labour bag

[Bathsheba]

Yes! Black nanny nickers are a must! Being high waisted they kinda make you feel more "tucked in" and the huge pads you have to wear feel more secure in them. Bonds make a particulary comfy brand that are made out of breathable cotton but a little lyrca which holds everything in nicely.

Trailmix instead of sweets. The energy lasts longer during labour and it's also nice to nibble on in the middle of the night when you are feeding baby or when you miss a meal because you're feeding baby and you only need one hand to eat it! Coles have a great 1kilo bag of extra yummy trailmix with all the good stuff in it... I bought one last birth and it lasted me my week in hospital nicely.

Love the idea of being more prepared for thankyou letters and a gift for your toddler/older children!

[Angel]

Not for labour, but something I wish I'd packed was the hug a bub. I spent 3 hours straight with Kynan on the boob on night 2 as that was the only way I could get him to sleep. Would have been nice if I could have just popped him into the sling. Will definitely be taking it next time!

Oh and throat lozenges! I must have gotten quite vocal during labour and my throat was sore for a couple of days after LOL!

[mooshie]

wow

some great ideas here - dach love the sauce bottle one.

one thing i have noticed in all 3 of my labours is that my feet get extremely cold and it really put me off concentrating - so for me warm socks were a must - oh just cheapies cause i ended up chucking mine (they were a bit yucky at the end of it all)

[*Yvette*]

Love the sauce bottle idea, and the champagne too. And yes, you need to write down gifts if you can't thank the people in person. A notebook is essential, there's lots of things you need to write down. Lozenges would have been good for me too, I yell really loud. And one of the nicest presents I got was some aromatherapy shower gel given to me in hospital, just what I needed.

[Baby~amore`]

they should make this a sticky - it a fun read and full of good info

[nellbe]

Find out what the hospital provides, each one provide different things. I seconded Lucy's call on a big mug, I also took my own tri pillow and had to send DH home for warmer clothes, I just found the rooms freezing.

[BellyBelly]

It does vary, some do cloth some do disposables too so its worth finding out. I had NO time to read, write or put make-up on. I was so wrapped up with my girl or trying to sleep that I didn't do anything else

[nellbe]

When I booked into my hospital they gave me a list of things to bring. Check with them. I had to supply my own nappies, clothes for bubs, pads.

I was tired and exhausted so no makeup or novels for me, I did flick through a couple of magazines though.

Baby suits - take a few for each day - different sizes as well... I found that we went through clothes as he tended to wee on them when we changed them.

Matthew was wrapped from day one, we used the hosptial blankets, they were thin cotton ones and then an outer layer of the wool type.

Champagne - eek, I could think of nothing worse, it does go through your breastmilk so I layed off the bubbly until after feeds and things settled down and I knew when to drink. There is some stuff in the breastfeeding forum about alcohol and breastmilk.

Notebook is great also as you can jot your questions down for the midwives as you think of them... and write down people that come visit. I took our digital camera and made sure that each person that came got a hold and a photo taken so I had a visual record as well.

[Coolabahdee]

Hi Tulip, I'll have had 3 different hospitals for my 5 births, two public on private. You need to ask for a list from the hospital of what you need to bring. They should have provided you with this when you booked in or went on a tour. All the hospitals that I have used provided everything from wipes and nappies, cloth and disposable, baby clothes, wraps, booties/socks and little beanies., I just had to provide my own personals and clothes and clothing and nappies to take baby home in.

The Mackay Mater Motel... I mean hospital lol, is the best (It is private, so we do pay for it, lol, not out of pocket though.) they provide everything for baby including bags of huggies nappies and packs of J&J baby wipes, powder and soap. Their clothes and wraps are really cute and they match, believe me that is amazing. On your arrival you fill out what you want on your last night in hospital (need to give them some indication as to when) They provide you with either Strawberries and cream with champayne for 2 or cheese and wine platter for 2 and they will take bubby to the nursery so you can be alone for the evening. When I had DD#4 it coincided with the town Christmas Carols, my room overlooked the River so we had a romantic feast with fireworks on the water, can't get much more romantic than that lol. I didn't have the champayne, infact I gave it to my sister, I didn't feel like it. Although all the research suggests that having a glass of bubbly/wine or beer will not cause any harm and infact can be good for milk production. I certainly wouldn't consider having any spirits, they are definately a no no.
Other things I bought
latest mags, (hospital provided the paper daily)
my own wheat hot pack- essential
nice personal products eg shampoo/conditioner, soap, deoderant, maternity pads atleast 3 packs depends on how long you intend to stay and breast pads

Ural (urinary alkalizers) although hospital provided this - essential for the first 24 hours makes wee less stingy, definately take some they really help, I've never torn but everything certainly gets stretched to the max lol.

And a note of advice lol (warning TMI if you proceed)
Your insides will not fall out when you go to do your first no.2 after birth, might seem like a silly thing to say but just wait and remember lol.

[Phteven]

Tulip, I doubt you will have the time for full make up but a comprimise might be some tinted moisturiser, a bit of lip gloss and some eye-liner. It'll only take a few minutes and you'll feel a bit more glam.

[hannanat]

Almost everything has been covered, except something I couldnt have done without. Plastic thongs!! I couldnt have showered without them, as we had 2 and sometimes 3 women sharing the showers in the ward. With all that blood - even though the floor looked clean, you just never know, so I had normal slippers for the room and plastic thongs for the shower and toilet. Also, make sure you take a plastic bag for dirty clothes. Good luck

[belgodfrey]

Hi Tulip,

What hospital are you going to? I'm going to Osborne Park and they actually do supply what they say in the book that they will - they're very good that way.

As far as books, makeup etc, I'm taking mine, just in case I do get time - I know I couldn't sleep everytime I had the opportunity. And with visiting hours varying from place to place, it depends how much 'down time' you'll get on your own as to how much you'll actually WANT to sleep.

As for clothes etc for bubs - I used the hospitals with dd, and will this time too - save me doing the washing when I get home!! I was talking to a friend yesterday though who said she was going to use her own wraps just to give baby something that smells like home....

Bel

[Phteven]

ooh yeah - the rubber thongs are a must. Even if no-one else is sharing your shower you can't be too sure who's been there before and the last thing you would want is to come home from hospital with tinea.

[Coolabahdee]

Tulip honestly this hospital is the best. (TMI following)
Although the ural was given to me after the birth of DD#2 (In Mt Isa) by the midwife shortly after birth before my shower, she said they help and she was soooo right. After I had DD#3 (In Emerald) DH pulled out the ural for me and the midwife I had said what's that for? so I told her "To alkalize my wee, so it doesn't sting so bad when I go" She thought it was a great idea. When I had DD#4 (In Mackay) I again bought my own, but the midwife I had put 2 on my tray with a glass of water, she knew the trick already, \/
The other tip I can give and your midwife will probably tell you the same thing is to keep a cup (Disposable not to use for drinking, lol) in the bathroom, so that when you go to do no.1 you fill it with warm water before hand and pour it over the "Effected" area as you go. This really helps with the sting. It's really only the first 24-48 hours (Talking from a person view who has never torn) that this is a problem.
Well there you go TMI again but it all helps.
Bye Dee

[min]

OMG Rayla, I never thought of that, can you believe I didnt wear thongs in the shower, gross!!!

I must admit I always put a bit of makeup on every morning just to feel human (especially after a c/s!) and I also took a hairdryer because my hair is disgusting without it!


A good one is a watch, a lot of rooms don't have clocks, or they are too hard to see in bed at night, a watch is good for keeping track of feeds and changes etc.

[Liz]

I packed all sorts of things for the actual labour and touched none of them. Like tennis ball, heat pack (used the hospital's one), supply of t-shirts (wore hospital gown), drinks & snacks (hospital supplied this also.. btw.. I found having a spoonful of jelly now and then great during labour! dunno why, bit of sugar and easy to digest I guess?)

Then for the hospital stay, the only thing I used out of my bag was clothes, pads & toilet paper. I had no need for the ural, only did a couple of salt baths, and even using water or a damp cloth after weeing I found wasn't necessary. I didn't sting at all. However, you don't know, so it doesn't hurt to pack these things!

Bubby spent his stay just in a singlet provided by the hospital and a nappy and wrapped up. I just had some clothes for going home. The hospital provided everything for bubs, nappies, wipes, cotton buds, bath stuff.

Just saw min's post.. yes.. hairdryer and a watch! I hated clock watching for feeding, but to keep the charts and stuff you need to know the time and how long the feed went for! I was always fumbling around looking at my mobile phone.. which was always on the other side of the room when I needed it

[skyelar]

What a great thread!

One thing I did take thanks to good old Mum was an extra pillow case. It was much more discreet having my DH take my dirty (often blood stained..sorry tmi) clothes home in a pillow case rather than a see thru plastic bag!

I also packed a little thing of air freshener for the toilet You know those little ones that stick on the side of the toilet!

[hannanat]

Can someone make this a sticky??????