Today I am packing my hospital bag and in it i am putting.....

[Bumpiemalumpie]

miniature toiletries, breast pads, super absorbant night sanitary toewls............ (please add your tips)

Spare nightclothes and lots of pairs of underwear - just in case you have frequent bloody leakages onto your clothes despite the sanitary towels.

My sister told me she was so happy to have a water spray to keep cool. I ordered a little combination fan/water spray from amazon for about £3. I have a huge list which I mainly got from a website (can't remember where). Think I may have overpacked but better to have too much I say! Will look out my list and add it just now... May take me a whole!

Phone charger
Glasses or contact lenses
Choc biscuits
Some good quality dark or milk chocolate.
Spare change
Ear plugs

Deodorant
Baby wipes- nice for a quick freshen up
Socks
Slippers
Hairbrush/ hairbands
Clothes for going home
Phone & charger
Camera
Drinks/snacks

A plastic bag to put any leaked on clothes, baby puked on clothes.
Face wipes.
Sweets
Squash. The water jug they give you with luke warm water isn't great.

For me and birth partners -
Birth plan and medical notes
Nightdress for giving birth
Warm socks and/or slippers
Water spray/fan
Towel for shower after
Camera
Toiletries - shampoo/dry shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, face wash, toothbrush and toothpaste
Tissues
Hot water bottle
Snacks and drinks (taking cartons of Ribena for sugar and easy drinking)
Magazines and a book
Music
Coins for payphone/vending machine
Front opening nighty for breastfeeding
Dressing gown
3 nursing bras
Lots of sanitary towels
Breast pads and nipple cream
Comfy clothes for going home (maternity dress and big leggings)
Massage cream/oil
Vaseline/lip balm
Hair bobbles
Hairbrush
V shaped pillow for breastfeeding
Tens machine
Phone and charger
Carrier bags (for dirty clothes)
Pen and paper
Lots of pairs of big comfy pants
Water jug (read somewhere it can help to pour hot water over bits while peeing!)
List of phone numbers of people to call/text when go into labour and also when baby is born
Change of clothes for birth partners
For baby -
3 sleepsuits
3 bodysuits/vests
Scratch mits
Shawl
Hat
20 nappies
Wipes (although not sure if ok for newborn so also taking cotton wool balls)
Nappy cream
Car seat
Muslin squares
Bibs
3 pairs of socks
Outfit for going home
Snowsuit
Cardigan
Baby towel

You probably won't need breast pads until you get home.
Dark pyjama bottoms and big pants,
Vest tops to go with the pyjama bottoms and a cardigan or shawl,
Flip flops for the shower but try and get mules incase you have to wear support stockings,
Dettol wipes,
Dark or old towels,
Loose change,
Nappies,
Vest and babygro
Water wipes or cotton wool in a Tupperware,
Sports cap water bottle.

Put everything in per labelled zip lock bags so you're not shouting IT'S IN THE FRONT POCKET at your DH mid contraction.

Try and have one bag for labour and one for the ward, keep the ward one in the boot along with extra nappies, maternity pads and spare baby clothes incase you need them.

Put your going home outfit and the babies in the car seat ready.

Don't use night sanitary towels. They can a) catch on any stitches and b) are often scented/have moisture lock so your MWs can't check your lochia. So, so glamorous. Use proper maternity pads for at least the first two weeks.

However many sanitary pads you have packed, it isn't enough!
That was the rule with me!
Double it!
Congratulations, let us know when the time comes x

Gin.

your own super soft toilet paper!

Food. I cannot stress this enough. Not just for labour, but for the post-natal ward afterwards (if you plan to stay in) as the catering dept. serves a set amount of food at a set time, so if the baby has the cheek to make you miss your dinner you'll be fricking starving by morning.

Things I wish I had packed or packed more of:

Pjs/nightie (I only packed one pair and ended up staying 3 nights)
Loads more maternity pads!
A towel!!
Dressing gown

Things I didn't use:

Breast pads
Top/nightie to give birth in (my labour lasted just over an hour unexpectedly fast so didn't change from what I was wearing)
Sweets/food for labour (made me feel horribly sick!)

Was so glad I packed a plastic bag to chuck my clothes I wore for labour in to chuck straight in the bin!!

Lots of people have mentioned maternity pads. I didn't know you got specific maternity ones and have just bought 2 packs of ultra absorbent sanitary towels. One daytime and one nighttime pack. Are the daytime ones ok to use? Just not nighttime? Where do you get maternity pads? Just popped into morrisons and they only have normal sanitary towels (a huge range of these but nothing maternity)

Im having a home birth but was thinking of packing a bagin case of an eemergency transfer.

Im wondering how long some of you ladies expect to be in hospital...!

Super You get maternity pads in tesco, boots, super drug & most large supermarkets.

I got some for immediately after the birth as the bleeding is MUCH heavier then a period.

LOTS of stretchy pj bottoms, maybe 2 or 3 nighties (with buttons if you're breast feeding?), CHOCOLATE, magazines, a nice (but old) clean towel, slippers, nursing bras (again if you're breast feeding!)

Shelly these things can take you by surprise - I was in for 6 nights having DS! Not by choice of course.

I'd add that the biggest knickers you can find are quite important. The ones that come up to your belly button in a bigger size than you'd normally have. You don't need anything tight down there

Nomore I was just wondering as with my last 3 I was out of hospital in hours not days!

I got dressed into clothes not pj's after the births.

Dc1& 2 were bit different as they were born so long ago that all women stayed in 5 days if you needed to or not- it was horrible!

I'm hoping to be out within hours this time! Couldn't walk for a few days and lost a lot of blood. I was ready to jump out of the window if I had to stay in another night...

It is the topsheet on sanitary towels that is the problem and the lock away core bit. Definitely start off with maternity pads. You will appreciate the extra thickness.

I wrote these notes after I gave birth:

Hospital bag (after labour)

Nightgowns (front opening)
Nursing bras
Tena Lady pants
Maternity pads
Breast pads - normal & hydrogel
Breast shells
Compresses (MAM & Lansinoh)
Codeine
Paracetamol
Ibruprofen
Aloe Vera Durex Lube
Lansinoh cream
Lansinoh latch assist
Moist toilet tissue
Sanitary bags
Anusol HC
Flip flops
Toilet bag
Phone & charger
Ecover hand wash & hand cream
Pillows
Lactulose

Hospital bag (labour)
Cold compress
Swim suit top
Camera
Misting spray
Food
Birth ball
iPod & docking station
Straws

Hospital bag (baby)
Babygrows
Vests
Nappies
Bepanthan
Shawl & blanket
Muslins
Hat & Cardigan

superlove, you may just have been looking in the wrong place! In my tesco, the maternity pads are in the baby aisle with the breast feeding stuff, not with the normal sanitary towels.

Lol at the water/misting sprays. We took one and I nearly killed dh as he started squirting me in the face with it, mid contraction! I found a cool flannel much gentler.

I was also advised by our nct teacher to pack . . .wait for it . . . condoms! Apparently you could fill them with a little water, freeze it in the ward fridge/freezer, then tuck them against your stitches if you were throbbing the next day!!!! So I dutifully took them, and didn't use them at all despite having more stitches than the Bayeux tapestry. They did cause a lot of amusement when spotted on the ward, however

Condoms!!!!! love it ... ha ha..

I would say pack 0 -3 gro's and vests.. Newborn were too small

Tena lady are great!

Witch hazel

Panadol

Something for trapped wind.. Ie colpermin

Size 20 knickers... You will thank me!!! Dark pj bottoms

I didn't bother with dressing gown... Long light navy cardi was great

I collected sample shower gels etc out of magazines .. Lighter packing

Lots of carrier bags for sending home dirty washing