What to pack in hospital bag?

[MrsArranLoves]

I'm starting to think about pulling stuff together for my hospital bag. What was an absolute essential for you that you couldn't have done without or something that you wish you'd taken with you? Thanks!

[princesscupcakemummyb]

packed

• breast-pads
  *underwear
  *pads
  *nightwear
  *change of clothes to go home in
  *£5 in change
  *mobile with credit
  *camera
  *shampoo/toothbrush/paste/hairbrush/hairbands/slippers
  *body spray
  for baby
  
  *10 nappies
  *wipes
  *x2 babygrows
  *2 vests
  
• 2 hats
  *blankets
  *coat it was winter
  
  
  for myself i wish i had taken mp3 player baby wouldnt sleep at all and when she did fall asleep i was wide awake lol doh
  mags to read while waiting to be discharged
  snacks hosp food was just yuk
  cartoons or bottle of juice

[Pascha]

Biscuits. Lots and lots of biscuits.

[MummyLuce]

Portable DVD player for labour? Snacks. Stuff for birth partner. Make up to make self feel normal after long sweaty birth! Champagne!

[PedantMarina]

Make sure you pack something pretty and feminine. I packed a pretty dressing-gown and new Primarni lace-trimmed singlets. You're going to go through so much that's - ahem - undignified, that it'll be nice, when it's all over, to wear something pretty.

Something that smells nice.

Make-up (if you wear it) - pictures will be taken!

Charger for your phone/camera.

Biscuits are good, but I opted for share bag of Cadbury Clusters (I think it was).

[BouncingBelly]

Everything princessmummy said but with maternity pads.
I personally didn't take any perfume or body spray as I wanted my LO to know my smell. I found giving birth a very primal thing and I didn't want her to get confused between Jean Paul gautier and myself! Also, if you plan to breast feed, babies smell where the milk is.
Take socks too as your feet can get cold during labour.
Oh and big ass pants!

Make up was a must for me too

Exciting times!

[Bejeena]

I had to send my husband out to get me moist toilet paper to use for going to loo after birth, absolute godsend

[Cavort]

Cordial to make the minging hospital water taste nice and a sports bottle to drink it from when I was stuck on my back for hours.

[rootypig]

Food - get DP to bring something decent in if you're not discharged that day, I thought I could eat anything until I saw a hospital lunch

Lovely shower gel, for the best wash of your life!

Glucose tablets - really helpful for a long labour, you can't eat much, and won't want to anyway.

[PinkWitch803]

Very helpful. Thank you for this post and thank you for your answers.

I have a question - what size clothes and nappies do you pack?

[BouncingBelly]

I've packed newborn sizes and 0-3 vests but tiny baby going home outfit.
Although my little girl was long, she was so scrunched up and didn't actually 'stretch out' and fill her 0-3 for a few days so her going home out fit was for a tiny baby.
I'm guessing this time round will be the same so I've covered all bases!

[NewBlueShoesToo]

Yoga trousers and loose t- shirts
Dark coloured pyjamas.
Big big bar of chocolate.

When Ds1 was born he was tiny ( 5lb 14)and all the clothes were huge. I would pack newborn size but have bigger and smaller sizes at home with receipts. Baby nighties from John Lewis were fab because they fit a range of sizes and there are no poppers to fiddle with, however you can't really use them in the car seat.

[Monkeyandanimal]

I found hospital food not enough, and so digestive biscuits and dried banana chips are a must for me. Also several large bottles of water to help stay hydrated. And a very soft baby sponge for dabbing cautiously to keep stitches clean when showering. And actually those preparation H wipes are great if giving birth makes your roids play up....TMI. And muslins for pukey baby....If you stay in longer thana few hours i reckon you'll need them. DS puked lots of green stuff in the first day or so. Also a small plastic bowl for using to wash baby's bum if you want to use water/cotton wool not wipes. These things were not on the list my hospital gave out, and i found myself needing them 1st time round; better prepped for DS2.

[rootypig]

Tiny nappies - the new baby size. All the brands do them. We were given some Sainsburys nappies in the littlest size and I was a bit PFB about them but they were lovely and soft! (size 3 and up are rubbish though).

I would get a couple of packs of newborn vests and babygros. DD was 8lb2oz so not small, and these were still big on her. M&S Autograph cotton ones are soooo soft and still quite reasonable.

Yep to muslins, I bought the plain white packs from John Lewis (£6 I think) and they're going strong a year later.

[RobotHamster]

Ahh thank you, I need to pack mine and had been meaning to start a thread, saved me the bother :)