WHAT SHOULD I PACK IN MY HOSPITAL BAG???

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Iv been having abit of what i thought was leaking called my midwife and she said that everything seemed fine and that i may just be havin some heavy discharge, HOWEVER im not convinced and wanted to pack my hospital bag early im almost 30 weks so i would have to do it shortly anyway. iv sen loads of lists just wanted to know if any mums had any knowledge on what you should actually pack for me & baby?? thanx :-) xxxx

any1 got any other suggestions of what i need 4 me an baby think iv got it sorted now :P xxx

I forgot breastpads - you may be using these already but if not you will need some for after the birth. You can buy reusable ones or disposable - if you're going for disposable ones then splash out on the more expensive ones at first. Supermarkets do some but they are too thin to handle the first rush of milk. Maybe get two boxes to start?

Sanitary towels - ok think how many times you like to change your towel or tampon when you get your period - then double that figure and add 2 then multipy by 7 and that should give you 5-7 days supply - hopefully.

Oh and though I've mentioned tampons there thats just for illustration - for post birth it has to be towels - for preventing infection, helping to judge your loss and because you won't want anything near that part of your anatomy!

Take about two more packs of pads with you then you think you will need ,there is nothing worse than been caught short without pads in hospital .

Good luck.

this is roughly what i have packed

one bag for baby:-

babys outfits and vests etc,nappies,teddy,muslins

another back for me:-

thick maternity pads
big knicks and disposable knicks
nighties
slippers and slipper socks
tshirt
towel
lucozade tabs (great for energy)
polos (great for fresh breath)
chocolate and drinks
breast pads
camera and video camera
flip flops

sure there is more cant think

tink - you need a nursing bra in there or your breast pads will fall off

LOL Northern

Is it true that you cant use normal pads, and you HAVE to use maternity ones?

You can use normal pads after a few days but maternity ones are huge and more comfortable and I think they are formulated differently so that the midwives can judge better whats going on with your loss if they need to look at your pad. Oh yes first time mums - brace yourself - someone is probably going to ask to look at your pad at some point! It's not because they are ghoulishly interested - it's because the nature of your loss can be an indicator of whether you have an infection. I switched to huge night time super super pads fairly soon though. Can't remember when.

dp put lavendar oil on a flannel for my forehead in labour - was lovely.

earplugs...you will still hear your baby if (s)he cries but not the annoying woman opposite you with the incredibly loud voice who is on the phone till well after midnight when your baby is sleeping and you've stopped bouncing off the walls enough to want some sleep too...

Some squash to hide the taste of the water in hospital
Shower gel, shampoo and conditioner for the post birth hose down
Big thick socks - my feet were freezing throughout labour
Change for phone/vending machine/hospital trolly shop/parking meter
Eye mask so if you have to stay in you can take a nap
Wet wipes for you - there should be a bottle of the alcohol hand rub on the bottom of your bed

I took way to much stuff with me as copied all these mags about what to pack!!
I was only there for abit tho as she was very quick and got let out few hours after birth.
I took a fan which was my most used thing and lots of water and snacks
black towel, wash things to clean yourself up, toothbrush, pants, lots of those lovely maternity pads! my own slippers.
I went in party clothes as was my 21st when went into labour and she was 11days early (typical!!) ripped my clothes off and gave birth naked as was way to hot and changed into pjs and dressing gown once washed and came home in them.
Took 2 outfits for bubba, nappies, blanket and a coat, I was bf but took bottle and carton just incase.
Make sure you have lots of change, they dint tel us but it worked out cheaper to pay parking for the whole week instead of keep topping up hours although was only there few hours.
Good luck