Unusual hospital bag items

[Haahoooo]

I'm packing my hospital bag for the birth of DC2. Have all the basics but would love to hear about unexpected / unusual things you packed in your hospital bag. Interested both in things that came in handy and things that made you wonder 'what was I thinking??' (just because they'll make me laugh ).

I have one of each from my first labour: ended up being very pleased I had packed a bottle of apple squash (couldn't bear the thought of water), but really wonder why I packed quite so many toys (??!) for newborn DD1...

I've packed a box of my own teabags - I need my regular fixes of my Red Bush African tea

i loved the suggestion of a straw post C section I found the other day. Totally packing some of them.

I am planning a homebirth again this time, but my must have for the hospital bag is earplugs. I'm not sure it is super unusual, but I'm addicted to them. Any form of repetitive or loud noise stops me sleeping.

Why straws for C-sections pea ??

When my waters broke early with dc1, i asked dh to Google what we should put in hospital bag, the first thing he came up with was a tennis ball to.massage my back, it didn't seem high up the list of priorities at the time!! We didn't bother hunting through the house to find one.

On more practical note when dc2 was born i sat politely waiting for my tea and toast only to be told health and safety had confiscated the toaster, so i (@3am) had a burning desire for digestive biscuits to fill the void, hospital shop wasn't open and i was starving and the other packed snacks just wouldn't cut it!! Worth thinking about post labour snacks as well as pre as i had only considered what to have before and during!

Writer- I assume to drink from a cup or bottle without sitting up much.

I took clothes that were too small for me last time. I didnt realise my bump would hardly go down at all straight away. We also carted in all my stuff & the baby stuff then had to move it from the ante natal ward to labour ward to post-natal ward.

This time I'll leave baby stuff in the car til after the birth.

Best unusual thing I had was earphones for my phone so I could listen to music and drown out the noise in the ward.

yes penguins thats right. Food is going to be a big one for me. I don't think hosptials take into account mums feeding habits (perhaps they should seeing as all advice is to eat little and often?) so presumably there will be massive gaps between big meals that I wont be able to finish all of?

Lip balm
Ribena
Lansinoh is necessary for BF!

Some very good tips on here. re tennis ball search!

Have added headphones, snacks and tea to my list. And straws!

Oh yes and Lansinoh

I wish I'd had something a bit more substantial to eat with me. Got to ward at about 11pm, baby was awake so I couldn't sleep and I was ravenous!

I packed a long life tuna salads, it had beans, potatoes and mayo in it as well. Not something I'd normally eat, and I never needed it in the end, but I packed it in case I was in the food predicament some PPs have mentioned

Peppermint tea bags. No one warned me about trapped wind post c-section so I made sure they were in my bag second time round!

Snacks. Hospital meals were few & far between & portions were tiny. The lady 2 beds down was on her 4th DC and had a suitcase full of crisps & chocolate having had a section & suffering above mentioned trapped wind I didn't really want to eat fruit & add to the problem, so cereal bars & biscuits were good.

A mug to drink the peppermint tea from & ask DP/any visitors to bring you a flask of hot water

The hospital staff wouldn't give me a mug or any hot water - H&S

Always take a few carrier bags to put unpleasant clothes from both you and Babba in, they can then be took home and washed by hubby!!!!!

A refillable water bottle with a sports cap as was easy to drink from and some hot chocolate sachets as I don't drink tea or coffee

Was in and out a birthing centre with DS1 and hoping to do the same for this one but will definitely pack more snacks this time for during and after labour. A few maltesers and a coke didn't go far :(
Forgot my phone charger last time which was a bit if a disaster.
And as for the 'what was I thinking' item... well this time I'll probably leave at home the 'sudoku book in case I get bored during labour'... Ha ha ha...

With DC1 I took my hairdryer and straighteners to hospital. As if they got used!

I wish I'd packed a straw! I lost use of both of my hands during labour as they tried twice to put the cannula in my left hand and failed, which was VERY painful. Then it went in my right hand which hurt just as much. DP had to feed me a cheese sandwich and water and I kept dribbling it everywhere...

I packed some playing cards in my labour bag
They didn't get used!!

I was induced with dd so thought I was going to doing a lot of sitting around waiting. I took in books and magazines and things like that. Contracts started about an hour after they gave me the first gel pack so they were not needed at all! And I didn't get much time to read them afterwards either...

Dextrose energy tablets were great during labour for a bit of a pick me up. Also had some lucozade but only had a little. It all happened so quickly I didn't get a chance to be hungry until after birth and I'd packed some cereal bars which were a lifesaver, especially as they seemed to have missed me off all the food rounds so I didn't actually get a meal until about 6 pm after being in from 10 pm the night before...and having had a baby in that time!

Moist toilet roll! Very welcome I can tell you

My mr stinkles(my baby blanket) is coming with me :p along with our babys aswell :) well, ill attempt to pack it as hubby calls it a stinky rag. Some of you might think its weird me still having it but it holds so much sentimental value i cant ever get rid of it! Very threadbear and got loads of moth holes init but still going and i cant sleep without it 0.0 loool had it since i was 2! And im 23 in july and will be with me for the rest of my days :) x