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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Do I really need to take my own towels to hospital???

52 replies

AllBuggiedOut · 14/02/2008 16:42

Am packing my hospital bag, and see that on the hospital's checklist it says towels. I had my 2 DSs at Chelsea and Westminster, and I'm SURE they gave me towels to use, but this time will be at Colchester General. Do I really need to take my own? Bag is huge already!

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ja9 · 14/02/2008 21:28

wiimii, my hosp even provided them!

VanillaPumpkin · 14/02/2008 21:39

I took towels in. I was like Ladyofwaffle though with my three bags. I used nothing in my labour bag apart from the cd's and straws . Made me feel confident to have it all there (plus birthing ball in the car) though.

Flibbertyjibbet · 14/02/2008 21:41

My bag seemed very very huge. Like a month away type bag.

Then I heard this tip.

Put items you need for labour, a couple of pads, a nappy, baby gro and baby hat in a smaller bag. Put pack of nappies, reast of pads, dressing gown, bathtowell, baby clothes, food supplies etc etc in larger bag and leave it in the car boot. When baby is out and dp leaves to ring everyone on mobile, get him to make the calls whilst walking to car park to fetch large bag containg dressing gown, pack of nappies, etc etc.

MW commented on how light I travel... till she tripped over the big bag on the ward later on!

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 15/02/2008 09:17

Am seriously considering "forgetting" to take towels; they must have some I can use, surely?! Really not bothered about having my own towel. Much more interested in minimising the amount of washing I will have to do!

OP posts:
JFly · 15/02/2008 10:26

AllBuggied if you tour the maternity unit, just see if you can get a look at their "bath" towels. Ones I saw were pretty small, so I thought I'd just bring one or two clean ones (b/c how clean are their towels) with me that I know will cover me up. If they get really stained/messy, just chuck them away. I second the Primark recommendation - they are nice and fluffy and cheap so you don't feel bad throwing them out if you have to.

preggersagain · 15/02/2008 10:38

morrisons- 5.99 for a pack of two bath sheets- brown colour is VERY useful, wash em a few times and they fluff up nicely- felt nicer to me than using their scratchy white towels and then having to transport said white towels once blood spattered to the laundry area! also packs of 4 flannels for 89p- buy some and chuck them when you've finished if you don't want to have to deal with them!

purpleflower · 15/02/2008 10:39

DS was born in Colchester general and yes I did have to take my own towels.

juuule · 15/02/2008 10:44

Why wouldn't you take your own towels? I can understand the hospital having things for emergencies but it's not an hotel.
I would take my own of whatever I thought I needed.

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 15/02/2008 11:11

Did you take your own sheets juuule?

OP posts:
chipkid · 15/02/2008 11:23

take flipflops for the shower too best bit of advice that I was given!!!

Haylstones · 15/02/2008 11:30

I was admitted to the maternity ward for 2 nights last week and hadn't packed anything as wasn't expecting it. On the second day I asked to have a shower but explained I didn't have soap/shampoo/towel (dh did have list but obviously forgot half of it). The mw said she'd see what she could do and returned with a bottle of bubble bath from 'lost property' and nothing else. I had to wash myself and hair with said bubble bath and dry myself on my dirty top (luckily dh brought me a few tops) It wasn't pleasant! Am due next week and have packed a couple of towelks for me and baby

cmotdibbler · 15/02/2008 11:32

There were no towels where I gave birth. As I hadn't expected to have DS at 35 weeks, and so hadn't packed very well, I had to dry myself on the blue paper stuff on labour suite.

If I'd known that no one would change my bed in a week, I'd have taken my own sheets.

SCBU did provide baby clothes and nappies etc, but the ward didn't.

colditz · 15/02/2008 11:33

Yes you do. And baby blankets, sometimes.

PersephoneSnape · 15/02/2008 11:59

i had to stay in for a weekend with a traverse lie and took my own blanket to sleep under. horrible scratchy hospital sheets after a 36 hour labour with my first were not fab. obviously you could sleep on a washing line after that, but home comfirts are fab. i'm slightly hospital phobic. home things help.

Original poster
AllBuggiedOut · 15/02/2008 12:04

That's really grim, Haylstones and Cmotdibbler. Clearly I was spoilt at C&W!

OP posts:
coastalmum · 15/02/2008 13:43

Definately take your own pillow, keep it in the car until you on postnatal ward.

Oblomov · 15/02/2008 14:10

I am astonished. I gave birth at Kings College hospital 4 years ago and they provided everything. Big fluffy lovely towels, pads allsorts.
I was there, a couple of months ago, aswell, and their towels etc are still as nice.
Kings must be luxury, compared to some other peoples poor service.

babylove21 · 15/02/2008 21:26

The advice about the pillow is great,i dont like the crinkly plastic hygiene cover they use under the piloow cases - make you sweat.
i'm going to add one to my list.

Onlyaphase · 15/02/2008 21:31

DD born in Colchester General and though they did have most things, you should take your own bath towels

Bathrooms etc are clean so no need to worry about that. They did provide all baby bedding, even a hat when I didn't realise I'd need one for her inside the hospital. Took my own nappies etc and maternity towels as they provided some but not lots IYSWIM.

Midwives at Colchester are lovely, all of them. So very kind and patient with morphine brain numpty here.

wobbegong · 17/02/2008 20:16

Yes you do. I didn't take one and the midwife was really rather snotty about giving me one for the shower. Felt like I was plundering NHS resources inappropriately. She was even less impressed by my failure to pack a babygro for the new baby. Oops.

whomovedmychocolate · 17/02/2008 21:37

I took a large net laundry bag and a 'bag for life' type Sainsburys bag with me - you chuck any stained towels/clothes etc in there, and chuck them in the bag then you (or your DH) doesn't have to touch them just tip the laundry bag into the washing machine. Much easier than having to fold up stuff back into a case (it never goes back in anyway).

A big fluffy towelling dressing gown will get your dry as well as keep you warm as well.

purpleflower · 17/02/2008 21:41

I found Colchester hosital very warm so you may not need the thick dressing gown

I had a shower in the early hours after having DS but then sweated really badly in the night so had to get DP to bring me in more towels so I could shower again as mine were wet!

NKffffffffcf38729dX1264acbb50d · 20/01/2010 08:27

I suggest yes. Personal stuff like that, on my opinion must be brought to places like hospital. You can just easily bring portable closets for hand carry.

stressheaderic · 20/01/2010 10:17

Are some hospitals that bad? Surely there are standards of cleanliness to meet?

I'd never stayed in hosp before until I had a night in with bleeding at 24 weeks, and can honestly say it was SPOTLESS. Cleaners were mopping round me 3 times a day, big white towels were plentiful and the bathrooms were cleaner than my own .
That was an antenatal ward though, perhaps postnatal wards can be a bit more, er, splattered?!

whostolemyname · 20/01/2010 12:15

My hospital only has baby towels which you can use if you forget your own towel but they are about the size of a tea towel so i would strongly suggest taking your own! In fairness the NHS does have finite resources and all that laundry soon adds up in cost so i dont think it is unreasonable of them to ask you to bring your own towel x