Nice little tips - please add and share!

[PixieCake]

I heard a nice little tip the other day that I am going to try to do:

• sleep with your newborn's blanket in the last few weeks of pregnancy, so that it smells of you when you wrap the baby in it at the hospital

I wish I had done this last time as I found it hard to cuddle my newborn for a number of different reasons so she was in a cot in a hospital blanket.

Anyone got any other easy little things to add that don't take much effort but are a nice idea?

Another one I heard was to ask for the room to be silent when the baby comes out so that the first thing it hears is its mothers voice. Not for everybody I know, but please share any other suggestions x

when your contractions intensify, manage them by 'walking' up some stairs one step at a time, then back down. each step takes you closer to your baby.

Lots of great tips.
I am very glad that I packed a iPod with little portable speakers. Being able to listen to music really helped me relax.

I'm currently four days overdue with DS1 - these tips are excellent, thank you so much to everyone who is contributing!

Fabulous thread, thank you, looking forward to using some of these tips for DS3 in April. I never thought about the involuntary pushing before, but with DS2 that was what I did. I was a bit because the midwife moved me from on all fours, where I was comfortable, to on my back in styrups, but when the time came to push, I closed my eyes and did what my body asked me to. I went from screaming banshee to serene birthing mother just by relaxing and listening to my body, and managed to deliver a 10lb 3.5 oz baby with just gas an air [proud emoticon] (will be using all the tips on stitches this time, I may have a big baby again )

Keep the tips coming ladies :)

My hospital said no water or food in the delivery suite (for me).
I dutifully obeyed but being a nice person I made sure I packed food for DH.

(I asked him what he wanted a few weeks before, he said nothing but then I pointed out he was quite likely to miss a meal or two so he changed his mind!)

Anyway, my tip is not to pack food that smells nice! It was torture when I was hungry and thirsty when DH opened up a pack of sweets which smelt delicious!

But do pack nice food for you afterwards.

If you stay overnight in the hospital, make sure you have drinks and snacks to hand. The first night I didn't and had to get up as I was starving. The next few nights I settled down for the night with lots of eat and drink next to me

Baaart how awful, my hospital insisted, and when we ran out of snacks (very long labour) they went foraging for me and gave me more to eat!! Absolutely insisted on it.

My friend was in for a while before being induced and I took her a DVD box set (she had her laptop there) which she said was the best thing ever
Also took in icy cold drinks and prepped fresh fruit and snacks (m&s) as the food was horrible and she didn't want anything stodgy
Luckily I live close by and was happy to drop off food supplies (and the next 2 series of the box set when she had watched them all in 48hrs..)

Marking place, am due in a couple of months! at You are doing a giant, very cute, poo.

OhGood I told the dr who gave me the epidural that I planned to name the baby Martin after him.

He said he got that all the time. :o

princess it was awful. I wasn't allowed food or drink until in my room...so that's 3 hours after the birth then!!! I don't know why I obeyed, but I did get DH to keep spraying water from my face spray into my mouth!

Box of nutrigrains for labour (I ate 7 in 12 hours!).
Something to bang. I found that when I had a contraction I needed to bang hard on the floor/wall/anywhere. Cheapo maracas belonged to my toddler and some stress balls saved my arms! The maracas were noisy which was good for distraction.
A clary sage soaked flannel. Not quite gas and air but a decent second best when you have nothing and got me all the way to pushing.

Take blinking paracetemol in your hospital bag. Took hours for anyone to bring me any in hospital and those stitches stung. Also, don't ask how many stitches you had, it doesn't help. And don't look at your business area until it's healed for heaven's sake!

My DD was yanked out by forceps just in time for me to avoid a section, so we were a bit surpised when DS plopped out while the midwife was making a cuppa. First time second stage - six hours. Second time scond stage - six minutes. Still had stitches though.

They wouldn't let my best friend eat in labor either! It was around 30 hours with no food. :( I tried to make them but they wouldn't.

I am going to be a labor partner for another friend and I am by-damn bringing food in with me for her.

My mw told me that the uterus was a muscle and as it was working so hard it needed fuel!! Yank take many many snacks, sod the rules!

They never said anything about snacks or no snacks to me, but right at the end they kept saying to my ex to go get me some lucozade from the vending machine.

Hes a total dope and just walked back to my room and lifted his warm stale bottle from earlier and brought it in. There was only about an inch left in the bottom fgs.

This time I will be taking loads of drinks and cereal bar type things in just incase I need a boost at the end!

This thread is fab - thank you all! Think I need to print it off..

Take dh's toothbrush in case he procures himself smelly food.

Pre-birth - pregnancy yoga, I had a great teacher and kind of went into a 'zone' once labour was established, was all up for any pain relief going but in the end didn't need any. Also helps with positions, I gave birth on all fours, felt natural.

Labour - fruit pastilles - shot of sugar every so often and you can chew and swallow in between contractions. But take plenty for you AND the DP AND the midwife apparently...... I was also given milkshakes as my blood sugar dropped even in a short labour so a bit about places where they say no food, unless it's a case by case decision? Threw up at first with the speed my labour came on but once settled was ok.

Good luck!

not read all of thread so sorry if been said before.

Take throat sweets and paracetamol with you in your hospital bag. Gas and air dries out your throat, mine was agony the next day.

And paracetamol for the afterpains. I asked a MW if I could have some parecetamol, she said "yes, no problem" and went to get some. She came back an hour later with some.

I know they are busy with much more important things than fetching paracetamol so I wasn't bothered, but I was very glad I had some in my bag and had taken my own immediately I had got the green light from her rather than waiting an hour!

When having a waterbirth one of the midwives asked if I would like her to help try to ease the discomfort,obv I said "too right" she started pouring water from a big jug over my tummy every time I had a contraction. It was amazing whether it was a distraction or what am not sure but boy it really dulled the pain.

There's absolutely no way they should say no food and drink. I understand if anything bad happens then its best if you've ate nothing but your bodies going through a massive strain and you need energy! Especially water fgs. It's like running a marathon with no water. No chance!

Mummyplonk I've also heard the same - that during a water birth pouring water over your bump can help. I'm 36 weeks and will def be giving that a go when my time comes!

re food and drink: I was allowed it at first and the MWs brought me lots of tea and toast, but if your labour starts to get prolongued they start thinking that you might end up with intervetions and maybe surgery so at that point they say nill by mouth (like most people going in for surgery for anaesthetic reasons)
In the hospital I gave birth in its NBM once you have an epidural, or have been in labour over X hours, not because theres any harm in eating with an epidural in, but because once you have an epidural you're more likely to end up with a C-section

you can ask for a fluid drip

Agree with food, the vending machines hadn't been restocked because of the snow storms, so nibbles were limited. Sandwiches were vile, no marg, so the cheese and onion was really dry or tuna mayo, and I don't do tuna. Had to ask DH to bring some in on his next visit. MiL bought me lots of nice fruit and sweets.

Pain relief, I had SPD in the later months, GP had issued me with superstrength ones, which I took with me, really were fab. I made sure I had enough for 2 weeks supply, which was a good job as we were pretty much snowed in for 2 weeks.

I peed in the shower everytime, we have a shower in the bath tub, so meant I could sluice with warm water each time. I had quite a few stitches, so a bath wasn't ideal. I pinched one of the soft sponges bought for DD to help rinse of all the yuck. I'd also dab lightly to dry and a cool blow dry too. Arnica helped with the bruising. I also used DH's beardtrimmer to tidy up my bush before hand, trimmed it all down to a short fuzz. Really helped to keep it all clean after.

Also, everyone feels labour pains in different places. Mine was all in my thighs. It felt like restless legs. It took me a while to realise I was actually in labour and not just really restless legs.

I took my ipod and speakers with me, was fab to listen to some music, whenever I hear the songs now, it reminds me of that first hour with DD.

Ooo and straws, they were a real help, in labour, on the ward and at home.

You can take paracetemol and Ibuprofen together after birth - helps with afterpains. Also, take a bendy straw with you so that you can drink your tea without having to move too much the next day. Everything ached after DD1 and the bendy straw was my best friend.