Food - what to take

[Santatizer]

I can't stand hospital food - I had to go to the Maternity Assessment Unit several weeks ago now and was there for hours (all ok). They wanted me to eat something and brought me a really grim cheese sandwich. It had beads of condensation on it, the bread was vile and the whole thing just smelled vomit-inducing. There's not much I don't like but I will freely admit I can't eat something that literally makes me feel gippy just from the smell - which I do find the case with most hospital food. Please no criticism about not being fussy, eating what you're given etc - I am just looking for advice about what I can take with me so I'm not starving that is not too unhealthy but does not need to be refrigerated, especially if I need to stay in (decent chance of a C-section as had a previous EMCS and am over 40/high BMI). Any ideas welcome!

Porridge pots, dried fruit, individual smoothie cartons and cereal bars? They're what I've packed in my hospital bag.

Dried fruit
Nuts
Fresh fruit that will keep ok such as oranges, bananas, apples
Cereal bars
Biscuits
Yoghurt coated rice cakes or just regular rice cakes

Some of the food will be ok. At breakfast you can have toast and yoghurt, the jacket potatoes are usually ok for lunch or dinner. Something like curry with rice is often fine too even if it’s not the best thing you’ve ever eaten.

The sandwiches in particular tend to be grim, they go stale and sweaty. I’m also not a fan of hospital cereal, it’s often quite stale and the milk tastes odd and there’s something about eating cereal out of a plastic bowl that makes me think of lunch boxes (vom).

With my first I was in for a few days after and didn't get anything to eat as they said they were far too busy to provide for my (in my opinion) fairly common allergy. This time I am planning on taking fruit, sandwiches, biscuits. As well as being much more proactive about my other half going home and making a meal to bring me!

@TheViewOutsideMyWindow

Porridge pots, dried fruit, individual smoothie cartons and cereal bars? They're what I've packed in my hospital bag.

They won’t be able to provide hot water for your porridge pots. Although we give you tea so it doesn’t make sense. But we’re not allowed to heat food or provide boiling water

Anything that will keep well in your bags. Don't worry, you're not alone. Hospital food is absolutely vile. Nutrition is so important to healing.

In my bag I've got - Pringles, protein/cereal bars, porridge pots, choc bars and gummy sweets packed and bananas ready to grab.
Wrt hot water - it must vary by Trust as my hospital has a 'brew room' with kettle and tea/coffees etc. It was there pre covid with my previous DCs and I checked with the midwives and its still open for use at the moment.

There is no better meal than the tea and toast they bring you post labour

I had plain porridge and a plain baked potato while in hospital after giving birth and it was disgusting. And I eat porridge oats with water at home!
I gave birth at 8pm so was too late for dinner and only had some dry snack bars to eat. I was exhausted and thirsty and the Ward was really warm. I would say something really yummy for afterwards and a flavoured drink, I had one bottle of Lucozade sport and it tasted amazing but wasn't enough. I had barely eaten for 24 hours so was starving too. Very disappointed I didn't get the toast and tea you hear about!

@Oatsamazing good shout, I’m going to pick up some lucozade tomorrow to go in my hospital bag now!

I’ve got lucozade sport, my favourite biscuits, crisps and flapjacks. I’ll probably grab some bananas when the time comes too. I’m packing some snacks for hubby too and taking in a big bottle of water, obviously they provide water but our jug was tiny and it was annoying having to keep getting up for more.

Protein bars.

The food at our hospital has been pretty good at past births.

@Oatsamazing that's mental. I wouldn't have survived. I had DC1 at 7.30pm but had a retained placenta and had to do theatre (after a wait), recovery etc so wasn't on the ward til 2am. They still brought me tea and toast. That must have sucked.

DC2 we left the hospital 5 hours later and went straight to McDonalds.

Put your lucozade sport in the freezer at home and grab it out before you leave, it’s ice cold/slushy by the time you want it at the hospital - amazinnggg as it’s super hot in there like everyone says.
For proper food have you looked at those John West tuna snack pots and other stuff in that aisle of the shop?

Thanks everyone - this is super helpful!!