What snacks to pack in my hospital bag?

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

Last time, I just felt sick and didn't want anything during labour ... could barely manage water.
This time, I hope not to feel the same level of sickness, so want to pack some snacks, but can't think what.

so, what snacks did you enjoy during labour?
Oh, and what snacks did your OH enjoy?

[thelittlefriend]

I packed cereal bars - ate a couple on the ward the day after she was born and the rest when I got home!

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

Thanks. Problem is, I hate cereal bars.
Am now thinking cans of coke as I can sometimes have cravings for that

[debka]

Glucose tablets or Kendal Mint Cake to keep your sugar levels up.

Large bar of chocolate for when it's all over.

Didn't give a toss about DH first time , second time it was only an hour so we didn't get the chance!

[CointreauVersial]

Ha! Pack whatever you want to see coming back up again during transition!

[meloncholy]

Sweets - I had haribo and some of those chalky lollipops (as well as some crisps, nuts, nutrigrain bars and fizzy drinks - which DP also ended up eating)

[MmePamplemousse]

Dried apricots (energy and roughage!) and cartons of fruit juice, for during labour. But be warned that second babies can come too quickly to allow any snacking!

I'd also recommend taking something you can imagine having for breakfast as the NHS stale bread roll with too little butter may not be what you crave. Chocolate (always chocolate while breastfeeding). My husband had crisps. Lots of crisps. There again, he loves crisps.

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

Ooooo, good idea about something for breakfast - I did find I couldn't stomach the NHS's idea of breakfast last time.

Why chocolate for breastfeeding?

[BertieBasset]

Biscuits!

[QTPie]

I hate to disagree - but cake and not chocolate whilst breast-feeding. ;)

(I never really liked cake until I breastfed!)

Would avoid fizzy drinks during labour - wouldn't want to add "wind" to everything else! Non-fizzy sports drinks instead?

Work out what places (restaurants that will allow takeaways, cages and bakers etc) do good food near the hospital and make yyouf partner aware of them. Not for labour, but for afterwards: I am a strong believer in eating VERY well after birth (your body is trashed after pregnancy...)

QT

[supergreenuk]

What about belvita breakfast biscuits?

[TinyDiamond]

I have packed chocolate cereal bars, a packet of those horribly synthetic tuc sandwich crackers (mmmmm), cartons of um bongo and cranberry juice and 2 double deckers. Seemed like a good idea at the time when I was out shopping!

[CointreauVersial]

OMG, the NHS breakfast was the best! A huge vat of porridge; I was in heaven.

[smelli]

I couldn't eat during labour but my mum brought me cherries for afterwards. They were the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.

[MmePamplemousse]

Don't know why chocolate. When I am not breastfeeding I can take it or leave it. Whenever I am breastfeeding (was, was, was) I keep reaching for the choc chip cookies, the chocolate buttons ? extra chocolate on my (decaff) cappuchino ? I think it must be the iron and the calcium :)))

[nothingsoextraordinary]

I'm bringing a coolbag with a carton of milk, bite-sized frosted wheats (they've seen me through the pregnancy, might as well be there at the finish), two bowls and spoons (not getting caught out that easily), crackers and slices of cheese. Also considering yoghurts.

And I'll probably have a C section, so it's not as if it'll be 3am or anything.

[MamaMia100]

Those energy gels you can get for running (available from sports shops and also ocado) are great for labour as you're unlikely to feel like eating but likely to need energy

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

check hospital policy. Mine was nothing but water during labour, I assume in case an EMCS was required. Lovely senior midwife let me have my sports drink though, after the other MWs said I couldn't

[iklboo]

Tuc cheese biscuits
Flapjacks

My folks brought me an egg custard when they visited the next day

[nocake]

Sports drink kept my DW going when she was in labour. She wasn't allowed to eat, because of the high risk of an EMCS, so without sports drink she would have been in trouble. She used Science in Sport Go which comes in sachets as a powder that you can mix up in a bottle. The flavours aren't as strong as something like Lucozade sport.

[bagelmonkey]

I took bagels :)
Also took elevenses bars, chocolate,dried apricots, yogurty raisins and biscuits. All of which got snaffled by DH
Had a bottle of squash that I would totally recommend.
Luckily my mum brought me in a pizza because the hospital food was horrible and I had to stay for 5 days.

[Truckdriver]

JellyBabies :)

I ate breakfast, had something to drink then promptly threw it all up. At the point I needed to push the MWs said that I needed something to give me energy - JellyBabies was the only thing I could stomach. Funnily enough I had got them after reading it on MN :)

[Chynah]

Surely it would be best just to pack the snacks you would enjoy normally - your taste is unlikely to change.

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

Not really, Chynah. I don;t normally snack and when I do it tends to be stuff like watermelon (very messy) or cake (too crumbly) , hence was looking for inspiration.
Like the idea of dried fruits and nuts ... will make a trip to Holland and Barrett today. Thanks everyone for all the ideas

[BoftheP]

Lucozade. I couldn?t keep anything down for a couple for days before the birth and hard no energy, managed a few sip of lucozade every now and then which helped me through it.

Somebody said breakfast, I agree. I could have murdered a fry up afterwards but was offered NOTHING straight after the birth ( thankfully DH left his stale sandwich and some bananas for me) Seriously though, NHS food is appalling, midwifes are busy, who knows what time you?ll give birth, might be hours till visiting time. Pack all your favourite food, you?ll need the energy!

[Steeplearningcurve]

Didn't have time for snacks during labour (very quick!) but definitely recommend taking something for when you get to the ward. The midwives were great generally, but between being in a side room and having noone with me I managed to get missed out for breakfast and lunch and I was too much of a hormonal wreck to ask