Hospital bags... Help me identify some mystery items?

[SourSweets]

Hi again,

So after a recent panic about whether I was going into early labour (I wasn't) I've decided to pack my hospital bag. It's my first time and I don't really know what I'm buying, or rather I know what I'm supposed to need but I don't know why.

So, here are my questions:

Towels: I'm told dark towels (for obvious reasons) but do I need just one big towel for showering in the hospital or a couple of little ones purely for down below? Or both?

Pants: How awful are disposable ones? I might just spend a bit more and get normal ones that I'll throw away after. What did you do/will you do?

Vaseline: For baby's bum if you're lucky enough to grease him up before the meconium poo comes. Are you ever lucky enough? Is the poo really that bad that you can't just get it off with wipes?

Also on my list: Nappies, going home outfits for both of us, magazines, snacks, lip balm, hair band, big t-shirt, bikini top for water birth, muslins, swaddle cloth, maternity pads (Only taking a pack of 10, will I need more?) Ipod, breast pads, dummies (not sure I'll even need those but they don't take up any room), small jug for diluting the wee after I've had him.

Have I missed anything?

Thank you for any and all advice, as always.

I packed a cheap pair of flip flops (primark £1) to wear in the shower... Just in case it wasn't that clean.

Am sleep training our pfb so sorry if I am repeating anything...

A multi pack of frozen CAPRI SUN. I drank them all immediately after our pfb ds arrived!

A TENS machine. I hired mine from TESCO. I don't know what I would have done without it.

Your phone charger.

Good luck!

our HV maintains that recent research shows no difference between wipes and cotton wool and water. I will be bringing wipes in this time!

Also, they gave us one as we didn't have one, but a little bowl so you can top and tail the little one is useful. We still have it and it washes DD's hair :)

Another one who doesn't believe in disposable pants. I bought them but the elastics were horrid so they never went on. Tesco big pants did the job just fine and may or may not have been worn for months afterwards

Am 28 weeks on Wednesday so not long before I have to start thinking about this again too!

Good luck OP!

Mobile phone and charger
Snacks
If you bought bigger knickers while pregnant just take those and lots of pads.
Ibuprofen/ paracetamol

Good luck!

Wow, some great tips that I would never have thought of. Especially those who've said to separate things into smaller bags for ease, I can totally see myself getting exasperated with my husband otherwise. And I had no idea there are no pillows on some wards! It sounds like a lot of you were in for quite a while, is that the norm?

Camera! Took mine but was in such a hurry with dc 2 that I left it in my hospital bag in the car!!

Sorry to shout but this is important MOIST TOILET TISSUE -it's the same as Kandoos but for adults and it makes going to the loo a much more pleasant experience.

My hospital provided plenty of clean towels, no need to take one.

Nice smelling toiletries, clothes for the hospital and my iPad for entertainment were the main things. Didn't use any bottles or anything for post birth wee!

I took 0-3 month baby clothes which were huge on my 9lbs5oz baby and SCBU dressed her in a loaned newborn outfit.

Never heard of anyone using wipes on a tiny baby. Definitely water and little balls of cotton wool.

And speaking of things I've never heard of, what is THIS about?
small jug for diluting the wee after I've had him.
What wee? Whose wee? Why are you diluting it???

Haha, my wee! I've heard (again, no personal experience and the first of my friends and sisters) that if you tear or have stitches it can sting quite a bit when you do a wee, so it helps to pour water on to dilute it...!

Just to add - I wouldn't take in your own pain relief medications, as they have these on the ward/unit and will give them to you if you need them. Any medications/supplements you do take, you should let the midwife staff know. (I'm saying this as a nurse myself - it is a bit dicey when people bring in their own medications and you offer them the same medications as part of your drug round - can make for an overdose if you've forgotten that you took something or when you took it. Guess who gets into trouble?).

Never heard of anyone using wipes on a tiny baby. Definitely water and little balls of cotton wool.
That's a new thing. When my teen dcs were babies it was wipes all the way!
Personally, and no disrespect to nurse Oda, but having waited several hours for post labour pain relief, I'd take my own, make sure that I was properly acquainted with the dosage guidelines and make staff aware I'd taken them! I know that after pains aren't bad with first babies, but second time around analgesia was essential!

Not sure if someone has already said these: flip flops for hospital showers ( you don't want to be standing on someone else's bits of placenta!), phone/camera for pictures of baby, lots of food.

I definitely second the diluting wee thing if you have stitches though I just used a bought bottle of water with a sports top (I think someone suggested that up thread).

A few 'mistakes' I made after listening to Mumsnet....

1. Granny pants a size or two bigger than normal. I am size 10 and bought 12-14 rather than 8-10. BIG MISTAKE! All they do is slip down which is: a) less comfortable, b) annoying to hitch up constantly, c) impossible to hold in a maternity pad adequately.

1. Vaseline for meconium. Tarry black poo only lasts a few days at best, and although it is slightly sticky it comes off fine with cotton wool pads. I'd say it's worth having some decent oval sized ones for the meconium days rather than tiny fluffy value ones which disintegrate too easily.

1. Flip flops in the shower. I don't use flip flops in the swimming pool so didn't in the hospital either. I purchased them and packed them - just didn't use them as I kept forgetting and it was such a distance back to my bed that I couldn't be bothered to waddle back for them each time. Also my feet swelled suddenly so it was like cutting cheese with a string! I did however take a tea tree oil wash from the health food store to shower in, and made sure lots went on the shower floor!

1. Antiseptic wipes to clean the hospital - you won't want to clean anything straight after giving birth. Something is likely to be sore and it's the last thing you'll bother to do! Wipes for your own hands or to clean between maternity pad changed is a little more sensible.

1. Wipes for baby. Their skin is so fragile to start with, it would make you wince to put harsh wipes all over it -much better to wait a little while for their skin to be used to the outside and a little more robust, then wipe away til your hearts content (for the next 3 years)!

You'll need a couple of packs of maternity pads as lochia is pretty heavy to start with.

Midwives will have you hung, drawn and quartered if they spot a dummy anywhere near a newborn! Official guidelines are to use after a month when feeding is established and can stop a baby feeding as often, which would affect their weight and if you're breastfeeding allegedly prevent latching on correctly.

It's a really good idea to have a standby bag at home to save your partner from having to stand at your (or the baby's) wardrobe trying to find suitable clothes!

It's also a good idea to either pack cardigan, hat, booties, blanket etc, or leave with the car seat so you don't have to send anyone hunting for all the going home kit, especially if it's a cold rainy day and you want to keep baby warm to the car.

How long are you in for? Well I think the point is you don't know. I was hoping/expecting to be in and out but had ECMS so was made to stay 2 nights - absolute minimum apparently. I know some who had a 5 night stay after ECMS. Others, without any interventions, didn't even need to stay overnight.

Battery operated travel fan and some flannels for soaking in cold water for brow mopping (pack of 3 from Primark for about £3)

Bear in mind wards can be very warm so thin nightie & dressing gown are good to have. I took both a thin dressing gown and a thick robe for both eventualities.

I'd read on here of people taking a pillow but decided not to bother due to restricted bag space. That was a HUGE regret when I found they didn't have pillows on the labour ward.

Donut cushion in case of piles/tears/episiotomy. If you're BF you'll spend a great deal of time sitting and shifting about which can play havoc with sore stitched nethers. Oh, and Lansinoh whilst your nipples get used to two inexperienced breast feeders.

Oh, forgot glucose tablets. I was sick quite a bit during labour so needed something to sustain my energy that I didn't need to worry about keeping down.

It is surprising to see the variation between what hospitals do and don't provide.
Mine provides everything for the baby, bedding, towels, clothes if you want them, cotton wool balls, and milk if you need that.
Not much for the Mums, no towels, pads only if you don't have any or bring the wrong type, there were loads of pillows on both wards though.

Agree with others - never had to throw away knickers after labour/birth. Just bought cheap comfy ones and still use them sometimes.
The postnatal ward I was on was freezing at night so don't assume they will always be boiling.
I took my own towel but the ones they provided were fine.

Food - the food in my hospital was dreadful. I was in for a few days before the birth and they couldn't provide me a meal I could eat with gestational diabetes. Dh had to bring me in a cool box of meals. On the postnatal ward they would bring a trolley into the foyer but no one would check if you had had a chance to get anything.

Great, I feel thoroughly prepared now, at least for packing my bag (I'm working on the rest!). Thank you to everyone who posted with advice.

The only other thing I took, which hasn't been mentioned, is a straw and a couple of bottles of lucozade. It was my hubbies job administer that while I was labouring :-)

Primark do nighties that have buttons at the top which are great for feeding - often spotted on OBEM. I wore three quarter length pj pants underneath while in hospital, for modesty/leakage prevention.

A shaver..

why a dark towel?