- Relaxing music – e.g Phone / iPod with a compilation of songs you have listened to in pregnancy. It should be music that calms and relaxes your mood. Research has found that if you have listened to songs in pregnancy, the baby will respond calmly with familiar sounds.
- Large t-shirt – or nighty that’s soft and comfortable. Most hospital’s will offer you a gown but if you are more comfortable in your own clothes, it can change your mindset. For example: you may associate a gown with a sick person in hospital. You are a healthy woman just going through labour.
- Massage oil – with your favourite scent. Essential oils are becoming more popular and rightly so. There are some wonderful blends made purposefully for woman in labour. These make a beautiful relaxing fragrance to accompany the wonderful muscle and tension release of massage.
- Thick socks – ones you are happy to throw out as they will probably get body fluid on them. These reduce sensitivity to pain, by not feeling the cold floor. It also reduces excess temperature loss in the cooler air conditioning of birth suits.
- Power-aide – (sports drink), muesli bars, glucose lollies (snakes). The digestion virtually stops in established labour, but remember it is a marathon. So, having lite snacks and electrolyte balance drinks to replace sodium lost can help your endurance.
- Playing cards – Or favourite travel game. If you like to play games or need a distraction, this can be a simple item to pack in your bag.
- Shower cap – this is especially important for those with longer than shoulder length hair. So you don’t have the discomfort of wet hair in labour.
- Hair elastics – are also great if you have long hair-to keep it out of your face and off your neck.
- Spare dark underwear – just use old and dark coloured underwear. This is not the time to be buying fancy new underwear. Save that for when you start to get your figure back.
- Maternity pads – with and without wings. Some hospitals will offer you some heavy duty pads for the first 24-48 hours, although some more absorptive and thinner pads will be more comfortable after that.
- Toiletries – Sometimes these get missed when people pack their bag at 32 weeks (which I recommend). Buy yourself a new toothbrush and toothpaste to pack early, a hair brush, liquid soap, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, make-up etc.
- Jumper – for support people, as the labour room air conditioning is cold overnight.
- Outfit to wear post birth – This will be a soft and stretchy outfit, as you will have a significant tummy post birth. Also, it’s important to consider you may have a urinary catheter in for 12 hours or more after birth, if you choose to have an epidural. Don’t forget large underwear and a maternity bra or maternity singlet.
Don’t forget to take a great support team. This person or persons would be picked prior to the day. It is worth organising an emergency back-up person, just in case.
It is recommended that you pack your bag from as early as 32 weeks. This should then be checked at 37 weeks and if you have time, when you are in early labour before making your way to the hospital.
You will need to pack more items for your postnatal stay, these can be packed in a separate bag that could be left in the car. Written by Endorsed Midwife Alison Gregory
Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash