Bags 4 Hospital - Is It Too Much?

[Cassius2]

Baby Bag: yeah the stuff for baby may be too much...does the hospital supply any of that stuff? our hospy supplied the clothes for bub as well as the wraps and one bag of nappies. it's awesome to use the hospy supplied stuff as they go through soooo many clothes and wraps etc. good to get them to do the washing instead of you LOL!

Your Bag: i'll go against the grain and say keep the robe! i like to have it when i had to do the night feeds while DD was in special care. (we didnt know she would end up in there). it was nice to just throw it on and have a bit more privacy as you traipsed up the halls. of course, you could always get your DH to bring it later on if needed.

Labour bag: i think this all sounds good! do you need to supply your own chilled water? usually they have a kitchenette where they have ice-cubes to suck on and water and juices etc. some ppl do bring in drinks like gatorade.

You'll probably find that you dont use all the things, but it is nice to have it all just in case. it's no biggie if it doesnt get used imo...

[Lolli]

I agree with all of the above- ditch most of the baby bag. Hospital will supply nappies, wipes, baby wash and mositeriser, baby clothes, towels, blankets, etc- pretty much everyhting you have in there. Bubs won't use the toy yet, and you'll probably get heaps while you're in there.

Anything you desperately need, you can buy or send someone home to grab it for you.

[Serenitylee]

Better to be over prepared then under prepared I say

Childonway I have about the same things as you on my list

My hospital is public so I know they do not provide us with baby stuff or anything and plus I would prefer to use my own stuff anyway.

[briggsy's girl]

check with your hospital on the baby stuff - many DON'T supply baby stuff apart from nappies (and for some, they'll only supply cloth, not sposies) - mine is one of them. given what we were told to bring, i have a lot of baby stuff packed - i may or may not use it but it's packed anyway - so no, i don't think you've over packed at all!

i would ditch the wash stuff for baby though - you don't need that kind of stuff in hospital - it is generally suggested you use only warm water on a new born baby anyway...

[mbear]

it is generally suggested you use only warm water on a new born baby anyway...

...i agree, at such a young age they seriously do not need more than warm water.....save it for when baby gets a bit older.

Thongs ??? - ive always taken thongs and worn them in the shower. I shudder to think whats been down that shower drain ........

Personally - i would ditch the labour bag, but thats me....

Good luck !

[SamiH]

Baby bag - I agree too much

The baby only needs 2 things really, and if you need more just get your hubby to bring them on. It is really tiring and upsetting for bub in the first day or two to be changed into clothes a few times a day so unless you reaaalllly have to change them - dont.

I agree with all the baby wash stuff - you only need warm water and a pat dry until their skin gets used to being on the outside. Even then I wouldnt use babywashes unless natural cos of the soap that is in them in case it irritates their skin. Just back to basics.

The hospital should supply you with flannels you can use also for baby wipes so i wouldnt worry about cotton wool balls.

I took labour lollies first time around and my hubby ate them all LOL - nothing second time, this time nothing either mbear

Hair elastics for labour!!!

[Serenitylee]

Ok I have whipped out my Hospital Journal and this is what the Hospital I am going to says to pack!...

Labour Bag
-Extras to assist you during labour, e.g. Johnsons baby oil, sorbolene cream for gentle massage
- Relaxation tapes
- jelly beans/and or barley sugar to suck during labour
- Camera
- Mobile or coins to call people
- An up to date address book with telephone numbers of family and friends

Postnatal Bag
- Nightgowns that open at the front
- 2 breastfeeding bras
- nursing pads
- underpants for a week
- 2-3 packs maternity pads
- Slippers or comfortable slip on shoes
- your own toiletries
- Hairbrush and Shampoo
- Your antenatal record card
- your birth plan
- health insurance details
- comfortable clothes to go home in
- nappies
- baby toiletries
- baby blankets (about 6)
- baby jumpsuits (about 6)
- baby singlets (About 6)
- THIS BOOK
- anything else midwife or doctor may advise

That is the Checklist out of my Hospital Journal...

Obviously every Hospital is different though and we add our own little things to the list.

[Just Me]

As the others have said it really depends on the hospital as to what they will supply. I was public and the only thing that was supplied was the very first nappy (cloth) and bunny rugs to wrap baby in. The rest I had to bring from home (including a bunny rug to wrap the baby in to take him home).

You may find you need more than one set of PJs too (not sure how many you have because your list doesn't say). I only took one set when I had my first baby and after sleeping in them for one night, had to send DH home to get more (you tend to leak a lot after you have a baby . . . sorry tmi).

I would also suggest socks for labour - your feet can get a bit cold. Someone recommended it to me before my first baby and I was so grateful to have socks with me.

I actually tried to pack all my bags in one with all the labour stuff at the top so that I didn't have to lug heaps of stuff with me from place to place (you get moved a bit in hospital from examination room to birth suite to maternity ward) and less bags is easier to keep track of. With my DS I took one great big suit case (the type you pull along on wheels) and put a separate nappy bag for DS inside the suitcase as well as my pillow and everything else. It meant that DH only had one bag to worry about and I didn't have to carry anything into the hospital with me.

Have fun packing your bag . . . I think it is an exciting time

[~CrazyMumOf3~]

i think what you have is ok. Id actually add some socks to both labour bag and hospital bag for yourself.

my first i only had to bring stuff for me and going home outfit for baby. (rest hospital supplied)

my second (different hospital) i had to supply everything for baby.