Another novice question regarding.. Things I'm likely to forget to put in Hospital Bag?

[RL20]

I'm 29+6 and over the next few weeks I'm going to start putting my hospital bag together. I know the basics and with all of the leaflets/diaries/books I've been given, it's hard to not take it all in!

But what did you add into your hospital bag that wasn't necessarily a need, but was really useful for you?
Either for you or baby.

Thanks!

Food.
Was starving after!

No magic tea and toast for me
Congratulations and good luck!

Phone/kindle charger
Change for decent food/the car park

Socks to be worn as scratch mitts. Both DSes would shed the regular ones in minutes.

Food
Flip flops for going to the loo/in the shower
Slipper socks with grippy soles for in bed/trundling about on the ward
I loved having a big cosy cardigan to wrap round me over my pjs if I left the ward (long induction/induction) and to come home in
Sports bottle to put water in - easier to drink from in bed than a cup

Dont know why I wrote induction twice!
I was actually thinking about this last night. I ended up with three bags (handbag, holdall with my stuff, nappy bag with ds stuff) plus the car seat, which is a lot of stuff to clutter up the space around your bed on the post labour ward! I wish I'd just taken one cabin sized suitcase plus carseat

Batiste dry shampoo.

I was in for days and felt grotty, it helped me feel marginally better!

Thanks all!
Ilove- I have read on here somewhere about the food being awful/or just lack of food in general! So definitely will have to remember that.

Enormouse- Phone charger, that's a good one. Will have to pack one nearer the time (not that you ever really know when the 'time' is going to be!).
Would you say the scratch mitts didn't work very well on their own then?

Curls- Yes I see what you mean, and I'm scared of overpacking as I tend to do that if we ever go away!
I have a holdall bag but by the sounds of it, it won't be enough!

LooksLike- Good idea, I do have some of that. Could always get a travel sized one instead. That reminds me that I should really take some basic makeup too as to not scare other people! Ha ha

I would say they don't work at all. Especially on DS2 who has huge hands like a mole. The long socks, the kind you roll down actually stay on and go right up to their shoulders.

I bought sainsburys babygros purely for the reason they have great fold over scratch mits.

I had jojo sleepsuits for ds, again with the fold over hands.

I was concerned about overpacking too. I now think, treat it as a night away, so a change of clothes and a nightie or two for you. Two vests, two sleepsuits, two hats for baby. I actually ended up being in for five days, but if you do end up being in longer like that it's not very exciting lost of the time, so it washers for dh to find time each day to pop home, have a shower and bring fresh clothes/toiletries/ food for me. I ate a lot of chocolate and subway!

*not exciting lots of the time, so it was easy for dh

Enormouse and Curls- I have a few pairs of mitts plus some babygrows with them fold over ones, some of which were actually from sainsburys, so I'm assuming hopefully I'll be ok then!

Something to keep your hair out of your eyes/off your face. I was very short tempered in labour and would have raged and tried to rip my hair out if it got on my nerves

Make sure your toiletries are 'gentle'. For reasons I can't fathom I bought an 'invigorating scrub' to take in with me with DS - citrus and bits of rock are not what you want anywhere near sore bits after birth.

Ear plugs and a sleep mask if you're on a shared antenatal/postnatal ward. So long as they're not great ear plugs you should still wake up if your baby does. I didn't have ear plugs and still had to be woken up by the midwife

No magic tea and toast for me either and my EDP was too broke to go get me something to eat because he'd been sticking all his money up his nose whilst so I was starving until the next day. Pack snacks!

food, food food! A little notebook and pen to write down random thoughts and I also wrote down feed times and nappies etc, made me feel more in control, for some reason. Giant pants in case you have c section.

I also had a second bag at home packed so that if I stayed longer, DH could just grab it and bring it in. Saved me trying to explain to him what I wanted and where it all was...

Charger for phone
Change for snacks/ parking
Food soft drinks etc

Straws...made drinking so much easier when I was curled up in a ball in agony. Also post section so I could drink without having so it bolt upright

Also Vaseline. Fab for baby's bum to get that tar like first poo off without any problems. But also for my lips cos they kept drying out in horrible hospital no fresh air and baking hot atmosphere

Thank you for all of your suggestions they really are things I wouldn't have thought of!
Look forward to keep hearing them! X

It was a long time back now, but BRING FOOD! They don't mean to starve you, but no one will be making sure that you get fed and sometimes they will just forget you at meal times. I particularly enjoyed seedless grapes and pringles! I was tired and a little dehydrated probably. The salt, the sweet and the juicy-ness all went down well.

Good luck!

Food also here - I had a haemorrhage and after all the drama no one offered me anything to eat and I was starving! Also makeup (just enough to look normal the next day). Flip flops for the toilets.

Second vaseline/lipsl as your lips will dry out without it

I forgot my hairbrush, which was a real pain when I finally managed to wash my hair on the third and final roasting hot day in hospital.

Labour pack list (with hindsight of first birth)
Water bottle and squash (lemon barley)
Own pillow
Snacks for DP and energy gel sachets for me
Hot crossed buns, crisps and cake bars for post birth
Radio plays etc to listen to plus ear phones
Big cotton pants x 5 (paper ones are rubbish) spare bra
Shower gel and shampoo
Slip on slippers, dressing gown and big dark towel
Eye mask
Camera and phone plus chargers
Nighty x 2 ( 1 for labour and one fresh)
thick socks
Tooth brush etc
Lip balm
Simple baby grows (so dp can put on easily) hat, blanket, nappies, vasalene (to put on with first nappy, to stop first tar like poo sticking to bum), muslin
Magazine
Oh and ask for a private room if they have one after delivery (usually free but worth paying for).

For baby: nappies, baby-grows, first outfit for first photo,
For me: nipple cream, simple shower gel, moisturizer and lip balm, large cotton pants, maternity bras, lots of magazines, change of clothes for trip home, hairbrush.
For both of us: vaseline, camera
Brought in from home/ visitors: cards, presents, blankets for cot,flask of drink (the best gift ever for hot stuffy hospital), chocolate, fruit.

Normal, flattering - well as much as possible in the circumstance - clothes. I took some breastfeeding tops, but they were horrible, kept flapping open and generally looked as frumpy as possible. But all visitors will want to have a photo of you and baby.