What to pack in Labour Bag?

brookeslay

I need to buy things for my hopsital bag online as i can`t get out atm. What essentials and what best buys have you found.

Also need maternity trousers top for coming home where want nice cotton ones. also nice nursing bra.


Also anyone found little cardigans or coats for taking baby home.??

Any suggestions welcomed as my brain is fuddled by no sleep and dancing baby.

thanks B:T

starbump

If you google "hospital checklist" you should get several pages of suggestions, like this one: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/labourandbirth/hospitalbag/

You could also search on eBay for "hospital bag" and you should find several pre-packed bag listings. I wouldn't actually buy them myself but you could use the auction listing contents as a guide to packing your own bag!

Essentials for going home, in my opinion, would be a car seat (if you drive), Lansinoh breast pads, Always night time pads, clean clothes for everyone, change for the car park and warm blanket (baby's clothes might be wrong size so at least you can wrap up snug). Hospital will probably provide nappies and basic toiletries but you may want to bring your own.

sooty&sweep

Hi

Your midwife should give you a list but here goes

Delivery Suite -
Comfy nightshirt / big baggy tshirt
socks / slippers
something to read
music
nappies
vest + baby grow

Ward - depends how long you stay in
Pjamas / night shirt
track suit bottoms
t shirts - my hospital kept the maternity wards very warm.
paper knickers or cheap knickers - bigger knickers are better because you may be a little sore
maternity pads
towels - dark
toiletries

nappies
vests
babygrows
snow suit to travel home in

Don't have anything valuable with you, things do get stolen.

Best Wishes

Sarahsaver

I took a whole bundle of CDs and some lip balm, and a book to read, well littlun arrived so fast i barely had time to take my coat off LOL.
Look at the lists then halve it!
And your baby will not need any toiletries, but you will need a good moisturiser for your face cos hospitals are so hot and you need to do something to make yourself feel pampered!

jackomdj

Sarahsaver wrote: »

Look at the lists then halve it!!

Or double it depending upon birth & how long you end up staying in.

I packed a hospital bag & a spare bag for DD2 after my experience with DD1 & left it in the car - good job as it was a long time coming, then they would not let us go as she had not had her antibiotics for long enough before being born.

I would say you can't have enough maternity pads. Also I wish I had taken in some of the liners you use i terry nappies as DD did about 12 tar poos on her second night & if I had had these I could have just changed the liners.

Make sure you have spare clothes etc, if you are kept in you may want to be dressed etc rather than just in a nightshirt.

Food & drink, headache tablets for OH - if you are in overnight & he gets no sleep these will stop him from getting a headache from exhaustion.

Camera, spare batteries, change, something to read, something to listen to.

I arrived in hospital at 8pm after waters broke (felt like constantly weeing) they wanted me in quickly as I had been 4cm dilated for 5 days by then!!! Told OH not to go home as it would happen quickly. No pains all night, just changing pads constantly. Next day walked around the hospital for about 6 hours - up & down the stairs etc, lots of wet clothes! A few more hours & they took me in to give baby antibiotics as waters had been broken for so long. Also gave me a jab to move things along. 2h later DD arrived but she had not been in me for long enough after antibiotics so they kept me in an 2 more nights to observe her.

Remember every labour is different & you should pack for the worse case - you won't be able to just pop home & you may not want your OH to just pop down to the hospital shop.

HTH
Good Luck
Nicky

Girlzmum

Don't know if its already been mentioned but one thing I was never warned about (it is a mum conspiracy!) get a good pile cream! I didn't have any issues during pregnancy but afterwards I needed heavy duty stuff!

elandylayla

one essential i think you should take not sure if any one has mentioned it is nipple cream if you are planning on breast feeding it's a life saver. I also suggest LOTS of maternity pads and LOTS of towels especially if you think you may have an epidural as the leakage afterwards is not pretty (i mean bucket loads) so pack extra clothes too! only to save embarressment ! I'm due in 13 weeks for the second time and i am extreamly nervous as had a bad labour 1st time round but not bad enough to put me off just changing hospital x

Krystaltips

You should never assume you will need nipple cream to breastfeed. If you have lots of support with your positioning you shouldn't need any at all... And if you do get sore then breastmilk expressed and rubbed into the sore area is a lot more MSE... Or at a push, vaseline does exactly what the expensive creams do...

MrsTinks

Vaseline vaseline vaseline also great for 50,000 other things so buy industrial size tub! 2 weeks into motherhood I'd say vaseline should be top of the shopping list I have some expensive nipple cream that a friend bought me but it's not even been opened yet...
Actually Krystal - I'll PM you - still having some latching on issues grrrr

ailuro2

food and plenty of it:D, frozen bottles of juice too, so they'll still be a bit cold after the baby's born - the juice/water they give you doesn't stay cold for long.

Make up - trust me, I didn't take any, and the pics of my DD as a newborn don't come out very often - she was gorgeous, but I'm an aneamic fright I do wish I'd put a bit of foundation and some blusher on, just to stop me looking so damned knackered!!:p