Ok, panicked FTM - What do I actually need in my hospital bags?

[LJHH]

Trying to be sensible and get this done instead of leaving it to the last minute plus need to go out and buy what I actually need (I'm 31 weeks, have a feeling this one is going to pop early) have googled and seen all sorts of different lists telling me I need different things.... like a sieve, really do I need a sieve?! I was planning a water birth but even so....

Then I'm reading you need tiny baby clothes, newborn clothes, 0-3 clothes in case I have a porker. Baby will need a hat/Baby wont need a hat, Bring a blanket/Baby wont be allowed his own blanket and will have to use hospital stuff. Aaarrghh.

I am not going to breastfeed, I know its best and the midwives will try and force me too, but I have made my mind up. Do i need to bring bottles or will the hospital have this?
Same with nappies, pack my own or will they have them?

I know people also say you wont care about your dignity when you're in labour but I would like to try and keep the top half of me dressed if at all possible, I know I would feel more comfortable less exposed. Again with the water birth would prefer not to be completely naked if possible.
Any ideas of what I can wear??

This is all SO CONFUSING!
Any advice is gratefully received.

Good LJHH :-)

You too mrsnlw!

Lots of interesting things on here... When do people pack their hospital bags? I am convinced this baby's going to be late, but that's probably not the best attitude to have to preparation!

I'm wondering if I can get away with just shoving a few bits in a bag when my contractions start...

I love that someone said 'don't forget to take the car seat'. I'm sure some people must forget. Can you imagine being desperate to leave and then your DP has to go home, tail between his legs, to fetch the car seat?

Definitely worth getting a list together and collecting the stuff together so that if you go into labour early you know where everything is.

I used the list HERE
It also mentions what not to take and quanities etc.

Good luck.

Large water bottle - like the ones you have for cycling, that way you can drink at any angle - I was laying down for 12h with epidural.
I also grabbed hot crossed buns on my way out the door at home - they were wonderful after delivery. Much better than the normal toast they offer you
Also choose something simple like a sleep suit for first outfit as dad will most likely dress him. I didn't and feel guilty that my poor hubby who had never dressed a baby let alone a newborn after being awake for 2 days had to struggle with this nighty type thing my mother had bought. Oops.
Oh and my hubby appreciated all the snacks I took to keep him going.

I had four bags...

First was labour bag and contained nightie for labouring, first outfit for baby and 2 nappies, some snacks, a sports cap bottle of water, a few maternity pads, a change of clothes and my wash bag.

Second was the 'daddy snack bag' it contained vast quantities of snacks for my bottomless pit DH!

Third and fourh bags stayed in the car until postnatal. Basically one bag for me with night clothes, maternity pads, fresh clothes etc and another bag for baby (I used our changing bag) with muslins, vests, Babygrows, a carry pack of nappies, blanket.

There was probably other stuff in the bags but I can't remember now.

I also put everything in little ziplock bags so DH/hospital staff would be able to find it easily. DH thought I was mad/hilarious but It turned out to be well worth it as I ended up with a spinal and it was him and the midwife who had to find everything at 3am!

We were in for 5 days so I did use all my bags!

A sieve can indeed be helpful in a water birth, and a large hand mirror too. Honestly, you will reach a stage where you won't care at all about nudity, but I kept a bra on for most of my water birth.

I don't think you need to bring three different sizes of baby clothes in with you. Unless you have reason to think you might go into labour very early, I'd just bring newborn, and leave the 0-3 stuff accessible in case you need your DP to bring it in later.

One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to pack a second bag with extra stuff for you and the baby to leave at home for just in case you are in hospital longer than a couple of days.

Good luck! I am also getting my hospital bag together, but it's much more complicated as I'm expecting twins so packing for two babies that are likely to be very early and in hospital for a while...

Oh wow, twins, everything x 2!
Hope all goes well and they're ok x

I think I'm going to draw up my list tomorrow and shop next week, will feel better knowing it's packed and ready to go incase DS makes an early bid for freedom. Plus I get to wash some tiny clothes which makes me feel happy :) I'm sure the novelty of that will wear off quickly....

Thank you all for your advice, all so helpful and appreciated, I've learnt that having a baby is scary (but super exciting) times x

Lip balm - your lips can ket very dry during labour, all that panting!

Baby wipes / facial skin care wipes - I felt quite hot and greasy faced for some reason and being able to clean my face and pop on some nice face cream gave me a refresh during labour

Sucky sweets - engery, flavour, distraction, Fruit Polo's are good.

@cheshireeditor
I'll take some baby wipes from my stockpile, I've got nearly 60 packs so reckon I could spare one

More than 1 pair if bottoms for you just in case of any leakage.
Not just money but change for tv card things or vending machines.
My ds and dd were ff from birth I had to take those mini cow and gate ready made bottles put a box of them in car and maybe 4-5 in bag. Your dh can top you up.
Even thought not Breast feeding a good support bra and Breast pads are a good idea your body doesn't know your intentions.
I used wipes straight from the off with no issues although wasn't warned about first poo that was a shock.

I've been warned about this! I'm fully prepared :) I got some water wipes for the first nappy incidents as someone else told me that I wasn't supposed to use Johnson, huggies wipes etc for the first couple of days?

Get your DH to pack the bags so you're not yelling at him to get the bloody straws out I said the FRONT pocket! mid contraction. Also remember birth plans aren't prophetic and you might have an unplanned c section and be getting stitched up while your DH mumbles that he doesn't think we have any baby clothes and your pfb spends the first two hours of his life in nhs towels.

I had three bags

One for labour - mainly snacks n drinks
One for overnight stay
One for longer stay

Thank goodness for the longer stay bag, we ended up in for 5 days!

Definitely get DH to pack the bags. My DH didn't have a clue where anything was (despite their being a list of things in each bag), and I was not amused

I'm making DP do an emergency run to Argos for crucial (they aren't, I just really wanted it) baby supplies in another county today. So I'll think I'll hit him with the YOU have to pack, or at least help me, the hospital bags tomorrow
That does make a lot of sense though, he can never find anything and it drives me insane. I definitely don't want my DS in towels until I'm able to find his clothes!

I've packed 3 bags - one for me and baby for labour and short stay, one for DP which includes our snacks and change of clothes for him after reading on here he may need it if labour is long or he gets body fluids on him, and one for a longer hospital stay. I was admitted to hospital last week with high BP so the longer stay one was/is very handy for that as it included :
2 pairs PJs
towel
toiletries
socks
pants
tissues (there weren't any on the ward so I had to keep getting loo roll)
mug (they have 24 hour tea/coffee but stupid paper cups in my hospital)
2 maxi dresses/track suit bottoms and vests (so i don't have to sit around in pjs during day)
snacks

With regards to food - meal times can be quite far apart and if you're up in the night hungry then snacks come in really handy and if you don't like the meal options on offer....

Also any tablets you're taking!

I should say that the advice given by our midwives is that a first time straight forward labour should expect an overnight/24 hourish stay. I'm expecting to be in at least a night anyway as I'm on BP medication which means they will want to monitor me and baby for at least 24 hours.

I forgot about towels!

In no particular order - leave a change of clothes for DH in the car. He might need something to change into - he'll probably sweat like a pig, not to mention wind up holding a vernix- and meconium-covered baby. This doesn't apply to ELCS, because your DH will be given scrubs if it's an elective section.

I expect to be in for 2 nights as mine will be an ELCS. It is booked for the 9th of July so the hospital will be sweltering - maybe I can persuade them to let me out earlier.

Last time I totally over-packed. Took a small wheelie suitcase and a hold-all and my 6 foot body pillow, and a couple of carrier bags. I felt like an idiot - DH had to make 2 trips back to the car when we left with all the stuff, before coming back to carry DD in her car seat. The trouble is that nappies, maternity pads and breast pads all take up a lot of room, and that's before you've started on clothes/toiletries/flipflops/towels etc. I was v lucky and got a side room last time (it's luck of the draw - I asked when I arrived and a room was free, but it easily might not have been) and you could barely move without knocking things over in it. My parents and DH went completely OTT bringing food/magazines/flowers etc, and there are hardly any surfaces - one tiny bedside table and the windowsill, that was about it. We were balancing stuff on the sink and there were open packets of M&S food everywhere, and then an orderly arrived bringing a tray with pork chops and mash and ice cream and we had no idea where to put it. I forced myself to eat it because it felt rude not to, but it was the last thing I wanted after all the M&S cake/crisps/cous cous salad/prawn cocktail etc. Then it was kicking-out time for DH and we tried to stack everything I might want on a bedside table the size of a laptop ( I was still bed-bound at that point so if it wasn't on the bedside table then I couldn't get it. I had to ring for a MW to change DD's nappy). I had a jug of water and about 4 glasses, my phone and DH's phone (I didn't have a smartphone and wanted to have access to MN!), magazines, grapes, chocolate, my Kindle and god knows what else. I knocked my phone off in the middle of the night and just had to leave it on the floor. My bed was full of body pillow, me and DD! A hospital single bed is not really built to accommodate a 6 ft pillow. I'm leaving that behind this time.

Take empty carrier bags to bung dirty clothes in - your DH can take them away as you use them. Might also be useful to have extras to take rubbish away! (See aforesaid M&S food cartons)

Also meant to say that if you wind up with a section or an epidural, you'll have a catheter, so you might want to pack a nightie/long T-shirt instead of having just pyjamas.

I just remembered DP packed my stuff for my overnight stay in one of those supermarket bags which actually was really useful as I could see/get to stuff really easily as opposed to unzipping and digging around in a holdall/suitcase