What to pack in Labour Bag?

naomi123

Oh god I am due to give birth early April and now Im really scared after reading this!! I dont want to bleed everywhere!! It sounds horrible!!

rosielx

I've been watching the living tv (sky) baby programmes recently to try and get my lovely hell hound of the apocalypse/doggy used to babies crying. From this it seems that everybody is different in labour. I admit I'm not looking forward to it either but at least then I'm hoping that some of the bad pregnancy side affects will disappear ie am i the only person still with morning sickness at 29 weeks? As for the weight only put on three pounds so far, spent christmas trying to fatten my bump up but failed (last year in a non pregnant state I managed to gain 7lb....)

Bun

Good luck! Personally I wore a vest top for the birth as not too baggy and could wear it throughout (ie pool etc).
Ignore any of the lists that baby mags recommend. Not only is there loads to pack, but you won't have room for or use most of it. We looked like we were in the middle of a baby bring and buy sale when we were in hospital! Ebst to take some middle weight stuff and stock up when you know the weight of the baby/length of your stay.You will need maternity pads as already advised, I found the tapered ones were more comfortable (from Tesco I think) - the Boots ones were very uncomfy.
Pack moisturiser/moisturising shower gel as it is so hot your skin can get really dry and itchy.
If your hospital has those horrible tv screens put a towel or muslin over them at night as they can keep you awake (if you get any sleep anyway).
Ooh, I'm getting all broody again.
Otherwise all the info on here is fab already.

Bun
x

Ooh, and as for doggy, a new toy/treats when baby is there, and a blanket smelling of baby to be brought back from the hospital by OH. Worked a treat with our cats as they were wary but were familiar with the smell.

purplepurple

naomi123 wrote:

Oh god I am due to give birth early April and now Im really scared after reading this!! I dont want to bleed everywhere!! It sounds horrible!!

Don't panic naomi! You'll be fine.... it does sound awful, but it doesn't last forever.
I found that beforehand, everyone (midwives, doctors etc) wanted to talk about the actual birth, but very little was discussed about the 6 weeks or so after... how to help your body heal and get back to normal, how to cope with the bleeding, leaking breasts, painful stitches, piles etc etc but I think it's really important to try and be prepared for it.
By this I mean get in loads of sanitary towels, breast pads, mattress protectors (or old towels for you to sleep on for a couple of weeks) big pants, an old blanket for your sofa and so on. If you don't get too stressed out about the after-effects of birth, it will mean you're more relaxed which will make baby more relaxed.
Baby will be producing amazing substances from both ends (especially when the meconium comes through... wow! It's like something an alien would produce!) for a few weeks at least, so you'll be prepared for that too!

The main thing is to try and enjoy it all (easy to say!) your body will get back to normal, the bleeding will stop, the stitches will heal and a year later you will have forgotten all about it. :rotfl:

HeyBigSpender

I brought a comfy pillow and pillowcase from home, as hospital pillows are really thin and plastic. My pillow smelt of home and was nice and comforting too.

Good Luck!

Becles

naomi123 wrote:

Oh god I am due to give birth early April and now Im really scared after reading this!! I dont want to bleed everywhere!! It sounds horrible!!

The midwife told me the bleeding afterwards is nothing more than a period. This is wrong!

I've written this post, not to scare you, but to make you aware of what will happen to you, so you can expect it. A lot of the following scared me as I hadn't been told about it and was worried that something was wrong with me. All of it is perfectly normal and I really wish someone had told me before I gave birth.

You will bleed really heavy for up to 48 hours afterwards. You might pass lumps and clots too - don't be scared, it's perfectly normal. You really do need the thick towels to cope with this loss. I took Always Thin pads to cope with my expected "normal period loss", had a short nap after the birth and was horrified when I woke up and my nightie had blood soaked through on to it. After 48 hours it should settle to more like a heavy period so you can use normal towels, then the loss will gradually slow down over the next 2 weeks or so.

Regardless of if you breast feed or not, your real milk will come in a few days after birth. Expect to have a day where your breasts swell up, they feel rock hard, very hot, sensitive and like they are going to explode! That should pass within a few hours though.

If you have a tear or stiches, it will sting when you have a wee. I was advised to either wee in a bowl of water, or fill a jug with warm water and pour that over as you are weeing. I only had a little tear both times so it didn't sting much for me and I didn't bother with the water.

After baby is born, you get more contractions as your womb starts shrinking back to normal. Nobody told me about these at all and they really scared me. If you breast feed, your body releases a hormone that triggers these contractions as you feed, so expect a pain then. If you don't feed, they could happen at any time. It only lasts a few seconds, and stop after a few days once your womb is back to normal size.

You might not have a poo for days afterwards! I don't know why, but it's nothing to be worried about, and there's no need to take laxitives as it'll arrive eventually.

I know it sounds horrible, but remember that you will have a lovely new born baby with you, and you'll not be rushing round in your normal day to day activities. Spending time relaxing with the new baby takes your mind off all the above.

I've been through it twice already and I'm hoping to fall pregnant for a third time this year, so it's not all that bad

Hope everything works out well for you xx

Jay-Jay_4

Becles wrote:

You might not have a poo for days afterwards! I don't know why, but it's nothing to be worried about, and there's no need to take laxitives as it'll arrive eventually.

....and it won't be as bad as you might anticipate. It's really scary if you have stitches, you may worry that they'll come undone and that it will be really painful..... don't worry, they won't come undone and the anticipation is worse than the actual act.

rosielx

How long can I expect to be in hospital for if i don't need a c-section birth?

LearningToSave.

if you dont need a c section and all is well with both you and baby(ie-baby feeding well) then you will probably be discharged within 24 hours.you can be let go in a minimum of 6 hours although most hospitals only do this 6 hour discharge if you ask for it.
my first daughter was born at 8pm and i was discharged at 4pm the next day......my second daughter was born at 6pm and i was discharged at 9am the following morning.

across

you never know if it comes quick and youre still at home like my second one you wont need to even set foot in the place!!!!!!!!!! it was like being in a hotel in my own bed!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck!!!!!!!!! ps: it all washes off the bedding i had white laura ashley duvet set and it washed out perfect so dont panic!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl: