What to pack for NICU stay

[SunnySideDownUp]

Currently 30 weeks pregnant. Baby has a few problems so we're expecting a stay in NICU for the first few days after birth.

I've no idea what I should pack for baby in the hospital bag? I assume plenty of nappies, but I'm not sure if I need to pack 3 days worth of vests/sleepsuits or if baby will just be in nappies?

Check what the ward will offer. My twins were in for 2 weeks as prem and the hospital provided everything

My dd was in just a nappy initially but then wore vests and sleep suits. I would pack a few so when ready baby will wear their own clothes. Also take a couple of hats, keeps their temp up. Good luck. Hope it goes okay. My dd was in for a month and it's hard but sometimes it is the best plave for them if they're not ready to come home.

Thanks. I've got a few vests and sleepsuits ready, I'll dig out more hats. I'm hoping it's just for a few days.

Nappies, cotton wool, vests x4, baby grow x3, blankets x2, if bottle feeding check if need to take own milk, dummy if you wish. That's all for baby. Be prepared to stock up regularly, they go through lots of clothes etc at first. Take a notebook for yourself to jot things down, magazines or books to keep you occupied. Take plenty of water and snacks (NICU boiling hot so water a must), change for carpark (check with local unit as some places do a discounted parking for babies on NICU)

Take nice things for yourself; don't want to be negative but NICU can be a hard place to be. So, take clothes that make you feel good; make up if you wear make up; perfume. Music or books. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but I found my stays on NICU were very diminishing of me as a person....I'm not sure I'm explaining this well - but, take things that make you feel good and look after yourself as well as your baby. Congrats on the imminent arrival btw

Thanks Idon'tcare. I've got a kindle paperwhite as an early Xmas present so that'll keep me busy. Hopefully I'll breastfeed, so got my pump ready to rock!

Nappy/vest will depend on the level of care needed. My baby moved between a full incubator (nappy only) and an open cot (vest, sleepsuit, hat as she had no body fat so difficulty maintaining temp). She was in two hospitals. The first supplied everything. The second required you to bring in difficult to find micro nappies (I really needed to be traipsing round supermarkets at 48 hours post cs), cotton wool, Vaseline, etc.

I spent loads of change in the drinks machine getting calorific snacks and drinks to keep up my milk supply in the crappy hospital environment.

Good luck!

Hi, I'm a NICU nurse. Honestly,don't worry about bringing much! A small pack of prem baby nappies,a little teddy and a blankie type teddy (you know like a little square of blanket with a teddy on the corner?!). Also small Muslim squares are great for scent bonding...give one to your baby,pop one down your top,and swap them over to get each other's scents. Some hospitals do ask you to provide cotton buds for mouth care,cotton balls and nappies...some don't. But definitely don't worry too much,no baby will go without until their parents can get supplies. A camera so you can capture all those little moments,make sure to get lots of pics,perhaps keep a little journal of your baby's first few days,ask the nurses to write in it to keep you updated. Happy to help if you have any other questions of what might be in store X

Muslin....clearly!

Hand cream, fragrance free. Your hands will be red raw with all the washing and alcohol rubs used!

If you're staying in the parents accommodation take flip flops for the shower! The floors in the shower rooms were soaking wet and there were no hooks, just a little chair to balance all your clean and dirty stuff. My stuff would then fall off the chair on to the floor and get wet  So I'd take a couple of carrier bags you can take to the shower room (one to store clean stuff and one for dirty stuff) then you can hang them both off the big door hinge and keep both dry. And also I second hand cream, my hands were red raw with all the hand washing.

It might be worth checking if your unit has a leaflet for parents explaining what you need etc, ours did xx

Oo loads of good advice! I had a NICU stay of four months with DD2 and heartily second suggestions of hand cream, something to take pictures with, change for vending machines, something to read, flip flops, loads of plastic bags and cheap comfy clothes if you are staying in parent accommodation. My sister went out to buy me loads of T-shirts, knickers and vests from Primark and they were so useful, can get a bit leaky when you are expressing milk.

Brilliant advice, thank you. Baby bag is now prepped and ready to go!

Snacks. DS was on a drip, so I was expressing every three hours. I'd decide to get food next time I went out to express, but once I came back into the ward to put the milk in the fridge, I'd just stay a minute, and then three hours would pass and it would be time to express again. So snacks that I could eat while expressing were handy.

Also, I don't know what information is available to you, but try to find out as much as possible about the hospital in advance. My baby had unexpected surgery overnight at a day old. The next morning, the midwife announced that I was being discharged and there was no parents accommodation despite living an hour away. It sent us into a panic, as we assumed I'd be able to stay to get help with breastfeeding, etc. I think it's best to be prepared for these things in advance.