confused and need advice

[geordiegirl2210]

hi all,
ive been doing some research about labour etc to try and prepare myself (i know nothing will prepare me but it was worth a shot) i am now very confused with the two following topics...

1.what exactly is a birthing plan and what is it for????

2.what on eart should i be packing into my hospital bag??? there are so many lists i feel i may as well just take the house....

please help

I've done lots of reading about labor and I'm still confused! You need quite a few things in your bag to be honest! Make sure u pack it before your due date so if you need to go to the hospital quickly then you can just grab it!

Birthing plan is something you arrange with a midwife to make sure your in the best enviroment for your birth. Eg, whether you want a water birth, pain relief and who you'd prefer to have as your birthing partner, things like that really.

Birthing plan.. Things that you'd like to happen during labour and birth. Wether you want to just try on g&a, or opt for an epidural. Wether you want skin to skin straight after, if you want your dp to cut cord, if you want to find out sex yourself of should mw tell you, that kind of thing.

Hospital bag.. normal things for you - PJ's, toiletries, towels, pads, snack and drinks, slippers, flip flops for the showers. In bag for baby - nappies, cotton wool, vests, babygros, hat, scratch mits, blanket, maybe a cardi or coat for coming home in.

ahhh ok.think my partner is going to be roped into it lol as my mum lives in lincolnshire and im in kent..i will of course be phoning her when i go into labour but there is no guarantee she will be here in time.
theres so much info you need to know and its so overwhelming at times.i know i have a while yet.im not due til june 26th but i like to plan ahead.when are you due?

I didn't bother with a birthing plan tbh, but each to their own. It's important for some because of previous experiences. Others, I guess, are worried that they won't be able to articulate what they want while in extreme pain (sorry!).

As for hosp bag, well, super absorbent sanitary towels are a must. A nightie is very helpful, especially if you can pull it down or unbutton it if you plan to breastfeed. Other than that you can just use common sense really. Anything you forget, someone can bring in for you or buy.

You don't need much ime, though others might say different.

It's such a big deal, especially with your first, that planning stuff just gives you something to do while you're waiting for 8 months.

Birthing plan is as charleigh says - you put down your preferences regarding how you would like your baby's birth to be managed. However - the main thing to remember about birthing plans is that they rarely turn out exactly how you'd like them to. On mine, for e.g., I had only 3 things - I wanted to be allowed to do my hypnobirthing, I wanted to be able to stay on my feet and I can't even remember the third one but it might have been under NO circumstances did I want to be on my back for any length of time.
I think you also get to tick your acceptance of your baby having the Vitamin K shot (really good idea) and whether or not you want baby to have the BCG (if you're near London, anyway).

I got to do my hypnobirthing a little bit but couldn't stay on my feet for love nor money - ended up in the foetal position for most of my labour, on my back only for the last push.

Hospital bag:
Maternity pads, essential.
Nipple pads - good idea, especially if bf'ing.
Disposable knickers - good idea but not essential.
Clean nighty - good idea - I needed one as I bled all over mine.
Spare pillows - very good idea.
Food - excellent idea.
Drink - ditto.
Music/DVD/books to stave off boredom - good idea.
Stuff for baby - pretty much essential.
Own toiletries - good idea.

HTH.

A

Ah yes - third thing on my birthing plan was to have DS cleaned up before he was handed to me!

Oh yeah, baby clothes and nappies. Slaps forehead.

my partner seems to think the hospital will supply nappies or is that not the case??

Maternity pads not Sanitary pads - San pads have chemicals in them which tend to 'draw' and if you should have stitches they could get caught in the dryweave top - ouch.

No, you have to bring your own - cloth or dispos.

thankyou so much feeling less confused now...although i do want to pack it now then i know its done but im being told i "have ages" yet

vaseline - for lips. A must!
And disposable knickers - and get 3 sizes bigger than your usual size!!!!

By the way, neither are a necessity - if you go into labour early, before you've had a chance to write a plan or pack a bag, it will still be fine!!

Birth plans and hospital bags are just good ideas that might make the birth run a little smoother.

So don't worry about them too early, just take your time and see how you're feeling as the birth approaches :)

lol PermaShattered I learnt my lesson about the knickers! For some unknown reason I didn't realise they'd come in sizes (yes, seriously!!?) so just picked a pack off the shelf, only to get home and realise they were size 10-12!! As a size 12 pre-pregnancy they certainly did not fit!! I now have 16-18's :)

Although after all that, I'm planning to use my current undies post-birth and then chuck them all afterwards and get nice new ones! Why does no-one tell you about the insane amounts of discharge you get whilst pg!!

Oh and if you do take a CD/DVD player or anything else that requires batteries, remember to take spare batteries too.

It won't matter if you pack your bag now - you can always add to it or remove things or change them over the next few months. One of my friends not only had her hospital bag packed by now, she ALSO had her "going out with the baby after it's born" bag packed! But she is very organised. Frighteningly so to one of my chaotic tendencies.