Hospital Bag - what do I pack??

[WandrinStar]

Hello all - advice from the wise ones of Mumsnet needed here!

I am going in for an ELCS with my first baby on the 4th of Feb and will probably be in for about 4-5 days. I thought the hospital would provide a list of stuff to bring with me (when I've been in previously for various surgeries they have done so) but this time no guidelines are forthcoming.

So, what should I be packing?

Thanks in advance!

Dried apricots. Lots of them. Start eating lots a week in advance as the pain killers may well give you severe constipation and you really don't want to be straining .

Also, huge tummy hugger knickers. You don't want the elastic anywhere near your scar.

Peppermint tea can soothe the digestive system after abdominal surgery.

And magazines. You probably won't be awake enough for that big book you've been meaning to read for a while. I took The Feminine Mystique.... I read Take a Break and Pick Me Up!

Thank you guys, dried apricots is a genius idea, I would never have thought of that in a million years.

I love a good trashy magazine - time to catch up on all the celebrity gossip, I reckon!

Thanks very much.

Peppermint teas can also inhibit milk production if you are breastfeeding, I have read.