Essentials for the hospital bag... a fan! Yes, in January...

[Adair]

Was admitted night before last with pain and bit of bleeding (everything all fine, thankfully).

Just stayed with my handbag and clothes as don't have a hospital bag ready yet (not due for another month, and am notoriously laissez-faire bout the whole thing) but was kinda good to have a 'practice run' as my GOSH the hospital was HOT - heating on full whack.

So am going to try and locate/make some sort of fan for my labour bag, which I never would have thought of as necessary in Jan but eek, would hate to have actually been in labour that hot.

Other thoughts are bottle of water (they did provide but...) a very very easy to read book/mag (for the morning when waiting to be discharged), snack food (ditto), slippers (got 'told off' for walking round bare-foot).

Any other ideas? (Am going to go and do my bag in a bit)

Totally agree with taking a fan! I had a similar experience to you earlier this month resulting in a hospital stay and it was very hot on the maternity ward.

Slippers wasn't on my list- thanks! Am only 32 weeks but am a strategist by profession so planing ahead is in my nature...

I read somewhere this week that a water spray is a very good idea for labour as well as drinking water.

Am complete opposite (we forgot to take baby stuff to hospital in first labour, dh had to go and get later... ).

However, dh is forcing me to Get Organised this time. And probably a good idea.

Polos! Just remembered from first labour...

Had Magicool spray stuff as well but I don't know if you could get it at this time of year.

I agree! I had a fan in my room luckily - don't think I would have coped if I hadn't.

I was really unhappy when my doctor turned it off!

i packed my bag last night! included 2 nighties, lots of pants, big flufffy socks, slippers , breast pads, maternity sanitary towels, 2 packs of facewipes(will hopefully help cool me down), but im definatly gonna take a few bottles of water, and possibly invest in a fan, i cannot do with being too hot!

Those cool and soothe sheets that you stick to your forehead are good - saves faffing around with a wet flannel!!

What about freezing a few water bottles...and grabbing them as you leave the house???...or maybe a cool bag with a small ice pack..this should help keep, wipes, flannels cold etc.

Ooh, very good idea Highlandgirl.

Just packing my bag now. Well bags, one with my stuff, another with the baby's. It seems like quite a lot, but much of the room in my bag is taken up by a HUGE dark red bath towel.

I have a few snacks to pack, but luckily St.George's in Tooting has an M&S food so will be sending DH there for supplies I'd imagine!

CuppateaJanice, brill. Will get in Sainsburys next time I am there...

Highlandgirl, that's a great idea but SO can't see me being organised enough to remember. Gonna do it anyway.

mama, yup, your list sounds good.

MrsCratchit, def pack loads of snacks - you don't know what time you will need them (and if dh will be around). For me, it was the morning after giving birth but before brekkie and shops open... Oh, and snacks for dh - we were padding around finding the staff canteen at midnight (dh eating macaroni cheese while I had contractions )

Forfestivesakes, d'you reckon they'd let me just bring the desktop fan and plug it in?

I sent DH out to get a fan while I was in labour and then were told we couldn't plug it in as it hadn't been PAT tested.

So battery operated might be a plan! :)

Flip flops or slip on sandals are better than slippers if hospital is roasting!

Suggest you take a small torch. They don't always have bedside lights on the wards...I was changing the baby's nappy by the light of my mobile phone!

a sports water bottle that you can sip from during labour and after, much eaier when lying down than plastic cups.

Cheap flip flops for wearing in the shower

a separate bag for you and newborn, makes it much easier to find stuff

pack of milton wipes for bedside table, yes we shouldnt have to but better safe than sorry. I caught a terrible infection last time.

a happy photograph from home for when the tears start.

I took flip flops too and just binned them as we left. Also took flash wipes as our hospital isn't the cleanest.

Music player perhaps? Lots of books / mags for you and DH. We still have the newspaper from DDs birth, with the crossword fully completed. Lots of snacks. Flannel. Bag of cotton wool balls for nappy changes (midwives will probably offer you cw on a roll which requires more dexterity than you will possess first time around).

If you are thinking of bfing take the telephone numbers for the local bfing counsellors too.