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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Boring hospital bag question but pls humour me - what "snacks" to take?

66 replies

Champagnesupernova · 16/02/2008 19:22

So I've got some energy tablets and plan to get some cereal bars but I never know what I feel like eating but am not good when hungry.

I'm also quite pukey so think that I may vomit in labour (sorr if tmi for emetophones) so want something that'll make me feel better.

What did you take?

TIA

OP posts:

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MrsBadger · 17/02/2008 22:27

but in labour aspartame ain't no use to anyone...

bookwormmum · 17/02/2008 22:29

aspartame make you poo doesn't it?

definitely not then!!!!!!

vonsudenfed · 17/02/2008 22:41

I ate nothing during labour, but lived off the cereal bars afterwards, and got DH to bring in litres and litres of smoothy drinks afterwards. The ward was as hot as a furnace, and the hospital food had never met a vegetable (I actually took a picture of one of my meals, it's so bizarrely coloured it looks like a Martin Parr photo) and I desperately did not want constipation.

BlueChampagne · 18/02/2008 08:34

Tablet - specially sent down from Scotland. Loads of sugar and yummy! And plain old tap water.

OneHandedTypist · 18/02/2008 08:42

fudge, dried apricots, almonds

tyaca · 18/02/2008 11:45

ooooh, tablet. there's an idea. if i can just manage to not eat it beforehand...

soph28 · 18/02/2008 12:37

Ist time took loads of stuff- home made chocolate brownies/cereal bars/rice crispie squares/crisps/bananas/fruit shoots /water/apples/energy tablets. I didn't touch any of it while I was in labour- couldn't even bare to listen to music never mind eat- but I was quite glad of it in the middle of the night in hospital when I was suddenly ravenous!

With dd I hardly took anything. Had an icecream whilst pacing around hospital with contractions after being induced (it was July 06 and 33 celcius though)

I would recommend Arnica tablets though!

Bouncingturtle · 18/02/2008 12:41

Didn't eat anything during labour but for afterwards, lots of dried fruit (for the bowels - don't expect any fibre containing hospital foods!), hobnobs, pringles, breakaways and Asda Extra Special clotted cream fudge. Also DH brought me in a McDonald's double sausage and egg McMuffin - heaven!

Dottydot · 18/02/2008 12:43

Ribena or other squashes/drinks - dp was really thirsty all the way through labour.

When her waters broke I dashed to Tescos at 4am and did a supermarket sweep, spending about £50 on all kinds of snacks.

Left them at home...

platesmasher · 18/02/2008 12:51

I second the kendal mint cake. You get the glucose and also it's nice and fresh tasting.
Buy extra just incase you eat it all before you go into labour.

jacobandlysetteandabump · 18/02/2008 16:16

i was in for bedrest for 2 weeks before ds was emergency section.

i pretty much took my own food as hospital food is just vile - shepherds pie in the middle of a heatwave anyone?

whoever came to see me was on strict instructions to bring me starbucks frapuccinos in raspberry (the only place close-ish to the hospital). other than that i had loads of alpen, nice chocolate, chocolate digestives and water - hospital water is awful - and yes they take forever to change the jugs / bring you more.

i had a whole "first lovely meal post birth or all the things i haven't been able to eat" planned, but the toast and tea i had when i was allowed to eat was the bet thing ever!

FourPlusOne · 18/02/2008 16:24

lucozade was nice for having lots of little sips of when the gas and air was drying out my mouth. DH was poised next to me with it in a cup - the pre prepared stuff not the sachets.
I remember after having DC1, after the midwives had left us alone, I totally attacked the bag of food that I had bought for labour - loads of little choc bars, biscuits etc that were intended for DH really. I just recall squatting on the floor next to the bag and stuffing myself! Poor DH looking on a bit bemused and holding DC!! The tea and toast afterwards was fab too.

Would definitely recommend packing quite fibrous snacks for afterwards though, your bowels will thank you for it!

I am planning on making some meals to freeze for the family (casserole etc) for after baby is born but think I will whip one portion out of the freezer when I go into labour this time, and stick it in my bag if I go into hospital. That way DH can give it a quick microwave and i can have a meal straight afterwards if I fancy it! Do not want hospital food if I have the baby in hospital!

Soph28 - poor you having to give birth in that heat. I was heavily preg with DC2 then and I spent the whole of the july sweltering, and being glad that I didn't have to give birth in the heat!

Debris · 18/02/2008 19:46

I took a bagful of stuff, but the only thing I wanted was the one thing that my dh had left in the fridge, some lucozade. He went to the shop in the hospital and came back with Irn Bru, I wanted to rip his head off when he gave it to me and said "its made from girders". I wanted Lucozade and nothing else would do. Dont forget there will be a shop at the hospital, or if homebirth, never usually too far away from a shop if fancy something. I think the key thing is to have an energy drink.I just couldnt eat until it was all over.When in labour with dd2 my sister made me some marmite on toast, when an almighty contraction came I threw it and we never ever did find it ! . . .

DforDiva · 18/02/2008 20:24

i packed jaffa cakes,cereal bars,fanta fruit twists this time. but had toast and tea after had ds. was the best breakfast in the world
didnt pack single thing to eat at first time. starved to death due to dd arrived in the evening.

spicemonster · 18/02/2008 20:26

Only one bag of chocolate buttons and it was nowhere near enough. I'd take loads of cereal bars (with apricots to get you moving as it were) now. And a big bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

DumbledoresGirl · 18/02/2008 20:29

I ate nothing at all during my labours. I even refused water to drink. I am the sort of person who just has to concentrate on one thing and that was getting through the agony of contractions. No thought of needing food.

That said, following the tea and toast afterwards, the best thing I had post labour was a whopping great bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk - all 200g of it!

JulesJules · 19/02/2008 13:36

With DD1,I threw up all the way through labour, then DH took my bag of snacks home with him - I really missed them, as after my 24 hour labour I was ravenous! It was 4 hours before I got the tea and toast from the midwives - we don't have facilities for making you snacks, I was told and then the hospital food !! Second time I was much more prepared! I took in a COOLBAG, packed with juice cartons, smoothies, COLD water, fruit, mini Mars bars, mini flapjacks and a couple of M&S salads... highly recommended!

AitchTwoOh · 19/02/2008 13:39

we weren't allowed to eat...

Josie57 · 20/02/2008 08:46

I ate nothing during labour as I was quite sick early on (nobody had told me I might be sick during labour so it came as a shock . I did try sipping on cartons of orange juice but these came back up. My dh who usually eats for England had two handfuls of dried fruit and nuts. Due to me going into labour in the middle of the night and then labouring all day that was all he had so I would definitely pack something more appropriate for him as I was worried he might pass out driving home on an empty stomach and as it was 10pm on a saturday hte supermarkets were shut.

Once the labour was over I was ravenous. I got tea straight away which was fab and then after my bath I got weetabix and a banana which was the best food ever but not enough . I'd brought some little fruit pots with me which were great as they were really refreshing and great for the bowels! I had a bagful of cereal bars and biscuits but didn't really want anything too sweet.

NOt sure what I will pack this time round - probably less as my hospital bag weighed a tonne!

MrsTittleMouse · 20/02/2008 10:53

JulesJules - your DH took the snacks home?!? Should be a hanging offense!

JulesJules · 20/02/2008 12:48

Yes, I know - I think he thought he was being helpful, you know, here is a bag of snacks for labour, she is not in labour any more, I'll take them home then

JFly · 20/02/2008 14:38

Thank goodness I've just bought two sixpacks of bottled water for my hospital bag, given what you've all said about hospital water! Sounds pretty grim.

Oh, and bendy straws so you can sip drinks in weird positions....

Floppytulips · 20/02/2008 16:10

Prunes. They did what they are renowned for doing! I had to have an emergency c-s and constipation would NOT have been nice!

AitchTwoOh · 21/02/2008 16:16

oh GOD yes, floppytulips, that is an essential. i had a vaginal birth but the whole area takes a bit of a beating so you DO NOT want to be constipated. take a good cereal with you (only rice krispies at my hospital) and if you're not pooing before you leave the hospital dig your heels in and demand a bottle of lactulose before you go. seriously.

cat64 · 21/02/2008 16:17

This reply has been deleted

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