Labour bag: Men's version!

[23e Heure]

My wife is due with our first in two weeks.

We think we have everything prepared, but I haven't got my own bag packed for the Big Day.

This may be coming across as painfully self consciously "new man", but I just want to make sure that I have everything to hand and don't forget something stupidly obvious.

Mobile phone, wallet, warm jumpe, wife's favourites drinks, music and a book I have already.

Anyone want to volunteer some more items that saved your man's bacon on labour day!?

[ClareC]

Food! You may not get the opportunity to grab anything when at the hospital.

[ClareC]

Also, make sure you have a change of clothes and something cool to wear, it's really hot in the hospital!

[sillywoman]

Bottle of water, speedo's maybe a clean T-shirt (forget the warm jumper - have you visited the labour ward?), toothbrush & bendy straws, bendy straws, bendy straws. Also you need to know exactly how you're getting her there, and when you get there which doors you're going in (are main doors shut out of hours? If so how do you get in?), & how to get from main entrance to Labour ward.

Re food; they usually bring round 3 meals a day on labour ward, she may not want to eat, but you should always say 'yes' to the food offer as if she doesn't want it you can 'help' her eat it, but also have some good, high carb snacks for you.

Sensibleman says: a small transistor radio with an ear piece - Me, I'm a bit :-S about that.

[Fuschia]

Camera! Phone charger

[ClareC]

Contact numbers of the people that you need to announce the birth too

[pebbles]

flannel - nothing nice than a cool flannel on a woman's neck/forehead while in labour

i 2nd (and 3rd and 4th) bendy straw

[Fuschia]

Sweets. I had a low blood sugar moment and sweets revived me!

[cupatea]

Tissues! My husband cried more than me! And maybe energy sweets and/or drink. If you are up on your feet all night with your wife you will be very tired too.

[sillywoman]

cotton wool & a couple of nappies - don't know about Tommies & Lewisham, but Kings LW doesn't seem to have cotton wool/ wipes anywhere within a mile radius! PN a different story, but you'll probably still be on the LW when baby does that first - very 'special' poo.

[Fuschia]

A spare tshirt. If for any reason your partner can't take/keep the baby skin to skin, you can step in. THis was very important to me planning the twin birth and MrF duly held twin I (gunk and all) to his chest for quite a long while between twin I and twin II's births...

[ryedalema]

Loads of spare change - either for the parking meter if you are unfortunate enough to have to park at Kings, or for the vending machines. Cold soda can on back of neck/small of back = bliss!

[dully]

Magazines, music player and plenty of music. We started labour, it stopped and had to sit there for three days doing nothing whilst they tried to get it started again. Dull as you like.

[buggie]

I kept telling Mr Buggie to wear a shirt (rather than t-shirt) for labour as I knew it would make it easier to do skin to skin after the birth (and it did!).

We'd got a fab hubbie bag together with snacks/camera/phone & charger/spare clothes/toothbrush/book/travel scrabble and connect 4 (to play with dependent on how with it I was!)... were almost disappointed when Bugglet arrived within 30 mins of us arriving at the hospital!!

[Keef]

Food and a hip flask full of jack daniels. Maybe a pillow, possibly even a sleeping bag if you've at a compact one.

[prdarling]

Ha, definitely a pillow or a cushion for yourself. If I'd had a gun I'd have shot MrDarling who had been kneeling by the birth pool (fair enough for quite a while) as I was going through the hell that is transition and said "Would you mind if I got up, my knees are killing me"

Not amused at all

[Saffron]

Pack your OWN supply of chocs. Mr Saff ate all my bounty bars! Grrr. But he did do an excelent job spritzing me and the midwife with some lovely Neal's Yard Remedies like these: http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/spritzers .

[nicolemodesti]

Definitely toiletries for you as it does get quite hot in the labour ward! Small transistor radio, mags, phone charger, spare change of clothes, small towel and flannel and comfy cushion!! He also says now hip flask and fags!!!!

[Crokes]

Whilst it's hot in the labour ward, (on my husband's recommendation) would take a jumper especially if the weather continues to be cold. You don't know what time you will be leaving to come home and it's pretty cold out this time of year. Also doubles as a makeshift pillow/cushion when not wearing it. Good luck to you both!

[Saffron]

Oh if you're a smoker, pack a nicotine inhalator or some pathches etc, b/c you might be dieing for a smoke... but those 5 min you spend outside might be just the time your little bundle decides to make an unexpected appearance. (Or worse, you return to find they've rushed your wife off for an emergency somethingorother and you have no idea where she is!) xx

[23e Heure]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback and good ideas.

Bendy straws is a good one, so they are packed.

Along with extra tissues: it's highly likely that I will be the one doing the most crying too!

Now we wait as patiently as we can for the process to get started...

[jollybaby]

Batteries for the tens machine! (Mr JB had to dash into camberwell)

[23e Heure]

Well all your advice was taken on board, and my labour back packed full and tight.

What with the wife's bag too, the baby's bag, the car seat, another bag for luck - oh, and a pregnant woman too - it was one back breaking consignment to take out to the car in the mist at 3.30 this Wednesday morning.

But heck I wasn't complaining: we could be in that hospital for days, and would need all the supplies and comforts we could get.

We left Goose Green at 3.35, wife was in the labour room at 4... and our beautiful baby girl born at 4.30!

Don't regret my men's version labour bag one bit - all that preparation meant I could concentrate on everything I had to do, and not worry about racing around getting my stuff together.

Thanks for the advice... am sure we'll both be asking for plenty more from this part of the forum now that parenthood has arrived!

[ryedalema]

Absolutely the best way - both of mine were particularly eager to see the world too! Congratulations of your new little girl - the adventures now begin!!!:)-D

[sillywoman]

Congratulation 23 Heure and welcome to East Dulwich littleheure :))