The time has come, the time where I have to stop putting things off, and just do it. Pack my Hospital Bag. Would you be confident picking out your hospital bag essentials?
At 34 weeks pregnant, I could, in theory, go into labour any time from now onwards, and after a bit of a false alarm this morning where I had excruciating cramps, I decided today is the day to do it!
I learnt some interesting lessons first time around, largely about the things I packed that I didn’t need and about the hospital bag essentials that I didn’t realise were essential at the time! The things I left at home that perhaps I should have taken with me. A quick google will provide you with a list of the absolute hospital bag essential items to pack (we like this one – http://www.babycentre.co.uk/what-to-pack-in-your-hospital-bag).
This post therefore doesn’t aim to cover the entire list of hospital bag essentials, but what I thought would be helpful is to share some suggestions for hospital bag items that go beyond the essential – those things that you might forget to think of but that can prove bloody useful when the big day arrives! 🙂
If you have any more to add, please comment and share! If it helps a mum to be out its worth it! 🙂
Hospital Bag Essentials you don’t want to forget
Lanolin – This was my absolute life saver after having Erin. I had always wanted to breast feed, but my boobs were EXTREMELY sore when waiting for the milk to come in. On the first night in hospital my boobs were rock solid and virtually cone shaped as they prepared for the impending arrival of milk, and as such, feeding was a little on the tricky side. Erin also cluster fed a LOT as a newborn and having been recommended Lanolin by my sister, I applied some on my nipples after every single feed. It helped significantly and stopped my nipples from becoming sore or cracked. Its also completely safe to use with babies from birth, so one less thing to worry about!
Lipsalve / Lipgloss – Gas and air, as wonderful as it can be can make your lips and throat extremely dry. I managed to scoop up a couple of lipsalves reduced at my local supermarket – perfect for giving your lips a quick refresh. Vaseline would also do the trick. I wouldn’t recommend worrying about make up – I learnt that lesson the hard way with false individual lashes first time around – (see https://realmumreview.comlabour-face/), but its amazing what a quick swipe of lip salve can do to make you feel a bit more human! That said, its nice to have some mascara and foundation in your bag for a quick perk up after your shower! Fellow blogger Laura also has a great idea – putting a small amount of Vaseline on your babies bum after they are born really makes that first poop easier to clean off! http://dearbearandbeany.com/what-i-packed-in-my-hospital-bag/
Isotonic / Energy Drinks – I barely ate during labour with Erin, as I just didn’t feel hungry, and if I’m honest the food at the hospital didn’t appear particularly inspiring during my 36 hour back to back labour! The one thing I did find incredibly useful to keep my energy up was Luzozade Sports Drinks – I opted for the raspberry one and probably got through about 6 bottles! They were also really easy to have someone else squeeze in your mouth for you when you were otherwise engaged! 🙂 My fellow blogger Rachel at www.parenthoodhighsandlows.com also recommends taking drinking straws for the same reason – that you don’t have to exert any effort in taking a quick sip!
Soundtrack – At my first labour, we were lucky enough to have an ipod dock in the room where I gave birth. We initially docked my iPhone and played some of my ecletic music collection, until my other half got pee’d off and went to the car to retrieve his own ipod, which I have to admit was much more inspiring than mine! Some of the classics with a decent beat really helped during the later stages of labour, and it’s also fun to say my daughter was born to Up in the Sky by Oasis! 🙂 If you have the time, you could even create your own labour soundtrack with some of your favourite songs, it’s amazing what a lift music can be when you are struggling! My fellow blogger Alana also prepared an ipod for her second http://www.baby-holiday.co.uk/…/packing-for-labour…/after being exposed to Robbie Williams on commercial radio for the birth of her first lol 🙂 – never again! 🙂
A birthing partner bag, and a second bag at home – Don’t underestimate just how hard labour can be for your birthing partner as well! Thanks to my super-organised mum who was still alive at the birth of my first daughter, we had packed a 2nd bag for her and my other half, full of some of the things they may need when supporting a long labour. This included lots of snacks, money for parking and vending machines, and magazines/books for the “quieter” stages of labour. I would also recommend adding a phone charger, as they will inevitably want to do some texting/tweeting/pokemoning lol – hopefully not the latter or he is likely to get a punch in the face lol 🙂
After Erin was born, I had to stay in for 3 nights after getting an infection, and we hadn’t prepared for this at all. Asking Mike to go home and get some extra bits and pieces was as successful as asking a 3 year old to pack a bag, in that the items he returned with didn’t quite fit the bill! I asked him to bring some pyjamas and he came back with a pair of size 10 Fat Face jammies that were thick winter ones (it was June) and about 2 sizes too small lol. He also had to ring about 6 times because he couldn’t figure out which jeans were maternity ones – I mean really… !! So this time, I will prepare a “long stay” bag as well to keep at home. Whilst we wont take this to the hospital with us, I will make sure it’s all ready for him so that he doesn’t have to think. The less thinking required the better lol 🙂
A variety of sized babygrows – I was told by bump size that my baby was going to be big, and as such took a newborn and 0-3 month babygrow to the hospital with me. My daughter was actually only 6lb 4oz and as such the clothes we took absolutely swamped her!!! I would therefore recommend taking one of a number of sizes just in case. I clearly had a lot of fluid or a large placenta, as measurements meant absolutely nothing when it came to the crunch!
Mist Spray – such as Magicool is great for spritzing onto your face, both during labour and afterwards on the ward. The wards can be extremely hot, and I know my local hospital doesn’t allow fans anymore due to “infection control” – this may of course be different depending on where you give birth. One things for sure though, you can leave the long sleeved tops at home, particularly in the summer months!!
What other items did you pack in your Hospital Bag? What were you hospital bag essentials?
