What to pack for the labour ward?

whatlliwear

I have my bag packed and my baby's bag packed.

I'm just wondering what everyone has packed for the labour ward?
I have slippers, a nightie and underwear for me. A babygro, vest, nappy and a hat for baby. Am I missing anything?

Thanks.

Cakerbaker

whatlliwear wrote: »

I have my bag packed and my baby's bag packed.

I'm just wondering what everyone has packed for the labour ward?
I have slippers, a nightie and underwear for me. A babygro, vest, nappy and a hat for baby. Am I missing anything?

Thanks.

Snacks and water for whoever is accompanying you. Books / magazines in case you need to pass some time. Lip balm. Facecloth for cooling down, it can be warm in there. I packed babies outfit in a ziplock bag so it was all together. He wasn’t dressed until we got to the ward as I was doing skin to skin.

shesty

Towel (dark).facecloth (dark).A really small wash bag with a couple of travel sized shower gels.All for the shower afterwards.You won't be doing any major grooming or anything but just something to freshen yourself up with. I know that may not work out depending on how the birth goes but they are useful to have to hand ....I went straight from delivery to a shower and then to the ward after on both mine, it was easier than digging in the suitcase for stuff, because I just couldn't!!A couple of your own thick maternity pads. Also maybe a really light dressing gown or something to throw over you in case you are walking the halls a bit.
Being the organisation freak that I am, I always pack two nappies for the baby.Just in case!!!
A phone charger, make sure your OH has some change for parking and a TENS machine if you are going to use one.

Milly33

I didn't pack it all but this is pretty good to work with https://www.mummypages.ie/tools/packing-your-hospital-bag

bee06

As well as the suggestions already made I packed my toothbrush and toothpaste in my labour bag just in case, headphones and hair clips to keep my hair off my face.

Beanybabog

Make sure your husband knows where the baby outfit is!!! Mine nearly ended up
Going to the car and leaving a nudey bsby with the nurse because I went to theatre and he couldn't find it in a side pocket

The_Valeyard

bring a music player and/or phone charger

jlm29

Depending on the hospital, you might need a blanket for baby- the midwife in delivery room looked for my blanket, and of course they were all in the big bag, so they had to go rooting.
Also a cardigan for baby, something I hadn’t even bought for my first, and they can be hard to come by!

You might find this weird but I brought my hairdryer. Not for the hair on my head but to dry off after a shower without getting towel all dirty.

Beanybabog

I'm looking forward to packing my bag now!!! Last time I left it for ages I was so superstitious, this time I'm dying to be on the home stretch and do It, but I think at 14 weeks it's a bit early lol!!!

whatlliwear

Thank you all so very much!! I am almost ready! I seem to have a LOT packed but I'd rather have too much than too little.

Millem

jlm29 wrote: »

Also a cardigan for baby, something I hadn’t even bought for my first, and they can be hard to come by!

So hard to find! Eventually found 2 for my son in the girls section of m and s!!

Loveinapril

If you intend on having an epidural, bring a clean nightdress. I had my baby 6 days ago (in the Rotunda) and had a lady come in to wash me and change me right after delivery. It literally just came back to me as a flashback- I just asked my husband and he barely remembers it too!

A facecloth is great for cooling down and lipbalm is a must too!

Beanybabog

Oh yeah good shout. I was put into my bed after theatre and left there for hours stinking and hooked up to the drips, I wish I had thought of a new nightdress to
Throw on

Gatica

Disposable large granny pants with supply of maternity pads. you'll need them. bottle of water with straws so you can sip it if you're in labour any amount of time lying down. lavender eye mask something to keep you relaxed and in the zone while you're in labour, earphone will help here too if you feel like listening to music.
Pyjamas or nightdress and nightgown with comfy slippers and socks if you might spend the night there. Towel with your toiletries so you can have a shower.
Everything went fine at our delivery and was almost discharged but baby didn't feed well and we ended up being there 4 days. Now, it's no issue, hubby could go fetch stuff from the house as needed but at least the first long stretch after delivery. I had something to put on as well as having comfortable underwear for postnatal bleeding. It's just good to be prepared.
Bring spare baby clothes, even after they're dressed if the nappy leaks you wanna be sure you have a spare clean set. As suggested, it's good to keep them separate in zip-lock bags. a few nappies, sudocreme and wipes. Don't forget a hat and scratch mittens, they get cold easy and have sharp nails!

comongethappy

whatlliwear wrote: »

I have my bag packed and my baby's bag packed.

I'm just wondering what everyone has packed for the labour ward?
I have slippers, a nightie and underwear for me. A babygro, vest, nappy and a hat for baby. Am I missing anything?

Thanks.

Pack toiletries just in case you want a shower or to brush teeth. I was induced on my first and was overnight in the pre labour and was grateful for a shower before hooking me up to the drip the next day after my waters broke. On my second I was convinced I was going to have a short labour as my waters broke on their own, but no contractions and they kept me in prelabour overnight as I lived so far away, and I had no toiletries packed in my labour bag, only the overnight. I had my husband bring them the next morning but they put me on oxytocin by then and I wasn't allowed a shower, felt disgusting!

michellie

I was planning on just bringing my cabin bag that I'm using for my whole stay into the Labour ward so I have all my bits in that. Are you all packing 2 bags so ?

jlm29

michellie wrote: »

I was planning on just bringing my cabin bag that I'm using for my whole stay into the Labour ward so I have all my bits in that. Are you all packing 2 bags so ?

Yes. I packed one small bag for the labour ward, and then a Bigger one for my hospital stay- the bigger one had all my stuff and baby’s for our stay, and I left it in the car when I was going in initially, and my oh went out to get it once I was given my room!

shesty

Easier to have small bag for delivery room with just basics, especially if it's your first.OH or midwife will be pulling the bag apart looking for the stuff, and if it's your first particularly, OH will probably be stunned, so the less stuff he has to go through the better!!!Also there's usually a few people in and out and things going on like weighing baby, doctors checking you, midwife cleaning around you and any other little medical things that might need doing so unpacking a bigger bag and trying to put it back together again to move to the ward is just a nuisance.
You will likely be flat on your back in the bed through all this with a baby :-)

effibear

I put first outfit, nappy & cardi into a ziplock bag at the top of my bag for delivery ward. First time around I had separated them into two different zip locks and nobody could find the nappy!!

http://m.dunnesstores.com/button-down-nightdress/nightwear-view-all/dunnesstores/fcp-product/1659307?colour=navy Found these nightdresses great from dunnes just went a few sizes up. Dark (essential!), great if breastfeeding and light for the wards. Also fairly cheap. A light dressing gown was also handy for when I had to run to the loo etc.

Milly33

michellie wrote: »

I was planning on just bringing my cabin bag that I'm using for my whole stay into the Labour ward so I have all my bits in that. Are you all packing 2 bags so ?

It it all fits in then you are sorted.. I have a small cabin bag too packed and then a back pack but purely because they wont fit in the one..

Cakerbaker

A handy tip I received was to leave spares of things you’d need together somewhere handy for your OH to grab. I left spare pjs, large granny style underwear from penny’s, babygros, vests etc on the bed in the spare room. In the morning I’d text and tell him what I needed and he could just grab them without me having to tell him where everything was individually.

Milly33

very clever.... Still laugh at the granny pants, I got some for the baby shower as a joke and then I tried them on one day, they were so comfy!! have them packed in the bag ready to go

Cakerbaker

Milly33 wrote: »

very clever.... Still laugh at the granny pants, I got some for the baby shower as a joke and then I tried them on one day, they were so comfy!! have them packed in the bag ready to go

They’re also great at holding the massive pads in place afterwards!

s4uv3

Granny pants all the way rather than disposable paper ones. I had paper ones and they nearly cut the a**e off me!
Before my poor mum came to visit me, I had her go to dunnes for a pack of size 18-20 knickers (I was a 14). Best thing I ever did, the comfort is so worth it.

Milly33

ID nearly go up now to put them on yer selling them ladies

Millem

Oh I am lolling at the granny pants!! i bought either minis or bikinis in Penney’s! They were grand. Never bothered with the disposables!

effibear

Milly33 wrote: »

ID nearly go up now to put them on yer selling them ladies

Still going strong couple of months post partum. I keep pretending it’s because I’m behind in washing but it’s really because they are SO COMFORTABLE, lol

michellie

Omg the penneys maternity knickers they go over the bump. Pricey at €8 for two but so comfortable haha

michellie

I have all babies stuff packed into the changing bag which actually fits heaps !! So I think I will just bring all my stuff in a small cabin bag. I should be ok with that. This is my 2nd but my first was in 2008 so it's like doing it for the first-time all over again