because of the weather even though they were warm clothes.

The extras you want to think about:

• Long black pashmina (your scarf) - this can also serve as a breastfeeding cover & also if you just feel to cover in front of any visits you get in the hospital/whoevers barging into the room.
• Open-front (either with buttons or velcro) abayah (a full-sleeved floor length dress) - I used mine as a hospital gown and as an extra layer it kept me warm - especially with the thin blankets at the hospital!
• Overhead Hijaab (dress that is worn from head to toe) - wear this and a pashmina to go to and come back from the hospital!
• Niqaab (veil)  - this is if you wear it regularly and want to wear it to/from the hospital.
• Ka'bah compass - to find the direction so any one who visits can pray & if you are able to duringlabour/induction
• Mushaf - if you have the time during labour/induction/want to recite it to your newborn
• Zamzam water
• Dates - these are soooo good for you, your digestive system & also to practice the sunnah of tahneek

Things I didn't take that you may want to:

• Birthing ball
• Extra pillows
• Breastfeeding pillow
• V-shaped pillow
• Flip flops for shower
• Lip balm
• Hair dryer
• Money/coins
• Lotion
• Glasses
• TENS machine
• Big bag to put gifts in
• Gum
• Vests
• Make up
• Hand sanitizer
• Toilet roll
• Paracetomol/Ibuprofen
• Notebook & pen
• Facial wipes
• Tennis ball in a sock 
• Breast pump

Sunnah of things to do with labour/ a newborn:

• The Manners of Welcoming the Newborn Child in Islam
• Ruling on Aqeeqah (sacrifice) 
• Praying with labour signs 
• Natural Blood of Women Shaykh Uthaymeen Dr Saleh-as-saleh 
• Breastfeeding ones child
• Menses and Dhikr of Allaah & Recitation of the Quran 

Munchkin Hot Safety Duck Bath

This is the most silliest looking gimmick-y product I have come across. I'm shocked to say that it actually works and was 10 quid very well spent!

It is an inflatable duck that you can blow up with a balloon pump, or spend about 10-15mins sucking up all the oxygen you've ever had inside of you to blow it up. I did the second option. My balloon pump is nowhere to be found.

It didn't take as long as I thought it would and actually was quite surprised at how firm it seemed when I had blown it up. I was looking forward to putting it to the test.

The baby bath days were long gone as it was far too shallow, Baby splashed too much, and my knees and back were shot to pieces. I was welcoming anything but that Mothercare blue baby's first bath.

pictures courtesy of the husband

• The inside is spacious enough for my small Jumping Bean and can gladly stretch out to their highness' pleasure. 
• It has a plughole at the bottom to release the water once you're done (or when too full). 
• It has a circle disk at the bottom to tell you when the water may be too hot (blue/white). 
• The bottom is padded soft enough so Baby's small sensitive butt will be comfortable for the duration of the bath.
• It also has a textured surface so it easy for Baby to have a grip when she's sitting upright.
• The tail acts as a headrest so if Baby is tired Baby can lean back at ease
• Husband loves it so much he wants one for himself.

Baby loves bath time in here more than they ever did before and I can that growing hair much more easily - especially when they use the headrest as Baby hates water on their face. 

I can, alternatively, just push baby to the side of the tail and wash shampoo out this way and get all the excess water into the tub rather than in the Duck Bath which is useful!

And because Baby is so comfortable in their Duck Bath I barely have to bend over the bath, which makes bath time oh-so relaxing and kind to my aching back!


What bath do you use for your little one? Did you opt to get a bath seat? What made you choose?

Munchking Hot Safety Duck Bath now at ASDA for discounted price!

Life Update #1

Days like today are special because its a day where I can say that it was a really good one and at the end of the night I might not be feeling a 100% in body but I'm feeling it at mind and that's most important.

There's a lot of days more than I would like to admit that I dont feel good at all. I'm tired and cranky and I'm just not enjoying life. It's the kind of tired where I could have 10 years of sleep and I would still feel abssolutely awful still. It's a state of mind I don't always have control of, but today I'm putting it all behind me.

I feel great today. I missed my baby and I played with her and I had a good day with her and I was sad when it was bed time because I wanted to spend more time with her. These days dont come often and they're not always perfect. I could have been a lot more productive than I was and I wanted to be more productive but that's okay. I felt really good today it was a really good day in a sea of bad weeks.

Pregnancy Reactions

art by bg-light@deviantart

Telling my parents that I was pregnant was the most important thing to me. I remember getting so mad and upset over the fact that my husband didn't take me back home to tell them immediately.

I didn't even think of telling them in an elaborately thought out plan about how I was having their first grandchild, my husband's family's first grandchild from a son (a big deal in asian culture) and the first great-grandchild! I just desperately wanted to burst through their door and announce "I'M PREGNANT!!!!!"

So we eventually went over to my mum's house and sat chatting for a while before I broke it to her. I wanted to tell her by myself so I could just savour that moment (he ended up doing the same to his family too), so when he left momentarily I shrugged the test out of my sleeve and gave it to her.

The first thing that happened was that her eyes bugged out of her face and then said, "Is that what it's supposed to be?" She was very happy that the two lines meant exactly what she thought it meant.


Telling my father was a slightly different story as I was rushing to get my things together - I had dinner at the in-laws at the time he had come back from work. Just five minutes before I was leaving I ran up the stairs, shouting at him to stop, said hello and promptly gave him the pregnancy test. He propped up his glasses, had a good look, turned pink and shouted "OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD." 

Poor man didn't know where to look he was so embarrassed! He walked a few steps away from me and then turned back round and stood for a moment, "Congratulations, I guess!" It took a lot for me to not laugh at him, but time was also short and I gave him a hug and a kiss before shouting goodbye and running down the stairs and out the door.

image by polin@wordpress

My older cousin, someone who I regard as a sister, wasn't one of the first people to tell, but was one of the most meaningful. She lives about 6 hours away from me so unfortunately there weren't many ways I could tell her, and to be honest I didn't want anyone else to tell her and I didn't want to tell her in a way where she would be affronted by the fact that someone else in her family could find out that I told them before I told her. It wouldn't be kind - we've been through a lot. 

So I did the old fashioned and I phoned her and after a bit of our usual conversing about her uni life and how married life was going for me I said to her quite simply "I have something to tell you" to which she fervently replied "okay..." as she knew that the last time I had said this she had gotten the shock of her life that I was getting married. She again had the same speechless (literally so hard to get this chatterbox of a bubbly, wonderful, funny woman speechless) reaction when I had said "I'm pregnant".

There was silence on the other end of the phone and then she began gushing and on the verge of tears she was so amazingly emotional and happy for me. She was amazing and asked all the questions she possibly could off the top of her head.

Putting the phone down after one of her phone calls always leaves me happy and light and good and this wasn't any different.

I missed the pleasure of telling my grandparents, but from what I heard they were extremely excited, happy and a little shocked. Mum had told Nano, my grandmother, over the phone and she threw herself into a fit getting extremely excited and then couldn't keep the news to herself. At the time the hairdresser was coming over to do our hair and as she had just arrived Mum needed to get off the phone. She couldn't wait for baby and showered me with love, stories from Mum's childhood with her siblings and my grandfather, Nanaboo, showered me with food: food made by Nano, fresh fruit and asian desserts. 

This is best told in the messages we sent to each other:

I sent her a picture of my growing baby bump after the last text. She immediately called me afterwards and did her own gushing and brain freeze over the news of it all.

These are my most notable of pregnancy reactions apart from Husband's and Sister's which are in the post below. I love giving people good news and what's better news than "I'm getting married" and "I'm pregnant"?