Hospital bag - how much stuff?

[MayimBialik]

I know there have been a million threads about hospital bags and am pretty sure of everything that I could/should have in there BUT not sure about quantities of things such as maternity pads, breast pads and nappies? What is advisable?

How long do you need maternity pads for? I guess they still get used out of hospital too so I will need a stash at home?

Any help greatly appreciated!

I used maternity pads for about 10 days, so they'll definitely get used at home. Was changing them every couple of hours. Take enough supplies for a couple of days and then if you're in longer someone can bring you in a top up of supplies from home, hopefully.

You can bleed after childbirth for up to 6 weeks, but you probably only need 1 or 2 packs of pads in the hospital depending on the length of your stay.

I dont think I used that many breast pads at all, but I ff so if you are breast feeding I would say a box in hospital.

One pack of nappies is more than enough for the first while. I think I took ten in but didnt use them all.

HTH (someone more knowledgeable should be along soon :) )

You will take more than you need, find the hospital bag discarded in a corner 2/3 months after you got home and have to unpack it wondering why you thought you would need so much crap. If it helps, I took a HUGE bag and all I wanted when I was there was drinks (ran out after the first few hours and didn't want warm hospital water) and a fan. DP was crap at fanning with magazine and it was about 600degrees in the room. I was surprised I hadn't melted at te end of it.

I have started to pack my hospital bag too,
I was lucky the other day in the fact i had a small tour of our maternity ward and was able to ask lots of questions about what i should pack.

I was basically told, i only needed to bring the basics.
Something to wear during labour 2-3 old tee shirts
Clean PJs for after the birth,
Clothes for you to go home in.
Toiletries, hair dryer,
Clothes for baby to wear during stay,
Clothes for going home,

I am packing a basic bag with the thinking i'll be in 1-2 days after birth.
I am then getting a 2nd (reserve bag) ready with more clean pjs for me, baby clothes etc.... that DH can bring in we end up stayIng in for longer

MW told me they would provide
Nappies
Sani pads
Breast pads

Maybe worth asking your MW if your hospital also provides nappies etc...

As for sani/breast pads you will use plenty of them at home too so stock up at least for the 1st week, (someone can always go and buy you more if needed) .
Hope this helps a bit :-)

.

Thanks for the replies.

So how many maternity pads would u say get used on average during a day? And are the huge thick ones the best?

Marking place!
I had section last time but this time all looks set for normal (Yaye) so need to know the pads info!
I didn't really leak much boob milk in hospital, it was day 3 that the leakage started and the huge square hot boobs arrived!

I took 2 packs of pads in, the huge thick ones. I was grateful for the extra padding! They were packs of 10 and I used about 1 pack a day. I also found the disposable pants really good. I bought them a couple of sizes too big and it meant I could just bin them when I needed to, rather than taking a load of knickers home to wash.

After about 4 or 5 days, I found the bulky Mat pads really uncomfortable and moved on to normal pads. Wore these for about a month I think.

Good luck!

This may be verging into Tmi territory, but no-one warned me so I wasn't prepared. Think of a heavy period and times by 10. You will probably leak, so second time round I bought couple packs of cheap big knickers from supermarket, then chucked away as necessary.
Also switched from the maternity pads to super thick sanitary towels after few days, as they were much less leak prone (thanks to wings) although I think the official advice is to use maternity pads because they're more breathable and don't contain chemicals.

I try to take the bare minimum and have a bit more packed at home or in the car in case I need to stay longer. Longest I've ever stayed is 6 hours and I found I had a load of stuff that I simply never used. Plus you (or I do, at least) always seem to leave with more stuff than you came in with by the time they've given you Bounty Packs and whatnot on the ward.

I only use huge maternity pads for a couple of days, I used night time ones after that. Made me a bit more comfortable. You're certainly going to need huge thick ones for the first day or so, though.

I've picked up a small packet of newborn disposables (think there's 27 or so, don't anticipate having to use them all) and taken one reusable for her to change into before we leave. I didn't fancy using reusables in hospital and having to take a bag of nappies home to wash as well.

I've packed about 5 pairs of breast pads. I don't know about other people but I find I only really leak huge amounts after my milk comes in properly in a few days, so I don't take an entire box.

And yes to big cheap knickers. Not very flattering (not that you give a hoot after giving birth) but you can just get rid of them. And they're comfy :o

Great advice from everyone already. I'd also add that we left an easy-to-recognise pile of extra things (nappies, maternity pads, baby clothes) on our dining table along with a bag in case we ran out - and it was a good idea. Ran out of baby clothes (we were in longer than anticipated due to my low iron after my huge episiotomy) and we gave a friend the key to the flat and said 'they're on the dining table' and she just grabbed the stuff and came back, no looking through drawers and than hunting down a bag - and I didn't have to think 'hmm... the babygros are in the second... no third drawer in the baby's room.. no... we left a pile on our bed near the changing unit.. no, hang on....' etc etc.

i have to say the tena lady incontinence pants were much better than the maternity pads as i leaked a lot for the first few days

cheap matalan pants are really comfy and I still have a few pairs from 2 years ago. I will be putting them to good use in March. I still have memories of being in the full throws of labour and DH asking me what I wanted to do with the shitty bloody pair of pants on the floor!

Oh and baby vomited lots in the night and needed 3 babygros (the maximum I'd packed). But as DH got chucked out during night, he brought more with him when he came back. We stayed less than 24 hours after giving birth and I'd put in my birth plan I'd like to leave as soon as possible if there was no concerns so I packed for this eventuality and if anything changed DH would bring more stuff in.

Can i recommend a long t shirt type nightie (ideally with) buttons and pj bottoms. got mine from primark last time. if you need a catheter getting pj bottoms on is tricky but you want to feel covered. buttons on top useful for feeding. also flipflops instead of slippers as can wear them in the shower iynwim!!

I never used a hospital bag with either of my 2 births! Will pack one for DC3 (due in 5 weeks).

You bleed a hell of a lot more than you think you will - someone upthread was right in saying it is a seriously heavy period x10!! I take some tena lady incontinence pants and maternity pads, I leaked a lot the second time and wearing the tena like normal pants with a mat pad inside at least gave me confidence that when I got up from a seat, I hadn't left a big pool of blood.... First time I bled for a week, second time 6 weeks. Apparently both are normal. After a few days, you can go to night time normal pads, but the extra padding with the mat pads is a godsend, especially if you have stitches.

A few babygros/vests/nappies and snowsuit for goiung home (at this time of year). Clothes for yourself to go home in. You won't care what you have on when in labour, although I labour quickly and wasn't in very long either time before baby was born. Maybe you would be more bothered if you were in for hours. YOur DH can always nip home and get more stuff if you end up in there for a few days. Good Luck!