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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Snacks for hospital bag, idea's please

33 replies

therewearethen · 03/12/2012 13:29

I'm 32wks so think it's time to start packing my bag ready for hospital. It's my second but I didn't take any food with me the first time and was pretty ravenous after the birth and the tea and toast the hospital provided just didn't cut it!

So I need some inspiration of what to pack, obviously it needs to have a longish shelf life as I'm not due for another 8wks.

Thanks

OP posts:

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Jojobells1986 · 03/12/2012 13:31

Cookies! I love Maryland cookies!

neontetra · 03/12/2012 13:35

Jelly snakes. Dh enjoyed them during the birth. I also had mars bars, wotsits, cereal bars and mineral water. I consumed it all.

Jollyb · 03/12/2012 14:01

I think I had to replenish my hospital bag snacks about 3 times before I gave birth. Buy what you enjoy eating - chocolate, biscuits, nuts etc. If you don't like eating dried fruit now - you are not going to fancy it mid labour!

HorraceTheChristmasOtter · 03/12/2012 14:04

I took soreen banana bread and cereal bars. DP got at the bars though . And fruit and nut mix.

dinkystinky · 03/12/2012 14:06

Drinks and straws - I took some lucozade sport light - and drained them all after DS2's birth. Also took cereal bars. Hospital was St Marys in Paddington though so didnt eat them - just send DH out for a bacon sandwich in the morning

EdwardtheEagle · 03/12/2012 14:08

Open a big bag of haribo and put them in a ziplock bag.

mumof2girls99 · 03/12/2012 14:09

i took biscuits juice crisps and some fruit :) also took a small amount of change for extra snacks which i made dh go get lol

Lionsntigersnbears · 03/12/2012 14:13

Lol at Dinky's sending DH for a bacon sarni. Wish I'd thought of that last time. I'd say something with stomach filling potential. Cereal bars are great but when you've been given a slice of limp toast after delivery and packed off up to the ward and you're suddenly starving and there is no blasted thing to eat, chocs and snacks do faff all. Those ready buttered packets of malt loaf keep a while I think and are quite filling if you like them

ipswichwitch · 03/12/2012 14:18

Cereal bars. DH hates them so at least I'd get some, unlike the haribo I'd packed

nickelbabeuntiladvent · 03/12/2012 14:19

see, I would want proper food like pizza...

but biscuits, crisps, Tyrells Vegetable crisps are gorgeous.

kellestar · 03/12/2012 14:20

OP I did the same and was kept in for a few days and wish I had better snacks, the machines were pants and DH kept bringing in things he likes to eat and that I don't like. I am due in April and have planned a big list of snacks, just in case.

Agree cereal bars are good, also cake bars that are individually wrapped. agree some nice haribo or sweeties you like. I was still off chocolate so wasn't interested in it. M&S white chocolate cookies were divine [but a friend bought them over when I'd got home] sweet and filling with a cuppa.

Don't forget a small bottle of squash [like ribena as a treat] or some juice cartons will be well received.

DD arrived in December when we had heavy snow, the capri-suns in the boot of the car had frozen, but they were lush once they'd melted, so cool on my sore throat and the sugaryness was good.

I love my fruit, bananas and apples were with me, but you can't survive on them alone :)

My DH refused to sneak a BK in for me, it was just down the road and it's all I bloody fancied. However he did take me there once we were discharged. We drove through and ate in the car park... didn't want to take a 3 day old baby inside no qualms now though.

afterdinnerkiss · 03/12/2012 14:23

hello there. i would make sure you have enough of both sweet and savoury things as well as water (in sports bottles so you can drink reclined). sweet: your fav biscuits/lebkuchen/snickers bars anything sweet and high energy, as well as fruit if you can pick it up before you leave the house. for savoury take some crisps or ritz crackers (if you sweat or are sick your body may crave salt). for healthy stuff, try and pack some bread/cheese slices before you leave the house, but if you forget you at least have salt, sugar and water in your bag.

well done for being so organised though says the woman who started packing once her waters broke sports bottled were a lifesaver though, as were the snickers bars, not just for the birth but as midnight snacks during the all-night cluster feeds in the first nights.

afterdinnerkiss · 03/12/2012 14:24

sorry messed up the bolding

nickelbabeuntiladvent · 03/12/2012 14:28

aldi do longer life breaded products like croissants and pain au chocolate.

CatchingMockingbirds · 03/12/2012 14:28

You are allowed to eat during labour? I was told I wasn't allowed, DP went to the snack can for everyone while I looked on hungrily. I wasn't even allowed to drink too much water, just sips.

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 03/12/2012 14:31

:( Catching - yes, you can, and even drink - i drank my own body weight in orange juice
(not quite that bad, but i got through 2 pizzas, a few bags of crisps, 2 cartons of orange, several glasses of water and some toast)

afterdinnerkiss · 03/12/2012 14:36

i was in a baby-friendly hospital (but not private) and food was actually provided during labour by the hospital - managed a full three meals before DD was born, with breakfast served shortly afterwards. i would have insisted on being able to eat during labour - denying food is cruel and outdated and probably more likely to lead to a CS as the exhaustion kicks in sooner. must be something in the UN baby friendly initiative outlining this.

i wasn't allowed gas n air though as apparently that is also outdated and now only administered in a drip equivalent. major shock as i had been planning to rely on this.

also ate a lot of energy-rich walnuts during labour that i had brought with me. amazingly nourishing and they tasted so good.

NB:pack shelled nuts

philbee · 03/12/2012 15:01

catching that is barbaric! I was in latent phase for 2.5 days, and active labour for 14 hours. Would they have told me I couldn't eat for that time? Absolutely shocking. I got through various hospital meals and a ned's noodles brought by DH. Lots of fruit pastilles. But I didn't touch all the energy type stuff I'd brought, flapjacks etc. was useful for the day after though.

Original poster

therewearethen · 03/12/2012 17:27

Thanks guys, the snacks are for after the birth, the last time my labour was just under 7 hours and the last thing on my mind was eating! I did get through a fair bit of water tho, hopefully this time will be just as quick, I'm very impatient and don't like pain lol

Also last time my DP didn't drive so was stuck in the hospital with me and he didn't even get offered a cuppa which I thought was a bit mean! And by the time they'd done the food rounds and got down to the birthing unit it was a case of you could have what was left and I'm a fussy bugger when it comes to food so ended up living on sandwich's for the 2 nights I was in which was a bit grim.

I think all hospitals and birthing units have different views on eating during labour, when I was pg with DD we were told to have a light snack when contractions started so the body has some energy to get you through, this was 5yrs ago tho so not sure if things have changed!

I guess the thinking behind not eating is if you have to have an emergency c-section, you have to fast before operations so I guess it's the same reasoning, but surely they can't expect you to go for days on end without anything!?

OP posts:

ipswichwitch · 03/12/2012 19:43

DH just reminded me that the woman in the bed opposite me got a pizza delivered to the post naal ward! He almost went over and begged asked for a bit

Original poster

therewearethen · 03/12/2012 20:20

ipswichwitch - best idea ever! didn't think that would be aloud!

OP posts:

Bluetinkerbell · 03/12/2012 20:25

My midwife suggested jaffa cakes! I didn't eat them though, but they're great to have on my bedside table to munch while breastfeeding now!

ecuse · 03/12/2012 23:02

I bought a big range of things - crisps, chocolate etc. In the end the only thing I wanted to eat was the thing I threw in as a whim - those tubs of mandarin segments in juice. I ate three of them

maximusminimus · 03/12/2012 23:52

I wasn't allowed to eat during labour. All 42 hours of it. Ended up necking most of a large carton of apple juice which DH snuck in whilst the MWs were somewhere else...

And after DH went to the M&S in the hospital and got loads of lovely sandwiches and cream cakes. I hardly ate a thing I was so exhausted.. Such a waste..

And never got offered the tea and toast I'd heard so much about during pregnancy. Wasn't even mentioned!

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 04/12/2012 13:36

I got offered lots of tea and toast after being admitted to hospital after the birth.
it was the main reason I had a post-natal tantrum about them offering me something that might have a little bit of fucking IRON in it when tea inhibits the absorption of iron anyway and there's no iron in fucking toast!!

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