Getting ready advice and videos

Start with our practical guides

Read the fuller guide first, then explore the wider video library.

• Hospital bag checklist

  A practical UK checklist for labour, your stay, baby and a birth partner.

• Three calm ways to prepare for birth

  Flexible preferences, useful contacts and a manageable comfort plan.

• New baby essentials checklist

  Separate the useful basics from items that can wait.

Reviewed videos in this collection

Use these source-attributed videos as starting points and follow the supporting guidance shown with each item.

1. What should I pack in my hospital bag?YouTube · NHS

   An NHS midwife walks through the essentials to prepare for hospital.

2. A realistic hospital bag: useful essentials without overpackingTikTok · National Childbirth Trust

   A practical parent-led packing walkthrough from NCT, paired with the current NHS checklist so local maternity guidance can still come first.

3. A calm hospital-bag starting point for the whole familyInstagram · National Childbirth Trust

   NCT shares a parent-led hospital-bag walkthrough for labour, birth, baby and birth partners, paired with the current NHS checklist so local maternity guidance can still come first.

4. Baby bouncer or rocker: compare the motion, then keep it awake-onlyYouTube · Maxi-Cosi

   Maxi-Cosi demonstrates the difference between rocking and stationary modes and explicitly says babies must never sleep in rockers, bouncers or swings. Floreo Baby Hub pairs that boundary with current NHS advice: use a bouncer only briefly while baby is awake and supervised, on the floor with the harness fastened.

5. Meeting your baby and beginning skin-to-skinYouTube · UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative

   Families and practitioners explain what early skin-to-skin can look like and how it supports warmth, calm, feeding and connection.

6. Breathing and relaxation techniques for labourYouTube · NHS Forth Valley

   NHS physiotherapists and midwives demonstrate breathing and relaxation ideas to practise before labour and adapt on the day.

7. A brief look inside an alongside midwifery unitYouTube · NHS Forth Valley

   A short NHS maternity-unit tour that helps expectant parents picture one possible hospital birth setting before asking local questions.

8. What to do if your baby's movements changeYouTube · Tommy's

   A Tommy's pregnancy video explaining why a baby's usual movement pattern matters and urging immediate contact with the maternity unit if movements reduce, stop or change.

9. Recognising ICP in pregnancy: support for South Asian womenYouTube · ICP Support

   An ICP Support video explaining intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy for women from a South Asian background, including key symptoms and the importance of prompt maternity assessment.

10. Colostrum harvesting in late pregnancy: key precautionsTikTok · My Expert Midwife

    My Expert Midwife discusses “Colostrum harvesting in late pregnancy: key precautions”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS breastfeeding guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

11. When to Call a Midwife or GP: 13 Warning Signs in Pregnancy | Tommy's Pregnancy symptom checkerYouTube · Tommy's

    Tommy’s introduces 13 pregnancy warning signs and when to contact a midwife or GP.

12. Straight after my baby was bornYouTube · Best Beginnings · Baby Buddy

    Best Beginnings explores the time straight after a baby is born.

13. Hyperemesis, dehydration and when to seek helpTikTok · Pregnancy Sickness Support

    Pregnancy Sickness Support highlights dehydration in hyperemesis gravidarum and the importance of seeking help. The linked NHS guidance explains warning signs and when to contact a midwife, doctor or hospital.

14. How do I know if I'm going into labour?YouTube · NCT

    NCT explores how to recognise the start of labour.

15. What to expect from a birthing pool roomInstagram · The Coombe Hospital

    The Coombe Hospital discusses “What to expect from a birthing pool room”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS labour-and-birth guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

16. 15 7969 HWPH Online Antenatal Education Little Questions 1YouTube · Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust discusses “15 7969 HWPH Online Antenatal Education Little Questions 1”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS antenatal-care guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

17. Preparing things for the babyYouTube · Best Beginnings · Baby Buddy

    Best Beginnings explores preparing things for a new baby.

18. Planning for Pregnancy tool with @melaninmothers2270 | Tommy'sYouTube · Tommy's

    Tommy’s introduces its pregnancy planning tool with Melanin Mothers.

19. Your Vaginal Birth after Caesarean (VBAC) JourneyYouTube · SASH NHS Maternity Education

    SASH NHS Maternity Education introduces vaginal birth after caesarean, also known as VBAC.

20. Pregnancy baby-list planning for useful gifts and larger purchasesInstagram · Mamas & Papas

    Mamas & Papas discusses “Pregnancy baby-list planning for useful gifts and larger purchases”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS newborn essentials guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

21. Antenatal Education Birth PlanYouTube · Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals introduces birth plans in its antenatal education series.

22. Planning for Pregnancy FAQs for before conceiving with @melaninmothers2270YouTube · Tommy's

    Tommy’s answers pregnancy planning questions with Melanin Mothers.

23. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy – Are you up to date?YouTube · ICP Support

    ICP Support discusses “Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy – Are you up to date?”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS pregnancy-itching and ICP guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

24. Planning for Pregnancy tool with @laalovesit | Tommy'sYouTube · Tommy's

    Tommy's discusses “Planning for Pregnancy tool with @laalovesit | Tommy's”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS pre-pregnancy guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

25. 4 relaxation exercises for labour, birth and anytimeYouTube · Best Beginnings · Baby Buddy

    Best Beginnings · Baby Buddy discusses “4 relaxation exercises for labour, birth and anytime”. This video has passed Floreo Baby Hub's owner screening and is paired with current NHS labour-and-birth guidance so families can check the wider context and find professional support when needed.

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