What food to pack in the hospital bag?

[Florabeebaby]

I'm pg with DC2, DD was a premie so had no hospital bag packed at all. I think I have all the clothing, breastpads, wash stuff etc. sorted but what food items to pack?
I have one bottle of energy drink and some cereal bars but what else?

[backwardpossom]

I had Nutrigrain bars, mars bars and bananas. The Nutrigrain bars were particularly handy when on the ward after when I was peckish between meals.

[ZuleikaD]

Yes to the Nutrigrain bars and snacks for afterwards but you might also want some energy tablets or gels for labour. You could think about a sandwich for your OH to eat during labour as well.

[Marmiteisyummy]

Sweeties or pref glucose tablets (buy in boots) for labour.
Biscuits for after, just avoid anything chocolate as it'll melt and cause a huge mess! And some dried apricots/prunes, you'll be glad you did!

[chaosandcupcakes]

Jelly babies and tracker bars worked for me.

[feesh]

I'm packing snickers flap jacks as they give a slow release of energy, and I love them!

[ReturnOfTheMunx]

Yy to cereal bars and other one handed middle of the night feeding stuff! When ds was born I went through 2 bars and 2 packs mini c

[ReturnOfTheMunx]

Sorry one handed typing feeding said ds..... Mini cookies that should have said!

[Zara1984]

Packed in my hospital bag right now are:

• 3 x small orange juice packs, 3 x small blackcurrant juice packs
  
• 500g bag of soft dried apricots
  
• 300g bag of mixed dried fruit
  

This is my first baby so not sure how helpful this is! :)

[Zara1984]

oh and I just popped in a couple of cereal bars too after reading this thread! Bag now thoroughly packed to the gills, there's no chance of it ever fitting as carry-on on a Ryanair flight...!

[Longdistance]

Cereal bars, grain waves, banana for energy, and lots of bottled water.
Hope you have a speedy birth, and all goes well.

[bonzo77]

Individually wrapped things to avoid big spills. Drinks with sports caps so you can open one handed if bf after. Nice drinks. Lots of small change for vending machines. Definitely things for your birth partner so they don't have to leave at the wrong moment.

[Florabeebaby]

Thanks everyone! The dried fruit is a good idea...for obvious reasons! :)

Will add some cartons of juice and sweeties...DH can pack his own snacks.

Thanks again.

[whatsoever]

I'm packing cereal bars, Lucozade sport & water in sports bottles.

Asked OH what else he wanted but he says if it was taking so long he'd need more than cereal bars, he'd relish the chance to pop down to the cafeteria to get a sandwich & have a breather - I don't blame him!

[SecondHandNews]

I have packed a load of crap in mine (second baby) Mainly for afterwards as I found I didn't feel like eating in labour and it wasn't very long. I had some sweets and powerade to boost my energy and that was it. I did eat a lot of snack afterwards though and was in for 2 days/nights.

Powerade, crisps, cereal bars, dried mango and apricots, juice boxes, sweets, mints, lucozade tablets, some chocolate based things. Basically total rubbish apart from the dried fruit but it was the kind of thing I wanted to snack on afterwards. I also craved fresh fruit the following day and got my husband to bring in fruit and salads etc (I think I didn't actually eat any hospital food!). Might bung in some bananas and apples on the way out the door.

A sports bottle for water is also v handy.

[newtonupontheheath]

Jaffa cakes!

Best post birth food ever ime

[Samr85]

I've had 2 children n with my 1st was totally unprepared my bf went to grab a Sandwich n nearly missed the whole thing!! This time we were prepared with cereal bars couple packs of crisps n water ( which came in v useful as they didn't bring any in for me)! We also took some change in case non of that took my fancy n then could send him to a vending machine whilst in there. Hope this is helpful and hope all goes well. :)

[LittleBearPad]

Ooh Jaffa cakes - wish I'd thought of them.

I had malt loaf and lucozade. I was induced and once I was on the drip lucozade sport was all I cou have (except water). I drank vats of it.

[violetlights]

My hospital suitcase is 97% food: 10 flapjacks, 5 snickers, nuts, juices, squeezy water bottles (to use on loo in case of post-partem tears), tic tacs, coke, lucozade, coconut water (a natural isotonic apparently). Then last minute I'm going to throw in bananas and a couple of pasta salads.

No room for pjs or baby gros...

[wildpoppy]

Nice things. You'll want comfort food like biscuits. And fruit if you stay in. And non fruity drinks because throwing up fruity drinks is horrid

[mummy2benji]

I took some dried apricots and cereal bars last time and ate them afterwards as I didn't feel like eating anything during the labour itself. I think I just sipped water and that was it. It was nice to have some snacks of my own, particularly during the night when I got peckish, although they brought me tea and toast after giving birth and then I got a good size dinner and breakfast.

[rogersmellyonthetelly]

Bear in mind many women vomit in labour, so whatever you eat needs to be relatively inoffensive on the way back out. From bitter experience, KFC hot wings do not fall into this category. Also, make sure it's something that tastes good at warm room temp, and take sugary drinks for labour not sugar free unless you have gd, you will need an energy boost if you are flagging and can't face food.

[detoxdiva]

I packed a load of nibbly thing and drinks.

During labour however the smell of most of it turned my stomach and I ate nothing! I did however get through 4 bottles of lucozade (get the sports top bottles so that your partner can hold them for you while you drink!!) during the pushing stage

Afterwards I munched through most of a packet of choc digestives while the mw's supplied the tea!

[devonsmummy]

With DS I took 2 packs of Jaffa cakes. unluckily I only had 2 mouthfuls of dinner then unbearable contraction & he was born 10mins later.
I made DH rush back to the ward to get my creme caramel & scoffed that.
By the time I was cleaned & stitched the only food they could offer me was a cheese sandwich & a raspberry yoghurt (I can't bear raspberry but ate it as I was so hungry)
I then ate all the Jaffa cakes and was still starving
I was phoning DH at 5am to get me food!
So when I packed my bag for Dd I took cereal bars, mars bars, Jaffa cakes, little pots of rice pudding & bananas ... I was home 2.5hours after giving birth & just had tea & toast and one pack of Jaffa cakes!

[BooBumpDaddyandMe]

Jelly Babies & water, that's all I want this time for labour. Took dextrose energy tablets in last time and nearly choked on the buggers as find 't have enough spit to suck them and didn't have enough water!
For after the birth all I want is a never ending supply of HOT tea and bananas - my needs are few!!!

[emmam25]

I took loads of cereal bars, crisps, biscuits, lucozade and allsorts then had no time for any of it as it was all over in a couple of hours! Next time I'm taking ice. Lots and lots of ice as the labour ward was very hot. Lucozade sports drink is excellent for one handed drinking and I will def take the advice about the dried fruit!