so what do I need for my labour bag and what do you never need but everyone says you do?

[jayjaybaby]

hi please help me do you really need books snacks mp3 players masssage oil candles phone cards small change a small elephant and a magic elf

Oh yes, everyone on here's so right. FOOD. They will not feed you afterwards, no matter how long you've laboured. It felt almost inhumane to me... eventually, after I was about to cry, they brought me a terrible cup of lukewarm tea and a nasty plastic sandwich from a machine.

It was disgusting.

Sleep mask!!! It was always too bright on the ward-even in the middle of the night

Cotton balls- midwife had a go at me for only bringing baby wipes

Blanket- makes you more comfy in bed- sheets are rough and very tightly tucked in.

DITTO to lip balm and water- i found it SOOO hot on the post natal ward- had to be for the LO's. but i was roasting

sheets for the LO's cot. same midwife had another go at me for my LO weeing on the sheet.

(as you can probably tell...i hated my post natal midwife!)

Erm, re the food thing, check with your hospital first. I was brought sandwiches at midnight and tea and toast at 0500 before being discharged at 0800, I was only in for 23 hours and the last 7 hours of that was waiting for paeds to come and check the baby before we went home. You might not be in for as long as you think so make sure that home is stocked up as well.

I would also consider packing mobile phone charger, make sure your camera battery is charged and the memory card has enough space for all the photos that you want to take.

Like someone else further up, I packed 2 bags, one for me and one for the baby so I knew where everything was, the baby's bag can live in the boot of the car until it's actually needed. I just kept a nappy, a baby gro and hat in my bag and then DH could nip out to the car once the new arrival was here. It's worth having a dig around Boots at the travel section - I got a little bag from Nivea that had face wipes, deo, shower gel, lip balm and a tub of nivea cream so all the essentials which then lived in my hospital bag for 6 weeks. Meant that I didn't have to pack my wash bag in a hurry.

Also I would strongly recommend glucose tablets - I couldn't face eating anything in labour and my blood sugar levels were dropping, munching on these kept my sugar levels up, helping me with keeping going with contractions. Good luck with it all, it's a fab time

With DS1 we had everything! And we only used a flannel. DW was as surprised as i was.

I was fed after I had DD1 - tea, toast & cereal. And not long after either. I might be freak, but I actually enjoyed the hospital food while I was there.

Lip balm & and handheld fan - it was ridiculously hot on the PN ward, and even drinking loads of water, my lips were really dry!

Cheap knickers - and I brought extra pj's due to heavy bleeding.

I didn't get much use out of my MP3 player, but I did have a book to read - with short chapters and section breaks! Didn't need change, had my phone and there was a TV and DH kept us well supplied with snacks. There was a kitchen and a day room where we could refill our jugs of water and get hot drinks.

Non chocolately snacks(chocolate would just melt) - hobnobs, dried fruit and the like.

Best thing though? My DH brought me a MaccyD's breatfast - sausage and egg mcmuffin, nom nom nom

These have come in handy today (packing hospital bag)

One thing I wish I had brought but didn't was my make up, didn't remember to pack it as waters went and we rushed off straight away. In all of the photos of DD and I after the birth I look like the Swamp Monster, a good thing DD looks cute enough to take focus off me a bit (biased emoticon)

Take everything you want - it'll make you feel better, even if you don't use it. The things I actually used were: rescue remedy (stopped the shakes after epidural), change of clothes, lots of nighties, big pants, pregnancy pillow, snacks, CDs of relaxing music, essential oils... but you will probably need different things! You have little idea of what kind of labour/post partum you'll have, so prepare for all eventualities I say - and get DH to carry the bag(s).

I never needed half the maternity sanitary towels I bought -- and not because I bought too many, either. I just don't bleed very much (have quite light periods, too).

Dressing gown is the one thing I would have liked (but didn't have) during labour itself (have never even owned one, though, I find them strange quaint curioisities tbh).

Snack money, pillow, Music or music player, so many baby clothes, small change, phone, toiletries other than toothpaste, could have done without all that.

I brought my own pillow (in a patterned pillow case so you don't leave it behind!) - a lifesaver

Agree flip flops and a thin dressing gown, it can be hot but is nice to cover up

V shaped pillow and about 36 litres of lansinoh cream

I brought a small cool box and had a few bottles of feel good (nice fizzy not too sweet drink) and a really lovely fruit loaf I made with loads of figs and raisins and things in it. Excellent for snacking on and also high in fibre. Which is a good thing.

I would suggest packing two bags: labour bag and ward bag. Labour bag should have the things you will need while in actual labour and immediately after, while the ward bag is for the first night and subsequent hospital stay.
So, labour bag:
(1) snacks that easily digestible and calorific (personally I had almond and honey biscuits but whatever you like that is not too fatty/heavy);
(2) drinks (there is likely to be water but bring calorific drinks you like- personally I hate Coke and energy drinks so had smoothies that do not need refrigeration- the baby ones from Ella's kitchen);
(3) snacks and drinks for your labour attendants (DH, mother, not the midvives);
(4) if your labour attendants take regular medication, 24 hours' supply thereof (my mother, who was with me, did not expect to be more than a few hours and it turned out to be very difficult to get her-very common-pills in the hospital when she needed them);
5) two sets of baby clothing and a few nappies, plus cotton wool and changing mat;
6)two clean nightgowns for you (one for after labour and one just in case);
7) dressing gown and slippes;
8) 2/3 cheap knickers and maternity pads (about 10 in this bag, more in the second bag)
9) lip balm and all-purpose moisturiser;
10) flip flops

Would not bother with music, books, etc- I certainly was in no mood to get distracted from the job at hand...

Ward bag:

1. another 2 nightgowns (you will want/need to change at least once per day, possibly more often);
2. fruity snacks/drinks to avoid constipation (I had Ella's smoothies as above and family brought in baked apples);
3. magazines/books, but bear in mind you will have a baby to look after and will be more tired than you imagine possible;
4. clothes and shoes for going home in, including coat;
5. 3 sets of baby clothes plus one or two spare bodysuits;
6. clothes for the baby to go home in;
7. beauty case, hair brush, toothbrush etc.

I was brought toast straight after the birth and the midwife brought some for DP too :o That was around 3am.

I then had two breakfasts at about 7, which was not a moment too late as I had eaten all my cake healthy snacks. We were discharged at about midday, but not after I had eaten soup, vegetable lasagna and semolina .

So, if the hospital doesn't have a good record with food, take loads!

Another vote here for the Neal's Yard Seaweed and Arnica bubble bath. It even has real Arnica in it, unlike the tablets.

Paper pants - must have

Snacks - (chocolate and bad snacks) - must have

TENS machine (I loved mine)

Bolshi attitude (I pushed as hard as possible to get into a comfortable position for ME not THEM BEATCHES - must have

Cold Tropicana (my friend bought me a massive cold carton of it in hospital after ds, it was the best drink I've ever had)

First cup of tea post birth - must have

ipod (I had a hypnobirth cd on my ipod to listen to during the stitches... brilliant.

Wish I'd had a camera with me - must have

charged mobile phone - must have

my must haves would be :-

disposable knickers
big cheap knickers
lucozade tablets
maltesers - i ate these after the birth of my 2nd
water
book
magazine
other snacks mostly chcoccy and crisps i took in
polo mints

I used:
Makeup, toiletries, babygro, nappy, baby hat, snowsuit thing, change of clothes and a piece of chocolate. Mind you I was only in the hospital for 5 hours in total

Take some nice smellies, the bath after labour was just fantastic and you will want to wallow !

In my bag I really valued having:
Plastic flip-flops for showering and walking around in the hospital
Instead of maternity pads I would buy extra absorbent sanitary pads with wings as found the maternity pads to be too bulky and uncomfortable
Mobile phone and charger
Cheap grannie cotton panties that go well over the scar (in case of an unplanned C-section)
Two nighties and a dressing gown in case you need to go to other hospital units for possible medical tests, etc
Outfit to go back home in that is baggy enough to hold extra bum-leg volume from water retention (especially after c-section)! Not nice or flattering!...

Flip flops flip flops flips flops. Essential. I wore them in the shower as well as around the ward.

I would never have thought I would need one but I actually asked DH to bing me a notebook and pen after DD1 was born (was in a mw led unit for a few days trying to get bf sorted) as was so tired could never remember when I'd last fed her, from which boob or for how long, only way to do it was to write it down, but that prob wouldn't apply if you're planning on going straight home.

2 nighties for you, plus some sort of dressinggown/robe, prob all summer weight as it's roasting in there and noone warned me about the post birth night sweats in the nights after DD was born, which are massively magnified by the plastic sheeting on the beds....

Otherwise, phone and charger, make up, contact lenses, hairbursh, dry shampoo (invention sent by god to new mothers) and nice smellies so you have at least a fighting chance of feeling at least semi human.

Would also say to take mat towels rather than normal pads as the mat towels aren't plastic backed like the normal ones so you're a little better "ventilated" (?!?) and therefore less likely to get thrush. NOT pleasant with stitches... Also the mw's may want to monitor your loss and they can't do that so well with normal pads. I got 2 packs of 5 enormous pants from matalan (buy black NOT white!) for £2.50 per pack. Perfect.

Good luck!

• Lip balm
• Primark pants
• Loose, comfy PJ bottoms. I had some lovely old 'modal' black ones that were so comfy. I felt better covered up in them than in nightie.
• Ribena. Very refreshing, especially on a sore 'gas and air overdose' throat!
• Glucose tabs. I get low blood sugar at the best of times.
• Oh god yes to the night sweats and plastic sheets. That was my main motivator for getting out of hospital ASAP.
• Basic make up. Call me superficial, but I looked like crap and felt slightly more human after a shower, moisturise and basics done. Looking at pictures, I still looked like death warmed up but hey ho!
• Cereal bars were good.
• Phone charger.
• Camera if not on phone.

Disposable pants
Massive sanitary towels
Dark pj's/nighty I took white nighty and dressing gown for DD1 and spent all my time checking to see if I'd leaked al over them TMI soz
Make up
Snacks
Vaseline to pop on babys bum, forgot both times and wish I'd taken, apparently makes it easier to clean the meconium off, its like black tar.
Good luck

one thing i will be taking with me this time is nicotine gum/patches for dp so he has no excuse to escape! he nearly missed ds1 being born! and couldnt wait to get out after ds3 was born!!

please don't forget your birth plan! i found this really helpful for letting the midwives know what i was hoping for with birthing - they read it and respected my wishes (ie didn't keep asking me about pain relief, let me get on with it ...). also a couple of big old t-shirts for labouring in, so that you don't feel entirely naked and vulnerable but aren't mucking about with too many clothes on.

yes to the flip flops
face wipes and hand wipes
wash bag with a loop so you can hang it up, bathrooms are variable.

Lip salve/vaseline
Cartons of drink

What a useful thread, even for this my third hospital bag. On a tangent- I recently discovered upon admission by ambulance to the gynae ward with a miscarriage and a DP unable to visit due to caring for the toddler that the nhs (in my area) doesn't provide soap/deo etc and it is the nurses' kindness that stocks a cupboard of little sample bottles, hotel toiletries etc... Now I'll pack my hospital bag with full-size toiletries that I will ask are given to the gynae ward when I'm discharged.