August 2018 #5

[peterpanwendy]

As we enter month 5 of our pregnancies we need a 5th thread!

Good luck to everyone having their 20 week scan this/next week :)

You stay in hospital for as long as they keep you in! You can pack two bags though, one to take in and then another to have at home or in the car so after delivery you can asssess the situation and decide if you need 2nd bag bringing in.

Place marking and apologising for my absence. Didn’t realise there was a new thread!

In the same boat as @StrawberryLemonade - hi again everyone x

The hospital bag packing is very daunting. Im going to a birth centre not a hospital so it does seem a bit different from what I've seen.

I also live 10 mins away so will just send DP home! I'm so nervous 🙈

Hi all, sorry I've been a bit quiet this morning. After that bleed last weekend I just wanted to make sure everything was ok. Had my midwife appointment this morning and everything is good!

I've posted my hospital bag list before but here it is again. I'm trying to travel light this time! There's was loads of stuff last time that I just did not use at all and wouldn't have even needed if I'd been kept in.

I've marked on what I'm not bothering with this time. I can't really give quantities of how much to bring because I don't know how long a stay in hospital will be. Can always send someone for more if needed:

For baby:
Sleep suits
Vests
Scratch mitts - don't bother with these - they just fall off. Get sleep suits with fold over sleeves.
Bibs
Pack of baby wipes - avoid Johnson's - brought baby out in a little rash. Aldi sensitive Mamia ones are amazing.
Cotton wool balls - don't need these if you've got wipes
Nappies - large pack, first size
Nappy sacks
Going home outfit - just leave it in the sleep suit and vest? Last one was a winter baby so we got it a snow suit/coat thing.
Car seat - obviously just leave it in the car, no idea why this was on list.
Baby towel - Hospitals have towels and baby towels are a con. They're tiny and useless. Just use normal towels.
Cardigans - Don't need this. The vests and sleep suits are plenty.
Blanket
Muslin squares

For me
Pyjamas
Slippers
Thin Dressing gown
Tissues
Maternity pads - lots.
Small and big towel - hospitals have towels. You will bleed on them. They don't care, just use theirs and save the space in your bag.
Disposable knickers - I actually got some big bridget jones style pants in black and a bigger size and they were perfect.
Nursing bras - Didn't nurse so didn't need this.
Breast pads
Shampoo & conditioner
Shower gel
Shower Poof
Moisturiser
Makeup - Only brought a bit of concealer and mascara for if I felt up to it, or was there a long time but didn't use it last time.
Coming home clothes and shoes
Lip balm
Hair brush
Bobbles
Deodorant
Socks
Snacks and drinks - this seems unnecessary to me now. Can always send DH to the shop if you need to.
Bikini if water birth - glad I packed this.
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Bendy straws - Thought I would lose the use of my arms somehow?? I think I had images in my head of DH gently allowing me to sip on some water while I pushed...
Sinex - I always need a decongestant

Things to remember on the day - these were mainly for DH if he got bored while I was in labour or if I ended up staying a long time.
Phones
Charger
Kindle
iPad and earphones
Maternity notes

@peterpanwendy sorry if this is a really stupid question, whats the differences between birth centre and hospital? Ive never heard of one, did u choose to go there instead of hospital? X

Hi all, I've had a dodgy FB message from Vicky M so posting here in an attempt to let her know her account has been hacked! Not sure of the Mumsnet username!!

@SpriteGirl @Emmasmum2013 thank you for those lists i have combined them both and adapted a bit so now i have my list sorted thank you so much!

Question to all the bottle feeding mums: how are you going to choose which formula / powder to use? There seems to be so many and I have no idea of some are better than others? Xx

Apparently Sainsbury’s is good for baby grows with fold over hands

Confusedpickle, try searching for 'where to give birth' and the NHS page explains your options better than I could. I used the Which questionnaire (www.which.co.uk/birth-choice) to help me choose last time, and think it is brief and accurate. Just went through it again and it confirmed my initial thoughts about where to go based on distance and preferences.

You can go and view the place(s) that you might use beforehand and this could be very helpful in taking some of the fear of the unknown away.

@NikkiL123
I don't know how I chose my formula, I think it was just a compromise of price really. I went with Cow & Gate and was really happy with it. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.

@Emmasmum2013 thank you. It's such a mine field I have no idea where to start. I suppose get small bottles of each and see which he likes the best then stock up 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'd just pick one and stick to it to be honest.. I remember we moved onto the greedy hungry baby cow and gate milk and even moving from one type to another from the same brand affected her little stomach. So unless your baby is having feeding probs with one sort of milk (say an allergy or something) I'd just keep the same one. I don't think they have a taste preference at that age but I might be wrong.

@confusedpickle my local hospital doesn't have a maternity wing, I'd have to travel 30 mins to be in a hospital (12 mins by ambulance in the event of an emergency though!). The birth centre is run by the hospital and is on the same grounds but there are no doctors, it's midwife led. So no epidurals or c sections, you have to be blue lighted. The rooms are huge, I went to visit my friend when she gave birth and couldn't believe it! You have a private double room with en suite and midwives around 24/7 for support, the birthing rooms aren't clinical at all they have pools, balls, ropes etc it's like a playground! It's only 10 years old so fairly new but it seems so relaxed, there's a common room with sofas and tv's and a kitchen. If there's a problem with your delivery you get transferred to the hospital 30 mins away but otherwise you can stay 2 nights which is good :) hope that helps!

Oh and I live 10 mins away from the birth centre! :)

@szwidix89 I think they like you to stay overnight if your first child to ensure BF is okay. I was in 4 days as BF didn't work out.

@NikkiL123 @nikkil123 I'd use aptamil but that's just cos it's what I used with DS1 and it's what the hospital used when I was struggling to BF.

@Gizzymum i am defo not BF, will they still make me stay in to try?

@NikkiL123 if you defo aren't BF they can't make you try. They may still suggest you stay overnight to check bottle feeding is going okay but I imagine if you've done two or three feeds with no issues you should be okay to leave.

@Gizzymum thank you x

I stayed in 2 nights with DD mainly for bf support but didn’t really feel I achieved much! In the end I wanted to go home. I found establishing bf so difficult but this time I won’t want to be away from DD so hoping baby will take to it better and I’ll be home sooner.

Before I list what I need to pack for hospital I need to get bags to back it in! Want a new rucksack style changing bag (I picture this will be much easier than an across body one when I have 2 kids in tow) and also my overnight bag got ruined from spilled juice so need another one of those too.

I’m having a 4D scan today. So excited!

Hope it goes well ! @Strawberrylemonade

@SpriteGirl Sainsbury's have 20% off all Tu clothing this weekend (applies to everything - I bought a 5 pack of bodysuits half price in sale plus discount - £3ish). A store near my parents also has a Clark's concession - which also honours the discount, win win.

25% at Tu :) I am not v impressed by their sleepsuit selection although I did pick up one pack of two. I am sure when I has D'S supermarkets had tons of the things but these days it seems to all be mini clothes!

We are back in the UK but sadly not for happy reasons, FIL has died. However as we've driven here we are making use of the access to shops and things we can take back.

@BertieBotts sorry to hear about your FIL

I'm loving Asda baby clothes at the mo!
My faves are still M&S, John Lewis and Next though, their baby girl things are to die for.

I am at centre parcs for the weekend, everyone else has gone for a bike ride and left me alone so I have gone back to bed to relax... love being pregnant 😂

Sorry to hear about your FIL @BertieBotts