What to pack in Labour Bag?

heather38

i took one bag to the hospital with me i brought an old nightie to wear in the delivery suit, DH dressing gown, paper pants and maternity pads. also snacks for me and DH plus bottled water. i had DD at 5pm and by the time we got to the ward it was 8pm so i didn't have any dinner that day, i was starving by breakfast!! spray bottle for water to cool me down, chewing gum and lipsalve.
on the ward i had brush, deo, toothbrush and paste and soap for me plus night wear and clean top and socks.oh and 2 towels and baby had 2 changes of clothes nappies and cotton wool,
i had the smallest bag in the ward and i had plenty with me.
the only thing i forgot was the car seat, but they made me stay in much to my disgust and i didn't need it till the next day anyway.
and i took a book as i refused to pay for patient line tv.
p.s. i packed my bag when i was in labour as it takes so long first time. i was at home in labour for 29 hours before i went into hospital anyway

BusyLizzie_3

I was boiling hot in labour and my face spray was very well used - a couple of flannels which your birthing partner could soak in cold water to cool you down would be good too. Sports bottle for cold drinks which you can drink in any position. Why are hospitals always so hot?

Also paper/disposable knickers can be uncomfortable and a bit scratchy - I bought some very cheap pants a couple of sizes bigger than I normally wear in Tesco (try Primark or Asda too) instead and didn't mind throwing them away afterwards. I think they were actually cheaper than the disposable maternity knickers you can buy in Boots and Mothercare.

black-saturn

I'd take a few snacks like crisps or nuts in as the meals are far between. I'd also take a puzzle book or a magazine as it can be quite boring waiting around. Change for the payphones might be useful as they don't let you use mobiles in hospitals.

benbenandme

A can of Magicool (from Boots) ... it was a scorching hot day when ds was born and the labour ward was roasting hot ... this stuff was wonderful !!Good luck !! x

doraexplorer

i think everyone has covered what i was thinking, just to say good luck and just try to get home as soon as possible. Also leave your dignity at the door on the way in and pick it up on the way back out again .

alos lots of change for the phone i dont know about other hospitals but at ours they have phones beside the bed that cost a fortune to phone and make outgoing calls.

also have to agree the food is awful, so i would ask visitors to bring you in stuff. i was in for 2 weeks after my first. (early baby) and my boyf would not dare turn up without a KFC or a burger king. which i dont normally eat but it was way better then the food in the hospital.

xxx

Red_Panda_2

With my first I took 2 bags full of everything I could imagine, with the latest I took the tiniest bag but was packed with the stuff I actually needed. I echo the above, buy a cheap pack of knickers from Tesco (even the blue stripe) then throw them away after use, they are cheeper and much more comfy than the paper ones. Lip balm was a muxt for me my lips got so dry and nasty. An MP3 player as it can be noisy in the ward and you dont need to be able to hear your baby as you wont be able to take your eyes off him/her all night so you will know if they are upset!

Oh and good luck xxx

claireandella

I took too much but as well as the previous comments you might like to think about:
Dried fruit and chocolate chips with nuts
Bananas
Magazines
Dark coloured trousers/pyjama bottoms
Lipstick and mascara (or am I weird?- people have since commented on my fully made-up pictures, with earrings and matching necklace with co-ordinating nightshirt...)

and I can't emphasize enough that you need lots and lots of pads and lucozade! oh, and I wish I'd thought to take bath cleaner...

izoomzoom

Don't know if hospitals here provide ice during labour, but I so wish I had ice-chips to suck on when I was in labour.

You would need to crush the cubes, and put it into in a thermo.

bloomin_freezing

I def 2nd Magicool. I have always taken it on holidays so knew it'd be a great help in labour.

Also I tried several packs of maternity towels and found tesco own the best. Other brands came neately packaged and fould up so they were small but i found the foulds to be really uncomfy and quite painful against my nether regions. yes the tesco ones were bulky and took up space in my bag but they felt sooo much better.

good luck, i'm planning #2!!

x

libbydoll

a map....with directions to the nearest chinese takeaway.
Twice the amount of jammies you were going to pack...it gets really messy
Hairdryer, straighteners...the heat on the ward made my hair huge! and everyone wanted pictures
Ear plugs. I was lucky and didn't get the baby blues, but my goodness did the lassie in the bed across from me....
Chocolate, lots of chocolate.....
Slippers with backs in them. I was dead nervous that I would walk out my flip flop style slippers and drop the baby......I ended up having cold bare feet for three days.....
What not to pack...your dignity......what not to leave the hospital without.....free condoms, lots of them!

best of luck, it's the best day of your life.