What did/do you take in your hospital bag?

[BearMama]

If there is already a thread on this - sorry!
I am only 28 wks but find it comforting to plan ahead as much as possible ahead of the most significant experience of my adult life. This control freakery is my way of trying to distract myself - can you tell?
Just want to know what is useful and what is useless. Already have paper knickers and massive maternity pads on list. Plus slippers, nighties/t-shirts, warm socks, dressing gown and own pillow. Midwife had advised bottles of frozen water so always have a cold drink as very hot in there.
Dp has already had to stop me buying her (I know its a girl) going home outfit - says its his prerogative LOL.

I took a book and puzzle mag, a couple cds to play in the room, loose change, camera (don't forget film and batteries), pen (check it works - mine didn't), medication, a few nappies, cotton wool balls, a few nappy bags, 2x bodysuits, babygros and scratch mits, hat, teddy for the baby, 1 set of clothes for you. If you're in longer than expected dh can bring in extras and take home any washing.

don't bother with talc, babywash, wipes you won't use them. There was a lovely jug of icy water available at all times!

Definitely something cold to drink. Maternity wards only have warm tap water or squash in tiny glasses IME.

If you are using a TENS machine or walkman during labour take spare batteries.

I also took a digital camera - didn't take my own pillow though.

Maternity Bras
Breast Pads
Flip Flops for the shower
arnica
nipple cream

For baby
Couple of vests and baby grows
Hat and scratch mits
Nappies
Cotton Wool (some hospital don't like you using wipes)
Camera
Warm jacket for going home
Muslin Squares

I've also (god I am a total control freak) a second bag with extras nighties/pants/pads for me and extra nappies and clothes for baby in case we end up staying in hospital longer than expected. Was in for 5 days with DS and DH was back and forth getting extra stuff. So this bag can just stay in boot of the car.

I took everything including my kitchen sink and it was all so unnecessary.

In the end, having cosy PJs & slippers, my own stock of paper knickers/sanitary towels and my own toiletries was enough. Oh, and phone cards / TV cards stocked up. Anything else can be brought in by your DH/rellies afterwards.

x post

It had a fan too! the midwife kept sending dh to another room with the jug to fill it and swap it with one from the fridge - see your dh/dp CAN be useful!

Take the paper knickers off the list. They are awful and, if you end up having a caesarian (I hope not) they will be useless. Get supermarket plain white value knickers instead.

Take own towels - as dark as possible! I gave birth to DS1 naked and wringing wet on the floor after deciding to get out of the pool at the last minute so was grateful to be covered in a towel as I felt bizarrely exposed! Obviously you need them for shower too. White not good idea for obvious resaons! Take flip flops as you never know how clean the showers are. I took mini cartons of apple juice as well as water - v good for energy. I took cheap black Primark pants... feels a bit more human than paper ones after the first couple of days. Don't forget your phone. You'll want to tell everyone straight away! Breast pads are a good idea or you may wake up looking like you're in a wet t-shirt competition!
Hopefully you won't need that much if it all goes smoothly I'd advise you to get home ASAP..hospitals are full of sick people!

my best item was a bottle of my favourite squash! have never been so thirsty...

Is anyone taking a hairdryer? Or do they not let you use the electricity in NHS Hospitals ?

Pack some snacks especially for your DP/DH and a change of clothes. My DH got really hot in the delivery ward and also hungry. Loads of water or energy drinks.

I needed extra nighties

Take blanket for bringing baby home in

My main items were:

• food and drink and lots of it, for both me and DP
• i-pod, headphones and docking station
• socks, your feet can get really cold
• change of clothes for DP
• pillows, including maternity pillow
• didn't take this but next time would definitely take sleeping bag or duvet/blankets for DP. He ended up sleeping on the floor covered in a couple of towels
• nighties x2 and dressing gown
• change of clothes for me after it all
• towels and toiletries
• agree re. paper knickers but I'd get black cheapy ones not white
• breast and maternity pads
• camera
• flip flops
• rompers x5 for DS
• blanket for DS
• teddy for DS
• nappies x 16 for DS
• muslin squares
• wipes
• going home outfit for DS (something warm with hands, feet and head covered)

I found face wipes fantastic for those hot flushes...

some chic lit if you have the energy to read....

snacks - hospital food isn't the best

(It was typed out to pass onto someone else so that is why there are extra notes all over it!)

For Mum...

• Maternity notes
• Birth plan
• Dressing gown (only a light weight one, labour wards are kept very warm)
• Slippers
• Socks
• Nightshirt (to labour in)
• Second nightshirt/pj's (for after the birth - front opening is easiest if you plan to BF)
• Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, tooth brush/paste, etc. also if you plan to use anything like nipple cream or femme pads)
• Hair band
• Lip balm
• A watch (with a second hand for contractions)
• Magazines, puzzler, books, mp3 player/stereo, anything to help you relax and pass the time!
• Camera (don't forget extra memory/film, batteries)
• Camcorder
• Change for phone and parking
• List of friends and family phone numbers
• Nursing bras (if BF)
• Flash or anti-bacterial wipes (for the shower/bath and anything else that seems mucky)
• Cheap plastic flip flops (for use in the shower)
• Hair brush
• Drinks and snacks (for birthing partner as well!!)
• Breast pads (whether you plan to BF or not)
• Big knickers, the big belly warmers, the papery disposable kind are just awful!! Check out your local market for cheap big pants, and get the biggest size you can find!!)
• Go to Boots or Mothercare - anywhere that does proper maternity pads, they are thicker and longer than normal sanitary towels, my midwife said to use two at once in the beginning and I still had to be careful with them then! Get about 5 packets at the ready, you will need to buy more, but that should see you through the first few days/week!
• Dark coloured towel and flannel
• Going home clothes (You will probably be about the size you were at 6 months when you come home, so maternity clothes will still be needed)
• Bed mats, these aren't really for the bag, more for the car (and handy for in bed), if you look down the aisle in Tesco near the nappies, pampers have bed mats, meant for use as disposable changing mats, they are slightly quilted so will hold liquid, so if you line your mattress and car seat with them, if your waters should break then you won't be trying to clear up rather than concentrating on the labour!!

And for the baby...

• A travel changing mat (or if you buy a changing bag with a mat on it, just take this)
• Wipes and/or cotton wool - check with your hospital, some won't let you use wipes, some won't let you use cotton wool, when I had DS they wouldn't even let me bath him, so check what your hospital policy is.
• Scratch mitts, most babies come out with long nails - the only reason I had to have stitches was because his nails scraped against me!
• Hat
• Socks or booties depending on what clothes you take in, obviously if you only take all in ones with feet in them, then you won't need socks!!
• A good few bibs/muslin cloths, I'd say at least 6 - you can never have enough!!
• Going home outfit - think carefully about this, it needs to be easy to fit the car seat straps around, and in November it will need to be warm!
• Blanket (at least one for the trip home)
• Take a full packet of nappies, you may be home in no more than a few hours after the birth, or due to the time of birth and doctors rounds etc. it could be closer to 36 hours, and new born babies (especially if BF) poo A LOT!!!
• Nappy/barrier cream
• Nappy sacks
• You don't need anything more than sleep suits and all in one type clothes, I will take in 3 vests and 3 sleepsuits for whilst we are actually in hospital, but obviously if you want fully blown outfits then that is up to you!
• Lastly I will be sneaking in some baby lotion this time, as I said, last time they wouldn't let me bath DS, and a two day old baby smelling of where it came from isn't very nice if you get my drift!! So even if I have to put some lotion on him when no one is looking, I will!!! LOL

Don't forget to put the car seat in the car, we actually put the carseat in the boot before I was any where near due last time, just in case!!! LOL Sounds silly now, but you never know when you will need it!!

I don't really know what you would do if you are planning to bottle feed, I guess you would have to ask the maternity unit if they have bottles and formula there, and if not take it in with you.

Also find out visiting times so you can pre-warn family and friends!

"Look atwww.pregnancyandbaby.com"

You can make your own checklist.

loads of good ideas on here. Thought I would add a list of what I took but didn't use:

• face cooling spray - I had 2 cans - yes it was hot but I never used them
• paper pants - had a c-section and the paper pants cut right into my scar - ouch - and ended up wearing the lovely string vest pants that the hospital gave me!
• a good book to read between contractions - ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahaha (sorry )

The best things I had were:

• those energy sweets that 'athletes' use - they didn't annoy me if I was mid way through eating one when I had a contraction
• numerous nightshirts - hospital ward v v hot so you get very sweaty!
• spare batteries for TENS

Good luck BearMama!

Oh yes Meep those energy tablets were great.

One thing I took and never used was massage oil.

I forgot about that Sunshine! I took massage oil too - never used

Also remember your mobile phone charger - my phone ran out of battery and a few friends got very worried that something bad had happened (DH did his best to let everyone know but there were some who were missed!) - oops!

I actually used:

Tshirt/nighty for labour
Clean nighty for afterwards
Change of clothes (must be comfy!)
Lots of knickers
Even more maternity pads
Facewash and toothbrush
Lipbalm
Unscented babywipes (for you, not baby-you'll feel a lot fresher if you take them to the loo wih you!)
Drinks of juice/lucozade (they did have a machine on the ward but it was much easier just having my own by the bed)
Some snacks (cereal bars,fruit etc-my hunger patterns didnt always match mealtimes)
Nappies
1x vest
1x sleepsuit

Both times I have been lucky with a straightforward labour and same day discharge, if you stay in longer you'll obviously want more wash stuff, more nighties, knickers etc and more changes of clothes for baby.

Second time around (different hospital from first birth)I wished I'd had a dressing gown as the postnatal ward was also where they held day clinics so lots of random people coming in and out and I felt a bit exposed wandering around in my (probably bloodstained) nighty!

Maybe a book or something for afterwards when it is out of visiting hours. If it is your first baby you'll probably spend all your time afterwards just gazing at them while they sleep. If it's your second (or more) you'll know that the sleepiness doesn't last past the second day so will spend the time sleeping/relaxing with a book!

A squeezy sports drink bottle for water. So much easier to drink from than a cup, both during labour and in bed afterwards.

How enormous a bag do some of you take? Can't see that I could even lift a bag with 1/3 of the amount of stuff some of you list.
(No offense, but I'm a minimalist type myself).
Seriously, can't believe what long lists some people make.

A suitcase for both births. Inside there was a baby bag, a labour bag (which dh took home after) and a me bag (pj's, washstuff etc). Dh took a shoulder bag with snacks, drinks, water spray, lip balm and 'entertainment' (radio, book etc).
I felt a bit stupid having quite a large case, but it was better to have it all in one big bag, than have to carry lots of little bags around (had to move to a different ward at the end of labour 1st time, and beginning of labour 2nd time).
I'm sure everybody on this thread has mentioned everything I would, but I thought the disposable knickers were brilliant (biggest size, comfier), huge amounts of big thick nighttime towels (tesco or boots own) I wore 2 on top of each other in my huge paper pants, lovely!
Oh and take a couple of carrier bags to put dirty washing in for partner to take home.

I had one of those huge holdall bags (on wheels) inside that was a changing bag for the baby, it wasn't full, when things are written down it looks like a lot, but if you actually put the pile of stuff together it isn't huge.

peanutbutterkid - me too. I took very little, and it was fine. If I needed something else I could get DH to get it for me. Book, nightie, flip flops, soap etc, pants and pads, baby outfit, nappies, snacks. I took a dressing gown, but it was too hot.

I took loads of stuff for during the birth - never even got the bag opened. I'd say you NEED - pjs, slippers, some juice, balck knickers (who wants to wear paper pants???), breast pads for those leaky boobies, i-pod with headphones, book,change for phone. Anything else dp can bring in later. When my Mum visited she brought bags of goodies - which I never got a change to eat as you get out so quickly!