Wot shall i pack in my hospital bag?

[Gem1355]

Hi i'm 27+5 weeks pregnant with first child due 4th april, got everything i need but not sure wot to pack in my hospital bag?
can't find anything in my mags to advise so any help would be grateful.

[vict17]

hereyougo

[Gem1355]

Thanx, really need it, as i think it's one of the things causing my insomnia which i hate as i need all the sleep i can get till baby girl arrives!!!1

[Lonelymum]

You can't overdo the number of maternity pads you take (and make sure you have about 5 packets at home too). Sorry if that is too much information, but I remember when I had my first baby having not nearly enough and about 2 days after leaving hospital, poor dh had to go and buy me an armful more and was a bit embarrassed about it I think. Actually, I found sanitary towels miles better than maternity pads, but that was just me.

[Gem1355]

thanx brought some creams etc today, but was unsure of how many of each thing to take!
N e ideas on how to cure insomnia???

[Lonelymum]

You won't have it once the baby is born and keeping you up half the night!

[pootlepod]

People always suggest different things but I loved my evian spray (big treat) and face flannel. Also found some cereal bars useful, ate about 3 in the shower afterwards (was about to faint)

[Lonelymum]

Ooh yes, a big bar of chocolate! You are always starving after labour and I just devoured a massive bar afterwards with no guilt because I knew I had already worked off the calories!

[NewbarnsleygirlWalliams]

I hear you lonelymum. Good bit of advice! I had to stay at home when DD was born and I ran out of Mat pads. I told DH to go and buy them, he did'nt have a clue what he was looking for and was v embarrased!
I also bought 0-3 month all in ones and when we arrived at the hospital the midwife laughed at me and said "are you planning to give birth to a monster?" So that was another thing that DH had to go out and buy, tiny baby sleepsuits! 0-3 are huge on newborns!

[evian]

Dark coloured - p.j bottoms shorts or trackies as if you do have an accident(bloody wise TMI)it won't show up.

[pootlepod]

oh and flash cleaning wipes or similar I found useful, more for when you are on the ward.

[evian]

agree on the flash wipes for the loo at home as well

[Tortington]

condoms - that'll confuse 'em

[evian]

yeh be prepared for the contraception talk from the midwife before they discharge you.

[pootlepod]

LOL at condoms . Almost worth getting preggers again to try it out

[Gem1355]

condoms! i'd take them just to see what my DP says!!! as he's not the daddy of my baby girl.
i have a huge craving for chocolate it's definitely a pg thing as i usually hate chocolate!
i've got an old set of PJ's and loads of clothes that everyone has brought for the baby. what's the best thing Mat pads or normal overnight pads?
i've got milk etc as i plan to bottle feed the thought of brest feeding freaks me out!!!
should i take that or do the hospital/gp unit provide that?
i think i need a mallet by my bedside so i can be knocked out for a good nites sleep!!!!

[NewbarnsleygirlWalliams]

I PMSL when I got that talk! What a thing to talk about 24hrs after giving birth! They are only doing they're job though.

[kikidee]

On the theme of maternity pads - disposable pants for the first few days are useful. You can get them in Boots. Also, if you end up with a Csection then big pants that sit above the wound are really useful.

[Gem1355]

Knickers, i only wear thongs as can't remember last time i had a period!
i'll get a few disposable, not planning on a c-section, not even wrote out a birth plan, i think mine will be how i feel on the day!

[NewbarnsleygirlWalliams]

I would take mat pads while your in hospital and have both at home as you don't know how you'll be IYKWIM. Hospital should provide milk for you. They had little glass bottles of all makes of formula milk in a cupboard on the ward I was on with teats in seperate cases so you could just help yourself. Very handy.

[evian]

you do tend to bleed for a couple of weeks after birth sometimes sveral weeks so it may be worth getting some normal cheap pants

[Gem1355]

How long will i need them for? got loads of bottle etc, people i know think i'm over reacting when i say i want ortodontic teats instead of normal ones, do you agree?
it was funny yesterday as i was having painful braxton hicks contractions at work yesterday and everyone thought i was in labour, and they all panicked, it was highly amusing

would of sent baby girls daddy on trip to the shop if i was! that would of made him realise he was going to be a dad even tho it has taken him a few months to get used to the idea!!!!

[bambi06]

something for your partner to eat..it can be a long wait and you dont want them to disappear looking for food at the crucial moment...dont forget camera...plenty of old knickers and disposable pants..i bought some and thought no way and i wearing those horrible things but i lived in them for a lot longer than i thought as i got fed up of throwing ordinary knickers away!!!! snack bars for afterwards in case thers no cafe open after and you`ll be starving..trust me!!

[phoebeki]

Sorry to disagree but you cannot assume that your local hospital will supply bottles/milk etc. When ds3 was born in 2002 our local hospital was trying to gain funding as a breastfeeding centre of excellence and would only give milk to babies of ill mothers or those in scbu, everybody else was left to their own arrangements.
With regard to bleeding etc I went and bought job lot of plain cotton pants from Tesco value range and threw them away afterwards. Found Always Ultra Nightime fab' (at first wore two at once)

[NewbarnsleygirlWalliams]

You get what you feel is best. I would also get the paper pants like kikidee said. I would give the hospital a ring a find out if they provide the bottles for you.

[Gem1355]

two at once is it really that bad?