Hospital Bag?

[The3Bears]

Have got my hospital bag and went shopping today to get things for it, but my mind has gone blank! It's nearly 6 years since I had ds1 so my memory is hazy, can anyone help me by giving me a list of essentials? I dont want to just put anything and everything in there as hopefully I will only be in there for 2 nights like last time :) fingers crossed anyway.

Also can anyone recommend any decent nightwear that will be easy for bf in the ward?

Primark do nighties that open in the front.

I had a nice striped camisole style jersey nightie and just popped a boob over the top of it though.

Useful for me were:
Big pants
Sanitary towels
Socks/slippers
Dressing gown
Couple of changes of PJs
Washbag with face wash/toothpaste and brush/hand cream/make-up if you are like me want to/hairbrush/shower gel.
Glucose tablets (personally I couldn't stomach food and was throwing up throughout labour, and these kept me going and gave me energy)
Lucozade (ditto)
Camera and charger
Notebook and pen (for keeping a journal for first couple of days- I had to stay in for a few nights)
Book
Baby's clothes
Newborn nappies

Most of these things you won't need if you don't stay in afterwards- but you never know, and I'd rather have what I need than wait for DP or relatives to fetch things.

For Baby
3 vests
3 babygrows
Pack of nappies
Cotton wool
2 blankets
Toy for cot
3 muslins

For you
Pack of sanitary towels!
Breast pads
Huge pants
Large dark towel
Shampoo, shower gel, tooth brush, paste, moisturiser, lip balm
Hairbrush
Make up - if you can be bothered!
Nightie for labour
Front fastening nightie
Birkenstocks, flip flops - saves bending
Yoga trousers, soft trousers
Feeding bra - if you are BF'ing
Front fastening top, t-shirt or shirt - its boiling on the ward!
Lansinoh - if BF'ing
Feeding pillow, can use to wedge baby even if not BF'ing!
Phone charger
Camera
Snacks for labour
Magazine, book
Present for DC1 from baby

I think that's everything!!!

I would take 3 separate bags. One for baby, one for your labour and one for you on the ward.

Added to what other people have said, I would include face cloths/flannels to your labour bag because I found these lovely, wet against my forehead in the hot labour ward.

I had a few little bags.

For baby:
Three baby grows
Three vests
One cardi
One hat
One pair scratchers
Three muslins
Pack nappies
Pack wipes

For Me:
Button down nighty
Pjs
Big shirt for birth
Dressing gown
Slippers
Big knickers
Maternity towels and breast pads
BF bra
Little shampoo, shower gel

Extras:
Book and MP4 player (I knoew I was staying in overnight too)
Pen (to do all the crosswords in the papers your visitors bring)
I also took a sheet of paper as we had a lot of visitors and I wanted to note what people gave as gifts for when I did my thank you cards
Bottled water
Cereal bars
Hairbrush and bobbles
Camera, phone and chargers
Pillow

Other than the obvious things already covered, I found the following immensely helpful:

Drinking straws - meant that dh could just pop the straw into my mouth no matter what position I was in.

Flip flops - no bending down to put shoes/slippers on, you can wear them to the bathroom and throw them away when you go home.

Lansinoh nipple cream

Toy for the cot? Really?

Possibly either a PFB moment, Daisy, or a teddy to put in for the photos?

The teddy is really important to me and my DH it is something we choose together for the baby when I am pregnant. When my DD was born I was very ill and in intensive care so I couldnt see or be near DD for a week, it meant a lot to me that she always had something with her that we had chosen for her, it made me feel linked to her and closer.

That's the perfect reason.

Hope you are feeling better.

She's 4 now so I'm fine thank you, currently expecting DC3 she was number 1, it wasn't bad enough to put me off

Thanks for all the help, have made a list and popping into town tomorrow to start getting bits :) Good idea about the straws would have never thought about that.
Will do 3 seperate bags also as this seems like a good idea

Not that I ended up using them as I didn't have gas and air but I had lip balm and throat sweets recommended to me.

Bottle of water... The water at our local hospital is horrible so I had squash with me too.

Good luck

Take babywipes for you to use instead of toilet paper... :)

Yes to lip balm, forgot that and it was the most used.

Take a deck of cards if you have room, me and DH had a few games during the day between visiting.