Hospital bags - leaving hospital and premature baby/NICU stay

[Bluffingwithmymuffin]

Hi, I'm expecting to have a planned c-section at 34-37 weeks due to pregnancy complications. I've previously had a vaginal birth so using that and helpful c-section packing lists have mostly ordered things I need for the hospital bag.

However, I'm looking for ideas on what to wear when leaving the hospital following a csection that may leave a vertical scar. What did you wear?

I'm also unsure if there's anything particularly helpful to pack for a premature baby who may have a NICU stay. I presume I should pack tiny baby clothes and nappies - do they need anything else different to normal?

Thank you

I found a dressing gown with big pockets really helpful. It was quite far from the postnatal ward to neonatal so it was useful to put my phone in one pocket (for taking photos) and expressed milk in the other so i could lean on the wall when i needed to. A folding stool would have been good so I could have sat down while waiting for the bottles to sterilize but I couldn't have carried one around. A person to do the fetching and carrying would have been the most useful.

Make sure you have stuff to entertain you as premature babies sleep a lot and sometimes I wanted to tune out the noises of other people's babies on the postnatal ward.

In our hospital nappies, cotton wool, clothes etc were all provided in neonatal but your midwife should know if that's the case where you are.

Lots of hats (staff were fixated with babies not getting too cold even in an incubator), and scratch mitts/socks to cover their hand to keep the drip/pulse ox in place. Travel/flat changing mat to slide under their bum to change nappies while in the incubator (difficult to get them out to change if attached to lots of lines/oxygen).

I’d also take a travel pillow / breastfeeding pillow for you as the chairs by the incubators are very upright and it’s hard to position (even if you’re not breastfeeding, it makes it more comfortable to hold them).

If you plan to breastfeed/express, then there’s little to no privacy so a breastfeeding cover or one of those wearable pumps would be handy.

For c section clothes make sure you’ve got big knickers so they don’t rub on your scar. I wore pregnancy harem-style trousers and a fitted t shirt a lot which was comfy.

Check what is provided for NICU as ours had nappies, cotton pads, blankets etc. but no nappy bags! You can get away without them as it’s all going in a biological waste bin anyway but I found it easier to have one on hand to dump dirty wipes in mid change.

As a pp said it can be very boring so kindle etc for you. Some books to read to baby can be nice too.

I’d recommend colostrum syringes. In my experience NICU nurses unfortunately don’t understand breastfeeding and will try and get you to use a full on breast pump from day one.

Different hospitals have different set ups, but mine didn’t feed mothers in NICU and the kitchen was poorly set up, so I’d recommend bringing some cutlery if you’ll want to eat there.

Disposable post partum pants are great for the first few days post section. People always recommend a pillow to put between you and the car seat, I find it was necessary, but having an extra pillow around is always handy.

@elliejjtiny thank you so much. I am seeing my community midwife next week but tbh she isn't massively helpful - she's quite scatty. You have given me new things to ask the consultant about though, I think I can ask for a tour so I can get an idea of distances between postnatal and NICU as well as the equipment/what's provided. Entertainment and a folding stool are great ideas.

I am hoping my partner will be with be at least during the day - he will be at home with my son overnight.

@Calmestofallthechickens Hats, scratch mitts, socks and travel mat are good ideas - I have bought sleepsuits with in-built mitts and feet which clearly won't work with tubes, I had also presumed NICU would be hot so thank you so much.

I am planning to breastfeed but I'm not sure what will be possible with a premature baby yet. I'd assumed I'd need to pump if she comes before 36 weeks - another question I'll add to the list for my midwife and consultant :)

@claudiawinklemansfringetrimmer thank you - nappy bags sound like an essential to me, and I love the suggestion of baby books as well as entertainment for me.

There is a small chance that I'll have a vertical c-section scar rather than a horizontal one - which won't be confirmed until February. I have bought high waisted seamless knickers which will hopefully be sufficient. Harem trousers are a great idea. Previously, with my son, I wore a loose cotton shirt dress which was super comfy but I wondered whether separates would be easier to get dressed in following a c-section.

@Moancup thank you so much. I want to exclusively breastfeed again so colostrum syringes are a great idea. I preferred hand expressing it with my son and remember midwives being unsupportive / too busy so will make sure I discuss it with them and consultants. It is awful that you weren't fed or provided with basic kitchen equipment - I'll make sure to ask what provisions are available for NICU parents at my hospital.

In terms of pillows did you use a nursing pillow, pregnancy pillow or normal pillow? I am slightly worried about how much stuff I'll need to take with me

Our NICU had a little wardrobe with clothes you could borrow, so dont worry too much if you dont have too many things for clothes as you might be able to borrow. Once DD1 was allowed to wear clothes, we found footless sleepsuits to be best. Asda and Next were good for very small sizes.

Depends how early baby is, if they are earlier, you will need to pump because they will be too tired to do all of their feeds at the breast and they will need an NG tube, at least as top ups. Pumping is important because it brings in your milk supply so that it's ready when baby is. Apparently the first 2 weeks is the most important in setting up your supply, I was told I needed to pump every 3 hours (including during the night too). If they are closer to 36/37, they will be a lot more ready to feed. You shouldn't need to bring syringes yourself, the NICU has them.
For baby I bought books to read to him, and I bought my own blankets and things for him because I preferred that over the hospital blankets. My baby was quite a bit earlier than yours is expected so we didn't need the clothes initially, but hopefully yours will be right into them. The NICU did have some provided but I liked baby having his own things. I also took my own baby towel and soap when he was ready for his first bath. I found a nursing pillow really helpful, I just left in there in his cupboard. I didn't take all this stuff in at once though because our situation was very unexpected and not planned, so it was gradual that I bought it all in as we went. A water bottle for you as well, helps milk supply to keep up on water.

Depending how little baby will be, pampers do free nappies for prem babies on their website, or you can collect free from asda pharmacy. Nicu will have nappies but the pampers ones are much nicer! I would get a few packs now, if baby is too big for them then you just donate them :)
I would also suggest a baby blanket, cotton wool (used instead of wipes),. Lots of bits they will have, but i much preferred having our own which the nicu dd was at encouraged. For a breast feeding pillow, I find the ikea v shaped one has been fine and can double as a pregnancy pillow for now.
They should have decent breast pumps you can use and lots of colostrum syringes, just ask. Unless you get loads of colostrum/produce milk quickly, they may encourage formula or donor milk to start with , especially if baby is 34 weeks so think about what you would like to do

I suggest packing things you will need at different points in different bags and leaving everything but the first day bag in the car. Your husband can then bring different things up as they are needed and equally importantly take things away as soon as possible to keep clutter free. Take lots of high fibre snacks. I had a box full of stuff like raisins and apple juice cartons in the car.

My son was tube fed with formula initially (could have been expressed if I’d have had a pump etc) and I found NICU quite anti breastfeeding because they don’t do on demand (it’s a strict 3-4 hour schedule) but surprisingly we established breastfeeding with no issue whatsoever once he was off oxygen and could suck - so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t happen straight away.

Lots of good advice already. I would add that I found the NICU hot. Babies at that age are terrible at regulating their temperature so nurses are very adept at keeping them warm but I found it boiling. Not least because I was in Winter time so I layered. A stretchy vest top was a good layer as was a cardy or button top for ease of breastfeeding. I wore soft top pregnancy trousers which were loose enough not to press on my stomach but comfy enough to sit in all day.
My NICU nurses were a mix of supporting breastfeeding and not. When dc came off the ng tube they really wanted me to use bottles as they were having to use a cup overnight which was a pain for them. But we persevered and I was able to fully breastfeed.

I wore harem pants from seraphine

I always say hand cream because you are constantly having to wash and antibac your hands before touching baby and pumping / sterilising. Also as previously mentioned it’s always hot and dry in the nicu / scbu so my hands can get really dry and sore.

A nursing pillow. I couldn’t breastfeed DS (for medical reasons) but we were in NICU for six weeks, and he was so small it was very difficult to hold him comfortably, which I wanted to do as much as possible. A nursing pillow made all the difference (we bought the bb.hug.me one). Baby was 35+4 but only 1.7kg.

I wouldn’t buy many baby clothes as there’s quite a big range of sizes your baby may be when born. The NICUs will have a few bits to tide you over while you buy some more.

For you, yes to harem pants or similar. Feels more secure than anything dress like IME. I found cheap low neck tops good for pumping- a baggy T shirt with a low vest under works well for privacy once you get the hang of it. I didn’t have a c section so can’t help re scar sorry.

You’ll want phone charger, books etc for pumping sessions. Hand cream as you wash your hands 100x a day and lip balm. Water bottle. All this can be got later though.

Do get someone to show you how to hand express colostrum into a capped syringe at first (don’t go straight to pump). If you want to avoid formula altogether, ask advice about expressing colostrum pre birth (may not be advisable due to risk of triggering labour) or about donor breast milk - to use for the first feed or two before your own supply is in. And make your wishes clear.

Like PP I struggled with BF in the NICU, although managed eventually. We found out much later DD had tongue tie although NICU nurses said she didn’t! And the hospital BF counsellor also saw no issues. Basically remember they are not BF experts…. they are pro breast milk but not necessarily breast feeding…

Hope you manage to keep LO in as long as possible and all goes smoothly

My most ‘luxurious’ thing when mine was in nice was a large black bath towel. Knowing I was there for a while I could not stand the tiny nhs ones which were white too. Not ideal with all the fluids I was leaning.
because we stayed there for over a week we had close family visit. They brought us proper food. It meant we ate properly and they had something to do as well as sit at home and worry.

My second baby unexpectedly ended up in NICU but can’t recall at all what she wore. I think just a onesie. I’ve had two sections and just wore normal clothes to go home, but my scar was horizontal. Something loose - basically the maternity wear you went in wearing!

Asda do prem vests and babygrows with poppers almost over to allow for tubes and wires. Yes to hate and scratch mits and prem nappies.
I wasnt prepared for NICU as didnt expect DS to come early but what I didnt know was to have to ask for the nurses to 'get the baby out' so that i could hold him for limited amounts of time as he got cold quickly. Also as he was tube fed I couldn't do that either and as he was prem was given a dummy as wasnt able to suck yet.

Both mine were born c section at exactly 34 weeks after I went into labour and were breech.
Best things were the always incontinence pants. They are soft and go over your scar (nothing that sits under your belly button will be comfy) and you can just tear them off and bin them. You’ll bleed so this also catches the blood. Soft high wait joggers.
for the baby, not sure if they still do them but Asda George did amazing preemie vests that open out like a book and clip on the sides. Just lay the baby on top because trust me, with a tiny baby you won’t want to put a vest over the baby’s head. This was invaluable and so much easier. I hope they still do them. the hospital will likely provide little hats and cardi’s that has been donated. Otherwise I’d get these. The baby won’t be be able to keep warm on their own.

I took a regular pillow in. My NICU had nursing pillows available (which as a PP said, are also very handy for holding a tiny baby).

My third baby was in NICU earlier this year. I’ve also had two C sections (he was one, and his older brother another).

I couldn’t personally tolerate trousers over the C section scar and found loose dresses -mainly my pregnancy dresses - much more comfortable. I wore mesh pants underneath to make sure the scar got as much air as possible.

Big yes to hand cream - my and my husband’s hands were so so sore and cracked because of the hand washing and sanitiser gel.

I took in both a normal pillow and my travel breastfeeding pillow. But I think a normal size breastfeeding pillow would be a good compromise between the two.

For clothing, the baby wore just a nappy in the incubator. The hospital provided a special hat that helped hold the wires in place (they removed the hat we provided). They also had a splint-like contraption for keeping the cannula in place.

Once he was out of the incubator and moved to the HDU, he was in a normal baby grow. He was born at 38 weeks, so he was in newborn size by then. I don’t personally like to put scratch mitts on newborns, because I don’t like their movements to be hindered, but the baby grows had them inbuilt anyway.

For the first few hours, the hospital provided syringes for colostrum. They encouraged me to move very quickly to the pump though. I was skeptical and thought it was too soon, but they were right and it helped establish a good milk supply. As soon as they moved him from glucose drip to tube feeding, his milk requirements picked up very quickly so it was very useful to have a good supply in place. Initially he had expressed milk through the tube, and then moved to feeding directly
when he was off oxygen.

The NICU unit we were in is a level 3, so they care for some incredibly small babies - from 22 weeks onwards. Ours was by far the biggest they had in. The staff were amazing - so on top of everything, and also so kind and supportive. We felt incredibly well cared for.

I developed pregnancy complications that was going to mean induction/c section between 35 and 38 weeks. I was one twice a week blood tests to monitor my condition. At 36 weeks things got worse so I was brought in for an induction at 36+6, things stabilised so it was late on 37+0 that I was actually induced and baby arrived the next day.

Baby was very sleepy so needed formula top ups and me trying to express colostrum for the first 36h as he was sleeping for 12h at a time and I couldn't get him to latch. He had a 100% tongue tie which didn't help. Although he was a good weight he was very scrawny so we had to drop to size 0 nappies and smaller baby clothes.

I had to have assessments for preterm labour at 34 and 35 weeks as I started to have contractions due to an irritable uterus and had a bag packed for me separately from babies in case he came early. There was a large supermarket next to our hospital and I kept a basket of baby clothes with the expected size baby was thought to be and as I made it through each milestone I adjusted it. We picked up the clothes we needed on my way to be induced.