Fairy lights in birth hospital bag?

[crumblylancs]

Can someone tell me if this is the new normal? My tiktok is full of pregnancy videos, including women packing their hospital bags with fairy lights/battery operated tea lights for during labour.

I can't imagine getting in to delivery and trying to get a load of fairy lights hung up

It’s generally used to make a more calming / relaxing experience during birth. I didn’t pack them but the birthing pool suite did have them, nice dark room, fairy lights, I got to play my music, it was all lovely…until it just fucking wasn’t 😂

I don't know how anyone could be focused on the lighting in the delivery room in full on labour. I am surprised stuff like that is allowed in case there is an emergency and it gets in the way of hospital equipment. Plus dodgy fairy lights could be the emergency!

Temperature was important in the room - I was boiling in labour in February and had the windows open - it was snowing outside!

That said the "hippy woo" of breathing techniques and visualisation did help.

Let’s be honest, how many of us wrote a birth plan for our first which made us feel in control but in reality we might as well have ripped it up with the first contraction?

This feels like one of those things. They will most likely look back at themselves and scoff at their own nativity but if it makes them feel better before the birth then there is no harm. We can all just know better and nod.

Absolutely.

I gave birth in the labour ward and they had a coloured light projector thing in every room in case you wanted to have the lights off. I did with my first, it was much more relaxing than having it on. I even had a little sleep between contractions.
I would have had it second time too except she was born in the morning so it was daylight.

Why is reading a book so much worthier than fairy lights?

You'd really rather gaze at a set of fairy lights than read a book? Some people are very easily entertained.

Yep my birthing rooms have always had "soft lighting" and we took fairy lights with us. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to get them all out as I give birth very fast 🤣 but they're now hanging in my eldest's bedroom. All the local birthing units have either fairy lights or glitter balls or a lava lamp type thing in the rooms near me

I think a lot of those social media posts are from US
Do you know how much they have to pay over there to have a baby? It's insane I know they have insurance but my god its thousands and thousands

No wonder they want fairy lights! Id want the red carpet and a parade of trumpet players 🤣 if I was going to pay that.

Give me a wonderful midwife, and some overhead fluorescent lights, a ward full of crying babies, crunchy sheets and a ward that's hotter than the sun any day

I didn’t bring any but my midwife appeared in the delivery suite with one of those galaxy light machines. She turned the lights down and put that one. Alongside my relaxing labour playlist on Spotify I’ve never felt so chilled out. The drugs might have helped I suppose.

Same silly women who have a face full of makeup and their nails perfectly done. It's about their 'Insta' post - everything they do is for attention. And please, don't tell me it's not. That's precisely why they do it, or you wouldn't have seen it all over Tik Tok! Already tried to outdo everyone else with their birth announcements, gender announcements, baby shower etc. Once the baby is here it's all about lying it out with it's name spelt out next to it, and constant photographs on a sheet with how old they are.

Insta insta insta innit!

Giving birth is dangerous. But hey, if you're got your fairy lights on the go for some insta shots, sure it'll all be much merrier!

Actually, the question we really need to also consider what books are worthy enough to outrank fairy lights. Is Marian Keyes worthy enough, or do you need to settle down with a first edition of Ulysses in order to claim the Objectively, Morally and Intellectually Better Than Those Silly Fairylight Women Crown?

I always wonder why maternity care is so scant now compared to 70 years ago. Surely the birth rate has gone down? I realise the medical side of things has improved, but the week long stays, the baby in the nursery, laundry service etc. I presume they just realised it was really costly, and started persuading women that they really wanted to go home after 24 hours by making the post natal ward hell on earth?

It's not something I'd prioritise, and unless you're hooked up to an epidural, I reckon that if you're in the delivery room and capable of thinking about fairy lights you're probably there a bit soon. It does strike me as a naive FTM thing with no real sense of how messy, primal and uncontrollable birth is and how very little you'll care about that kind of thing, or indeed be capable of noticing. But it's no harm if you want to bring them, Lord knows.

Dim lighting is definitely good, but the vast majority of hospital rooms can manage that without fairy lights.

Jug of water?!!!! Luxury!😛

I had one of those light projection things which also had a speaker so was able to connect my phone and play music. I did hypnobirthing snd During contractions o found myself really focusing on the lights moving and fading in and out. Had an induction and was in Labour for 18hrs and only needed gas and air for the actual birth

All those things were provided in my delivery room. There’s lots of research about giving birth in gently lit, dim rooms being better for mother and baby and leading to better outcomes for birth.

I've written my own books, and I often do that on my head whilst staring into space.

I'm not sure how that ranks in the superiority stakes, but I'm rather surprised that some people need an actual physical book in front of them to be entertained.

I can entertain myself with my head, but I suppose if you struggle without a book that's ok.

I had a fairly traumatic birthing experience with DS. I think if we had put up fairly lights I'd have thrown them across the room! DD was a bit calmer, but my god I felt sick and just in pain. I hypnobirthed as well, so I'm not against modern approaches, as it where. I think it depends on a. Your experience b. Your environment and c. Luck!

I had a c section so didn’t take anything for the birth, but I did have a bed next to a huge window on the maternity ward after.

I gave birth just before Christmas and looking out at twinkling Christmas lights whilst holding my newborn is one of the most magical moments of my life.

My DH came to the ante natal class that partners could go to. Literally the only thing he remembered was that labour might be a long time and to pack snacks. I remember as we were about to leave, he asked if he should make some sandwiches (no) but he must have offered me a cereal bar about 6 times! (Also no...so he ate them himself!) 🤣🤣

I don't think I even opened my hospital bag during labour. The only things I used that I packed were the clean clothes and toiletries/ pads for myself and clothes for the new baby.

Who needs the patriarchy when we have people like you ready and waiting for the opportunity to bring other women down.

Oo aren't you 'ard.

Only the soft snowflakes of this generation have "birthing experiences". Everyone else back in the day popped the baby out and got straight back down the pit half an hour later. None of this fairy light namby pampy nonsense.

I must admit, I had a Christmas baby too and loved sitting on the settee with just the tree lights on!