Hospital Bag.. What do I need????

[frances123]

Hi this is my first and I need to start getting my hospital bag for myself and baby together but I have no clue what I need any help would be fantastic

Baby - going home clothes and a nappy or 2.
car seat

you
going home clothes, bear in mind you'll still have pregnent lookig tummy!

• a few toiltries
• a few snacks for DH while you labout, banana something like that, don't pack strong smelling crisps or anything tens machine if using one slippers
• soemthing to wear in bed that is loose
• pile cream and rubber ring!
• lip balm

list of who you want DH to call and star those that don't mind a 3.30am call!

Sanitary pads - just normal heavy flow/night time ones are better than 'maternity' ones ime

maternity pads
black pants
flip flops
lucozade drink (with a straw so you can still drink when on all fours) and tablets
face wipes
antibacterial wipes (hospital bathrooms in maternity wards are not known for their cleanliness and i also liked to wipe up after myself when i dripped blood everywhere - sorry if tmi)
dark pjs (with vest top for bfing and also cos maternity wards are boiling)
dark towels
dark dressing gown
lip balm or vaseline
arnica tablets
lavender oil to help you get some sleep
deodorant
shower gel, shampoo, facewash
toothbrush/toothpaste
make up for those first photos
hair brush, bobbles, grips, alice band - anything to keep your hair off your face basically
nappies
cotton wool
vests
baby gros
hat for baby if not due in midsummer
blanket
camera
watch to time contractions with
books/magazines
snacks
change

Ooh yes. Lucozade.

Hmm lucozade would have made me throw up but agree a drink and staw is goo idea. Take samml selection. I had some sort of raspberry juice last time and instantly threw up. Water next time for me I think.

Chocolate. It's full of iron, and is often recommended to mothers who lost significant amounts of blood.

nappyaddict - MAKE UP! are you serious?

A pillow from home if you are likely to be in for any period of time. Hospital pillows are horrible thin items, and very uncomfortable. I was in for a week and had piles and it was so wonderful to have something soft to sit on in the day, and a normal pillow for night.

i put make up on after i had a shower and washed my hair. it just felt normal to me to want to look nice especially if i was going to be having visitors and photos taken.

I'm packing make up- don't want to look like I;ve jsut been through labour or something when I get my photo take!

hehehe

I wore makeup in hosp, buit not for "first pics"

I'm GLAD I look like I'd just given birth, everytime we look at them i say to DH "Look at the state of me, you can see how hard I worked"

When did you actually pack your bag? I'm 32 weeks now, and have to keep stopping myself from packing it right now, as 8 weeks in advance might be a little premature! Then again, it might arrive early...

My midwife also suggested bringing a flask with ice chips in it, as our hospital is no longer allowed ice due to risk of infection (and I'm due mid-summer so it's going to be hot!!).

Oh, and I'll have my make-up with me too nappyaddict - anything that makes me feel more human

Babylovesmuffin- I love you!!! Ice chips in a flask, Genius! I go through so many ice cubes every day- wasn't sure how I'd cope in a hot hospital in July giving birth!!

PPS I was trying to work out how many Malteser ice-creams I can fit in a flask...

lol

Mmmmmm!!!!!!!

Loads of food and drinks for both you and DH. I was in active labour for three days and don't know how I'd have got through it without food. Also an eye mask in case you want to sleep as it's really light in hospitals. We also took our i-pod and docking station and played classical music all the way through, which was lovely and calming (until the music to the Exorcist came on - never deen DP sprint across a room faster). Also, in hindsight I'd have packed a sleeping bag for DP as there was no where for him to sleep and he ended up on the floor covered in a towel.

pack a tiny cardigan for the baby. Sound nuts but I had everyhting except that and the kitchen sink and ds was poorly int he night and couldn't regulate his own temp. I had to wait for dh to visit the next day before I could get the little mite into the cardi he needed. Oh and take spare change. I didn't bother as I thought I would like the peace and quite but needed to call dh for said cardigan and couldn't.

Flip flops. My feet swelled so much that they wouldn't fit in my slippers or shoes. Also good if you think shower floor might be grubby

i am pg with my second and one of the main things i am taking this time is disposable changing mats. not for me to change baby on but for me to lie on. you bleed alot in the first day or so, and i hated having to ask the very busy midwifes to change my sheets etc for me. would have done it myself but we werent allowed to go into storage rooms etc. disposable changing sheets i think will be easy for me to lift off and throw into nappy bins and place clean one on. wont have to bug busy midwifes and can be also placed on seats etc and beds on first days at home. hth.

amyjo...I'm surprised. At the hospital I went to they had a cupboard full of disposable mats we could help ourselves to!

Take a bottle of witch hazel and pour onto maternity pads...it's very soothing and DOESN'T sting (I promise - was too scare to use it for 2 days but wish I'd done it from the start!)

Oh and a couple of carrier bags - so you can send dirty stuff home with you DP/DH. Get more stuff ready at home in bags for him to bring in if you need it - men aren't great at finding stuff! (I know, my DH brought ALL our baby clothes in on my second day cos he wasn't sure what to bring )

Take plenty of fresh underwear. I've heard too many stories of Dh/ps taking women thongs when they asked for more underwear

Re when to pack ... well, I packed baby bag at about 33 weeks coz I was putting all her things into her drawers and so just put a few bits into a bag. Wish I'd done mine then too as I went into labour at 35 weeks and had to do mine in a right rush so forgot the camera and the change for the phone! Double !!