Labour snacks

[KHR1]

Hi,

I'm in the process of getting my hospital bag ready and wondered what type of snacks people packed? I don't even know where to start!

Thanks 🙂

I packed loads of snacks then was in too much pain to actually eat them. Which turned out to be a good thing because I needed surgery and they prefer you not to eat before an op. I did eat them afterwards though, because it was late at night so there was no actual food available.

Cereal bars were my saviour during labour, but anything that gives a good amount of energy!
I took some dried fruit and a cheeky bit of chocolate too but to be honest food was the last things on my mind.

I only ate the cereal bars because OH insisted. I drank a LOT of water too.

I didn’t eat much during either of my labours, except jelly babies which were a god send. But I did eat lots of the snacks afterwards! Especially after DS1 when I wasn’t offered any food after the birth at 7.30pm until breakfast!

IT was a long time ago and things are different now, but I had a bowl of soup. Oxtail. It was revolting. Do not recommend.

I wasn’t offered any food after the birth at 7.30pm until breakfast!
Yup. I hadn’t eaten for two days while in labour and the hospital basically said nope, there’s no food tonight, you have to wait until breakfast tomorrow. Luckily I had crisps and chocolate otherwise I think I’d have passed out!

For labour I had Lucozade sport, I cannot recommend this enough and will be bringing a multipack with me this time!
I was sick from the first contraction until DD was born so all the snacks I brought were useless for labour but i did have some go ahead yoghurt bars and other snacks for after.

Yes lucozade sport all the way!

I vomited up everything copiously in both of my labours. The only thing I could keep down was glucose tablets.

All I fancied afterwards was fresh fruit- watermelon, mango, grapes etc.

I got a multipack of lucozade sport ready! Thank you for all of your replies! I know I probably won't feel like eating during labour but every list says pack something so it's helpful to know after labour might be when I need something!

My labour was too quick to eat anything!

I had lucozade sport which was great, we had some of it in the freezer so was nice and cold.

I had nakd bars for afterwards which were good at 6am

Afterwards I feasted on Jaffa cakes

Packing my bag today (37w)! Make sure you take enough for your DP, last time he had to keep running off to the hospital shop because he was starving, they only feed the mums!

Bring a bendable straw! The best thing anyone ever suggested to me!

For some reason I wanted loads of apples, but I bought these when I was in very early labour as I just knew I wanted them haha. Cereal bars were fab, along with some mini cheddars, not the healthiest but they were also good for after the birth as I was ravenous and it wasn't near mealtime.

@stellavisionandunderstanding Yes to the bendy straws! That's exactly what I came on here to say.

Also pack some painkillers so you're not needing to hound the antenatal midwifes for them!

Postnatal I mean!

My labour stopped and I had to stay in hospital for 24 hours because I had diamorphine so was glad of my snacks as I was very bored not actually progressing in labour but stuck in hospital. When I eventually went back and had DD there wasn’t time for a snack as she came so quickly!

Also I know this isn't strictly on topic, but I wish I'd brought some slip on sandals. I only had flip flops and it was hard to wear them with the compression socks they insisted I wear!

I had pringles and penguin bars!1

I wasn't allowed to eat after a certain point because of having an epidural.
I'd packed lots of nature valley bars which proved useful because I gave birth just before lunchtime and hadn't put an order in for food so couldn't get any until dinner (really great after not eating for nearly two days).
I was so excited by Capri suns I'd frozen and packed which we had to convince the midwives to let me have because I couldn't keep water down.

I packed things like cereal bars, crisps, chocolate. Things that wouldn't perish being kept in a bag for a little while. But the hospital provided me with toast anyway, and my MIL bought sandwiches from the hospital shop. Later in the evening she also appeared with cheese toasties but no idea where they came from!

But throughout the day I was offered tea and toast by the midwife anyway. Don't know if that's standard across all midwife led units though

I had a cold bag with sandwiches. Fuck knows what I was thinking, because I was in established labour for 14 hours and then had to have stitches etc afterwards. Still ate them though!

Take jelly babies for energy, they really helped. And then lots of non-perishable foods for afterwards in case you need to stay in hospital for any reason.

My mum packed me all sorts, including a mini trifle, which DH and I were in fits of laughter about (it just seemed a bit absurd, like I was off to a little party or something). Then after a long labour I was starving and was massively grateful For my bag of snacks. I remember some chocolate raisins, which seemed like the best thing I’d ever tasted.

I had no time for snacks (gave birth within 2hrs). Standard procedure in our area is that the midwives make you toast after you've given birth but after a bad tear which required surgery I wasn't allowed any 😔 My first food in 24hrs was a hospital meal (not so enjoyable)

@LittleKitty1985 I packed flip flops but will add something I can slip on too! Thank you!

@stellavisionandunderstanding the bendy straws sounds like a good plan! I've seen this on a few threads but forgot to put them in my bag!

Other than the food suggestions, is there anything else you all found massively helpful to have with you or wished you had taken which isn't on a 'hopsital bag checklist'?