Photos offer incredible look at what moms around the world pack in their ‘birth bags’

Takako Ishikawa: Japan

Takako, who already has one child, told WaterAid that preparing for this new child was different this time around, saying, “When I gave birth for my first child, I had to take diaper, baby wipes, maternity shorts and my pajama, but this time at a different hospital, those items are all included in the hospitalization fee.”

Takako’s bag

On the topic of women around the world having to draw and carry their own water, she said, “In Japan, everyone says, ‘A pregnant woman should not carry anything heavy, everywhere, including workplaces.’ I can easily imagine that would be very hard work for a pregnant woman to carry water, which weighs very heavy. I also think that those mothers who need to carry water may feel pressure, as they cannot excuse not to do that because water is essential to live.”

Takako’s items

This time, Takako packed: 

Clothes for the newborn baby
Insurance card
Seal impression
Consent form for hospitalization
Consent form for blood transfusion
Mother-and-child health record notebook
Patient’s registration ticket
Maternity shorts
Crop top bra
Toiletry items

Tiff Rolff: New York City

Tiff is from the U.K., but she currently lives in New York City, where, when this photo was taken, she was preparing her own hospital bag. Her thoughts on pregnancy will probably sound familiar:

“For every mother, pregnancy is an exciting but also anxious time. All you want in the world is to create a healthy environment in your body for the baby to grow. You can’t help but worry from the moment you find out and then throughout the whole pregnancy, with each new test and scan, is the baby healthy? Am I doing everything I can to help this baby thrive?”

Tiff’s bag

She went on to express that she “can’t imagine” not having the things that so many of us take for granted, like “having access to some of the most basic necessities, like water and facilities that won’t make your child ill.”

Tiff’s items

Here’s what Tiff packed:

Birth plan
Pajamas
Flip-flops
Slippers
Snacks
Mother’s Milk tea
Outfit for the baby
Toiletry items

Of her choices, Tiff says, “The only mandatory [thing to bring to the hospital] is a car seat to take the baby home. The rest are things to make my hospital stay more comfortable.”

Hazel Shandumba: Zambia

Hazel lives in Hamakando Village, where there is no running water to the maternity ward where she gave birth. She talked about some of the conventional wisdom surrounding having babies where she’s from, saying, “I have heard elderly women telling different do and don’ts for a pregnant woman like me. One of the things I was told is not to sleep too much during daytime. I was told if I do, the baby would also sleep at the time of delivery. I am not supposed to stand in the doorway, because the baby will do the same while being delivered and will delay.”

Hazel’s bag

Some of the items that Hazel packed will definitely look familiar, but others are ones most of us can’t begin to fathom needing. The only source of water near where women in Hazel’s village give birth is a borehole, which is essentially just a vertical hole drilled into the ground that people can draw water from when needed.

Hazel’s items

Here’s what Hazel packed for her stay in the maternity ward:

Baby blanket
Cotton wool
Sarong, also known as a chitenge
A baby suit
Napkins
A dish for water to wash with
A polythene roll to put on the delivery bed to maintain personal hygiene, as there is not enough water and time to clean the delivery bed

Claudine Razafindrabary: Madagascar

Claudine, 26, actually does have running water nearby thanks in part to WaterAid. She too spoke about some of the things she was keeping in mind before going into labor.

“My family told me about the taboos around pregnancy, and I’ve tried to follow them,” she said. “For me, the main one is not putting a scarf around my neck during my pregnancy, because if I do, my baby could be born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck. So I don’t wear a scarf.”

Claudine’s bag

Like Hazel, Claudine brought a bucket with her to the hospital, because running water does not extend to every building where she lives. 

When this picture was taken, she said, “We have running water near our house in my village. It was built by WaterAid and the AMI association a few years ago, so I don’t have to walk very far to fetch water.”

Claudine’s items

Claudine packed the following items in her hospital bag:

New clothes
Cotton wool
Alcohol for cleaning
Nappies
Thermos
Bucket
Sanitary pads

Katy Shaw: Australia

Down Under, U.K. transplant Katy Shaw was expecting her first baby when this photo was taken. “I feel it is unbelievable that women are in that position,” she told WaterAid. “Dealing with the everyday stresses of pregnancy and the prospect of childbirth as well as the additional burden of collecting water.”

Katy’s bag

She knows too well the added stress that being pregnant can put on a woman’s body. “Even carrying the maternity bag is too heavy for me. I couldn’t imagine how I would cope if I had to carry [almost 7 gallons] of water over a distance. Physically I don’t know if I would be able to do it even before I was pregnant.”

Katy’s items

Katy put lots of items you may recognize into her hospital bag:

Toiletries
Snacks
Diapers
Hat
Socks
Mittens
Clothes and swaddles for the baby
Clothes for Mom
Night dresses
Maternity underwear
Maternity pads and nursing pads
Massage oils

Sa’eda Akmel: Ethiopa

This picture of first-time mom Sa’eda from Addis Ababa was taken when she was in early labor. She said, “It’s my first child, and I am scared. I feel the pain.” Of her pregnancy, she told WaterAid, “I was working at someone’s house as a maid when I got pregnant nine months ago. Then I told my would-be husband about it, and he said, ‘Quit work, and come move in with me.’ So I did. We rent service quarters inside a compound, and we share the tap and toilet with our landlords.”

Sa’eda’s bag

Part of sharing with so many people is that the facilities Sa’eda had to use were definitely less than ideal. “The toilet is barely functional. It looks like it could collapse any minute, and it is not comfortable for a pregnant woman. I somehow managed.”

Sa’eda’s items

Sa’eda’s hospital bag had the bare essentials in it:

Towel to hold the baby with
Underwear
A loose dress
A cotton throw
Some fabric to use as a diaper for the baby

Joanna Laurie: London

Joanna was also expecting her first baby when this photo was taken, miles away in London. She said, “I have packed a water bottle, my sister suggested to bring something to make [water] easier to drink [during labor]. I will bring it empty, and I’m assuming the hospital will have somewhere I can fill it. They must have a water fountain. I am taking that for granted…”

Joanna’s bag

Like a lot of us, Joanna included something sentimental for her baby in the supplies that she packed: her own baby blanket. “The most important thing in the bag is the blanket my mum gave me to bring the baby home in — the same one my mother brought me home in.”

Joanna’s items

Not everything she packed was wholly sentimental, though:

Diapers
Clothes for the baby
Knitted trousers
Snacks
Clothes for Mom
Towel
Toiletries
TENS machine 
Maternity pads
iPad
Water bottle
Medical notes
Blanket

Zaituni Mohammed: Tanzania

Zaituni is a mother of five and gave birth in a crowded maternity wing that had running water only one hour per day and one doctor on staff. She talks about how important it is to not just have water (she gave birth during Tanzania’s dry season) but clean water:

“I started to bath yesterday alone. I felt so good, and I felt like my strength coming back. I bath in the bath on this labor ward. The sister went to collect water at the well, boiled and then brought to me here. The water, the color looks like milky. That water when you use it when they boil they come here and smell like smoky, and when you drink, it taste like soil. When you bath using that water, you will be itching all the time.”

Zaituni’s bag

Zaituni oiled her baby’s skin as opposed to washing it. She looks forward to a time when women can feel comfortable washing their babies because the water will be clean, explaining, “Using this water, I don’t get any problems [and] neither do my children, but sometimes during the rainy season, we get some diseases like diarrhea or vomiting… This water is not safe. We are using it because of the insufficient amount of water.”

Zaituni’s items

Zaituni’s maternity bag has very few items but includes:

Food
Cloth to wrap the baby in
Water

Deanna Neiers: New York City

By contrast, another New Yorker — Deanna — is a first-time mother. That isn’t the only stark difference between the two women, though. Deanna said, “I feel so happy nurturing this life inside of me. It truly is a miracle. I also am very fortunate to live within walking distance of one of the best hospitals in New York City. Being pregnant certainly heightens your awareness of how fortunate we are to have access to great birthing facilities and clean water. You want the best for your baby…”

Deanna’s bag

She continued, “It’s devastating to think about dangers such as contaminated water and unhygienic facilities. I imagine a world where all women have a safe, clean place to birth their babies.”

Deanna’s items

Here’s what Deanna included in her hospital bugout bag:

Music player
Coconut oil for massage
Lavender oil
Arnica gel
Snacks
Nursing bra and pads
Nursing pillow
Comfortable clothes to wear at the hospital and to travel back home
Swaddle blanket for baby
Long-sleeved onesie
A knitted hat