Best things/things you wished you'd packed in hospital bag??

[bluebambino]

Hi, I'm 33 weeks and in the process of packing my hospital bag. I know all of the basic things I need to pack (I think) but I was wondering if there was anything you were so glad that you packed or anything you didn't pack and wish you had?

Thanks!

Earplugs. You will still hear your own baby close to you, but not woken up by many other ones !

Thanks I saw earplugs recommend on a list and was worried about not being able to hear my own baby but maybe I will pack some just incase x

A towel, I had a bath and had to dry my enormous self on a terry nappy!

I just had some tea and toast, the paediatrician checked DD1 over and we went straight home! Didn’t need a bag really. DD2 nearly died on arrival and got rushed off to intensive care on a transport ventilator, so I went straight home without her, to look after DD1. We visited her daily, but again didn’t need a bag.

The things I was most grateful for were dressing gown, lots of night time ultra pads and big pants. Glucose tablets. Socks.

Cheap flip flops for the shower. The showers on the ward are a bit grim.

Paracetomal and ibuprofen - saves waiting for the midwife team to hand them out. Food. Yeah flip flops. Babygrows with mits in them. Face wipes with a nice refreshing smell - make you feel human again. Same with a nice shower jel. Good luck x

Chocolate! And nuts and raisins and snacks bits- if you get down to postnatal at the wrong time it can be a long wait for a meal. And they are useful at home if you don't stay long.

These are all brilliant. Thanks! Keep them coming x

Food - stuff you like to eat that can hang around in a bag. I went for supermarket individually wrapped pastries, apples, Haribo, wrapped flapjacks and juice cartons. If you miss meal times its really common for no one to give you any food.

Your own pain relief.

iPad and charger

One of those camping towels that dry quickly and pack small. Many many uses for that.

A hairbrush and a toothbrush and anything else that you would usually use first thing in the morning to feel/ look less grotty after a heavy night out and you needed to quickly pop to the shops ?

Your own towel, but one you don't mind getting a bit bloody (lochia). Lucozade, lots of. I only had two bottles and really regretted not having about 6

Flip flops. Can slip them on without having to bend down, much easier than slippers.

Pen for filling in menu choices and, if you're like me, keeping a record of when baby feeds, has wet/dirty nappies etc.

I think I'd bring laxatives, if you get painkillers with morphine or codeine in, the constipation is unreal.
Definitely bring the flipflops (I would bring two pairs of cheapy ones)
Your own pillow and pillowcase, much nicer than hospital issue.
Nice shower gel for after, you can feel manky.

Slippers, maternity pads, eye mask, jaffa cakes and a travel mug. Good luck!

An extra long length phone charger! That and snacks and lots of pads. Those were the most useful things I packed.

A squeezy water bottle - when you go for a pee post birth you can squeeze water out at the same time and really takes the sting away!!

Snacks. I was absolutely starving. Offered no food other than toast for whole day and night.

A battery powered fan, although I gave birth in a heatwave.

And the one piece of advice I wish I'd read first; get DP to pack your hospital bag because they'll be the one getting stuff out of it.

I planned breastfeeding so I brought cream for the nipples, earphones, leggings, biscuits, juice, skin cream, bit tops.

As a PP said, extra long charge cable for your phone! Flip flops or slippers. Bottled drinks - I was so thirsty after DD2 and felt bad buzzing the midwives to refill my jug so often!
Either very big or ultra low-cut pants in case you have a c-section, to avoid the scar.

Another useful thing I read (and found useful) was not to assume that you’ll be going home in prepregnancy clothes. No doubt there are some people who do, but I packed maternity clothes and was very glad I did!

Lip balm - the gas and air will make your lips really dry... and for me a plastic beaker with straw and lid so your birth partner can give you sips between contractions, you will get given disposable cups but they hardly hold anything

Please don't take your own pain relief, all medication need to be accurately recorded in your drug chart, in an emergency this could be really important!!
Great advice to get you dh to help pack the bag so he knows where (and what) everything is, he may well be asked to get stuff out.
Plenty of big pants
A black towel
Lip balm
Charger (but don't forget to take it home, by far the most commonly lost property left behind)
Pen
Plenty of baby grows

I didn't pack but my mum brought them in, small cartons of juice.

And definitely not pre pregnancy clothes.

Big comfortable pants - a few pairs . I ended up in paper ones and it was shit