What to pack in Labour Bag?

Destiny33

I'm probably paranoid but cleaning wipes incase ladies have been erm less than careful when going before you.

Also cleansing/freshening wipes for beside the bed help keep you comfy.

Bag of small change for hospital phone.

Cant think of anything else as everyone has given good advice but i just want to wish you luck, it is scary but in the end you will have the best thing in the world, a gorgeous wee baby so good luck, take care and we are all thinking about you

D
xxx

rosielx

Thanks to everyone for the information. Cant wait for the bump to arrive as I already have the sleepless nights from the little one doing irish dancing and kicking my hip bones all night....

Lillibet_2

I asked this same question about 6 months ago & was inundated with replies, I kept a list of the things I took & the things I actually used :

Nightie to give birth in & 2 for afterwards, in case you leak on one. Have spares at home on standby. You don't really need a dressing gown on the wards as it's soooooo hot, but if you go down to the canteen you might need one, also it's handy for post-shower if you are a bit wobbly & aids discreet breast feeding.

BIG old/cheap knickers, I hated the paper ones & only wore one pair then I used big old ones. After 14 hours I switched to HUGE Bridget Jones style support knickers which kept everything in place & made me feel a bit better too (not sure if these would work with a c-section?)

Maternity towels : DON'T use ordinary sanitary towels for the first 2-3 days as they have plastic backing, fill up too quickly & leave you wet & soggy which delays the healing process. You NEED proper maternity towels at first but can switch to heavy duty normal towels after a couple of days. Get LOTS!!!!

Luxury facial wipes. Pref unperfumed ones which can double-duty in "other" places. Or buy a "baby" sponge & use that in delicate post-birth region (this worked really well for me). Have pleanty of salt & tea tree oil on hand for salt baths when you get home.

A couple of big old towels, as others have already said for you & also to change baby on etc.

A bit vain I know, but I took tinted lip-salve & tinted moisturiser, both worked double-duty in keeping me fresh & also meant that I didn't look like something out of a horror film in the post-birth photos. And everyone's going to want to see those photos!

Breast pads & sleep nursing bra if breast feeding. Kamillosan cream for nipples. If not breast feeding then pads & something like a crop top/sports bra would be useful.

Something to read.

Lots of snacks for you & hubby. I wasn't at all hungary during labour, only sucked sweets to keep mouth fresh from the gas & air & vomit:p, but the midwives kept asking me if I wanted something (only water & diet coke for some strange reason), Hubby was starving. After the birth I was famished & hospital food really is terrible (any chance fo Jamie Oliver working his magic here next?) Drinking straws for during labour as it's easier. I was very wobbly holding plastic cups & was grateful for this peice of advice.

Disposable camera in case your regualr ones fails at the wrong time! It's just not worth the risk.

Change for the phone & car park! List of phone numbers in case mobile phone fails (won't be allowed on ward anyway) or in case birth makes you forget things you have known all your life:rotfl:

Several copies of your birth plan (if you have one) so that you can attach one to your notes, give one to the midwife etc.

Don't forget a hat & blanket to bring baby home in.

Nappies, cotton wool, vest & sleep suits x2 for baby with spares on stand by at home in case you are in for longer than 24 hours. Babies need to be wrapped up well for the first 48 hours as they can't warm themselves up.

Practise fitting the car seat before the day arrives (we didn't)

Good luck, it really is exciting & wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. Honestly;)

HTH

black-saturn

You could think about taking a small bag of seasalt for the bath. If you have sore stitches you could have a bath with sea salt and it will sooth them for a little while.

Dont know if anyones mentioned this yet but take some money. Once a day the nurses would come round and offer to go to the corner shop for everyone and it drove me mad when everyone was eating chocolate and I wasnt.

Earplugs - When they put you on the ward after being in labour all that time you will need some sleep. But its like trying to sleep on Piccadilly Circus with babies crying, beds being wheeled in and out, nurses walking up and down, the post natally depressed mum sobbing all night etc etc.

black-saturn

Lillibet wrote:

Good luck, it really is exciting & wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. Honestly;)

Speak for yourself, it was 100 times worse than I expected for me. :eek:

brummiebird443

just to add to all the great advice already given. Make sure u take a couple of Pj's/nighties as after the birth u do tend to bleed quite heavily. (i'm sorry if it sounds a bit gross but i wish someone had told me!!!)

and as one of the other posters mentioned, do use the maternity pads, they are alot bulkier than normal sanitary towels but honestly they're the only ones that'll soak everything up and u can switch to normal ones after a couple of days.

take u're purse with u as well. i found that when i was wheeled onto the ward, all the beds had individual televisions which u had to buy a top up card for (£2.50 for 24 hrs i think it was), helps to pass the time!

Good Luck and hope it all goes well.

mellyp

Just something small to add.

I put my babes first set of clothes that they would be dressed in as soon as they were born, a nappie, vest, hat and sleepsuit etc in my labour bag, rather than the bag that i would take onto the ward, so they were easily accessible rather than rifling through the 'ward' bag which was full of stuff.

Good luck with everything

Claudie

Oh and slip on slippers and/or slip on shoes!

Hope everything goes really well for you.

ka7e

Again with the unmentionables...get some Anusol....just in case! (Not suitable for use near fresh stitches, though)

myrnahaz

Don't take your favourite perfumed toiletries into hospital with you or you'll risk being put off the smell for life. And don't take floor-length nighties and dressing gowns or you'll risk tripping up. Needless to say, I give this advice from experience.
And be realistic about how much thinner you're likely to be after the birth - I took my pre-pregnancy clothes with me (to wear home) in my innocent assumption that the 3 stones I gained would miraculously vanish after delivery of my 8 pound baby - I actually wore my maternity clothes for several weeks after the birth!!