Hospital Maternity Bag

skea56

Currently putting together items for my hospital bag,have about 4 weeks left.
Have all the essentials for me and the baby I think,but was wondering what would you suggest for wearing out of the hospital.?would my maternity jeans still be suitable?this is with the assumption of a natural birth (fingers crossed)

So far I have:
For me -
pjs
Flip flops
Nursing bra
Maternity pads
Facecloth/soap
Toothpaste/brush

For baby -
Nappies
Baby vest things x 3
Dummies
Bottle
Socks
Cotton wool
Blanket is being knitted should be ready before christmas

Anything else??

Sk56

Kaye1

Massive cotton knickers. If you have a C-section you will need them to be higher than the wound and if you don't you'll need them for the pads.

And I wouldn't bother with the dummies when they are so little.

The hospital have bottles as they sterilise them there.

kingfisherblue

Definitely the knickers - you'll want something comfortable and having had an emergency Caesarean, I know how much the wound hurts.

Hand cream - if you have to stay in overnight or more, your hands are likely to become very dry. It's also quite soothing to massage your hands.

I preferred a baggy nightie to pyjamas (still do!)

Book, Kindle (charged), phone, charger - something to do.

Change - when you go in, you're not likely to be thinking about change for the car park!

Towel.

Bag for dirty washing.

Something for baby to wear apart from vest and shawl. Babygrows are easiest.

I would also forget the dummies. None of my babies liked them anyway, but they're not really necessary when the baby is a newborn.

onlyroz

You'll need more baby clothes - newborns poo *a lot* and it will go everywhere.

Mupette

onlyroz wrote: »

You'll need more baby clothes - newborns poo *a lot* and it will go everywhere.

omg yes that first poo that was never ending and went everywhere. :rotfl:

big comfy knickers
sanitary pads
i had natural birth and still wore maternity for a few weeks after.
lots of change
if you have time 'on the day'
make sandwiches or get family members to make them for partner who will be starving


hat for baby when leaving hospital
mittens to stop them scratching themselves with their nails

Kynthia

There's a link to a bag list on the pregnancy thread. However having recently packed a bag and used it I'll list what I think you're missing.

Slippers
make-up
Going home clothes (maternity still as most take at least a week or two to wear non-maternity jeans)
Spare pjs (you may bleed on a pair) and not too warm as it's boiling on the ward
Lots of knickers
Paracetamol (if you're in pain during the night after the birth you might not be offered anything)
Snacks (again you may be up in the night and hungry)
Something to wear in labour
Perhaps a non-spill water bottle for the labour
Phone and charger
Shampoo and towel in case they make you shower (depends on the hospital)

Nappies/water wipes/nappy sacks
4 vests and 4 baby grows
Hat
A couple of muslin cloths (mine vomited quite a few times while there and I was at risk of running out of baby grows and a usable muslin)
You won't need dummies as they don't use them that early on.
Formula if you want it as back up or plan to formula feed. I had a box that contained mini ready made Formula with disposable sterilised teats, so I didn't need to worry about sterilising bottles while in hospital.

Toto

Hi

I'm a midwife so I'm speaking from experience as a mum and professionally.

Make sure you have enough to entertain you in case you end up spending a bit of time in the hospital. Some cds,magazines, something for birth partners to read, laptop if you have one to watch dvds on (these are just ideas, not essentials by any means) charger for your phone (hospitals sometimes say no charging but I've never known anyone to actually stop anyone). Some change for the car park/drinks. You will be provided with food and drinks but sometimes partners aren't fed so make sure you have plenty of snacks, sweet and savoury, some boiled sweets? Flavoured water or other cold drinks, you never know what you will fancy.

lip salve, you may well get dry lips. Warm socks, lots of mums get cold feet. then hot feet, then cold Layers for you, a cardigan to pop on if cold, a loose t shirt, some mums prefer this to a gown as they feel exposed in gowns sometimes.

Some people bring in pillows. this isn't really necessary as there are always pillows on the ward but some people like their own. Be prepared for anything you bring to get soiled though.

Maternity jeans will be perfect. You will still have a bit of a tummy after baby is born, it takes a while for those muscles to tighten and for the uterus to contract to pre pregnancy. Most mums feel comfortable in their maternity clothes or at least something stretchy or adjustable.

As for feeding, in my local hospital, if you are formula feeding then you will be asked to bring in bottles and milk, ready made, not powder. Many trusts are working towards baby friendly accreditation if they haven't already achieved it, so formula won't be supplied. However sterilisers are so no need to worry about those.

For breast feeding, a loose fitting nightie or tops. More than one, you might be in for a day or two so it's best to prepare for that than send someone home to get things for you. You might need breast pads but this is unlikely until day 3 or 4. Nipple cream might be useful, if you get sore then utilise the midwives/nursery nurse/HCA who will help you with feeding, not all babies are born knowing what to do, it takes a bit of time and help sometimes so shout if you need it.

Plenty of vests/babygrows. I wouldn't bother too much with fancy outfits, you'll find babygrows much easier to use in the early days/weeks.

Hat for baby to go home in, as well as blankets to put on in the car seat. I'm not a fan of big snow suits, it's much easier to keep an eye on baby's temperature using blankets you can add or remove rather than one thick layer.


I'm sure I could think of more but it's really late.


I hope you have a wonderful birth experience. Remember that you might not get the experience you had envisioned but if you prepare to be flexible in terms of pain relief or even mode of delivery you may find you deal with all eventualities much better. Remain as relaxed as possible, it's your experience so speak if something isn't being done as you want it to. If possible your midwife will want to ensure you all have a beautiful and positive experience.

Nicki

Different people react differently to giving birth. Some retain their bump for a while but others lose it much more quickly. Mine went down immediately after birth (literally looked down on the delivery table and it had deflated!). That isn't to say I was back in pre-pregnancy shape, but maternity jeans would have fallen off me. I went home in leggings which were forgiving enough for any shape (and soft against a c section scar too).

waterbaby

I'm pleased to see that you are taking flip flops. I learnt to take flip flops after my showering experience after baby 1 was born. If anyone asks me for advice, I always tell them to pack flip flops.

Yes, more baby clothes! Have spares of things ready at home so you can tell whoever "Pick up that pile of stuff on the dining table and bring it in" etc. A (size 12) friend, after her c-section with twins, asked her partner to bring her in some more knickers. He found her size 12 thongs and brought them in. Make sure the right supplies are on standby, in case you have a longer stay than you are expecting!

Speaking of knickers - I wear a size 12/14 and the 18s I got were spot on after the c-section.

I'd take more than one nursing bra - I turned out to be a fantastic milk producer and hence the bras did often get a bit of a soaking.

Good luck

Save

teddysmum

Are people in long enough to need those things, nowadays ?


My daughters-in law, have been sent home next or even same day (just a few hours after birth ) in recent years.

AnnieO1234

Our local hospital advises to being a pillow or two as they can only guarantee one at most (!)

I personally have found paper pants the easiest to deal with. When a pad is in it doesn't matter and they're comfy enough.

A jersey dress is simplest thing IMHO. It covers your bump/deflated belly, doesn't rub against either c section or stitches, and it doesn't matter how big or small you are.

Xxx