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I finally bought my hospital bag and packed it all up nicely. This is what I included (with links to where to buy on Amazon (they’re affiliate links by the way which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you buy via that link)):
Table of Contents
For me:
- Nightie
- Dressing gown
- Bath towel
- Face wipes
- Old nightie for birth
- Disposable knickers
- Glasses/contact lenses
- Snacks and water
- Breast pads
- Lip balm
- Phone or something to play music on
- Water spray
- Slippers
- Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor, shaving cream, moisturiser, body lotion, hair cream/gel) β Bear in mind I use coconut oil for my shaving cream, moisturiser, body lotion and hair product! Saves a lot of space in the bag 🙂
- Nursing bras
- Maternity notes
- Massage oil and lotion
- Maternity towels
- Swimming costume top for a water birth
- Comfortable clothes for going home
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Camera Phone
- Magazines
For the baby
- Cotton wool balls
- Newborn nappies
- Nappy
sacks - Vests
- Sleepsuits
- Clothes to go home in
- Hat/Booties/socks/mittens
- Blanket
- Muslin squares
- Snowsuit
- Car seat (of course, we didn’t pack the car seat in the hospital bag! But, we’re bringing it with us to take Boxer home)
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I also created an infographic of hospital bag options that you can pin to your Pinterest board or just print it out and stick to your fridge to help you prepare your hospital bag. Just click on the image below to make it larger.
We had our third and fourth antenatal sessions this week, which were very informative. We went around the group and we each shared the names we had thought of for our baby and how we were planning to give birth. Hubby and I said that we were thinking about the name Aron and planning to have a water birth at our local birth centre next door to our flat. People were quite intrigued about the birth centre as they were all planning to give birth at the hospital near to their house. I think we even managed to sway a few couples into taking a look at their local birth centres when they went home.
The NCT counsellor also taught us the BRAIN analysis, which she advised we should always think about when faced with something we question.
BRAIN stands for:
What are the BENEFITS?
What are the RISKS?
Are there any ALTERNATIVES?
What is your INSTINCT telling you?
What happens if you do NOTHING?
I’m definitely going to think about the BRAIN analysis whenever I’m faced with a dilemma.
We also talked about the different kinds of pain relief during labour and hubby and I had to present the TENS machine to the rest of the group which was fun. I even tried out the TENS machine at the class, but I’m not sure it is for me, to be honest. I’m not really a fan of electrical currents. Perhaps I’ll think differently when I’m in pain, though!
We mums got the chance to discuss our pregnancies and bumps without the dads around. My bump definitely looked like the largest of all the bumps and Iβm fifth in line to give birth! Maybe I should lay off all the food I’ve been eating…
I’ve noticed that my hands swell up during the day and then the swelling goes down when I go to sleep. I wonder why it goes down when I go to sleep? Someone told me it’s all the water retention from standing up. I don’t mind, as long as it’s not pre-eclampsia!
The baby is also very active when there are lots of people talking in a group, which is why, when Iβm at these sessions, Boxer is hula hooping, kicking, stretching and basically doing gymnastics in my belly. I wonder whether he enjoys the noise or he finds it disturbing, I can’t tell yet. But I know he loves it when I stroke him and I’m pretty sure he sticks his bum out when he wants some of mummyβs touch.
I can’t wait to meet our little Boxer. I feel like he has a character already. And, there’s not long to go too! I’m so nervous about the birth, but I just know that, whatever happens, our beautiful bundle of painful joy will light up mine and hubbyβs life when he arrives
A fun fact – your baby weighs approximately 5.5lbs and is as big as a pineapple!
The science part
Your baby at 35 weeks
- Your baby has less and less space to move now. They can still shift and squirm a bit though
- You should be able to see their movements on your belly now
- Your baby’s lungs are fully formed and ready for breathing in the outside air
- Your baby’s central nervous system is also becoming more mature
- They can suckle ready for that all-important first feed
- Your baby’s head may be engaged now as they make their way down your pelvis – you may feel slight ease on your lungs and you be able to breathe better – this is called lightening
Your pregnancy signs and symptoms
- Your placenta has grown and is now a quarter of the weight of your baby
- Your body is preparing for that first feed by producing liquid gold, colostrum – milk production is on! You may leak a bit of colostrum before birth though.
- Are you feeling a little pain with movements? Don’t worry, this is normal as there isn’t much room for the baby to move about
- Braxton Hicks contractions may be more frequent too and getting more intense. Take it easy and put your feet up when you can
- If your baby is not in the optimum position for birth yet, you can give them a bit of a helping hand by doing a bit of moving yourself. Spend some time on all fours and wriggle your hips to gently encourage baby to turn. Bouncing on a birthing ball may help too.
- Have you been experiencing ‘nesting’ yet? You may be going on a cleaning spree in your house in preparation for your new baby. Not all women get it, but it’s a great way to get used to cleaning after your babies constantly!
Your next steps
- If you’re still constipated then keep eating fibre-rich foods and drink lots of liquids to help food pass through. There isn’t much room in your digestive tract at the moment, so you need to give it all the help it can get right now!
- If you haven’t heard about Group B Streptococcus, your midwife or doctor may talk to you about it. About 25% of women carry GBS and there is a risk that GBS can pass to your baby during labour and cause a potentially fatal infection. If GBS is detected or if you have been previously diagnosed with GBS then you will be tested again. If you go into labour before 37 weeks you should be offered antibiotics from the start of your labour, which has been shown to be highly effective at preventing GBS infection in babies.
- Have you been offered a sweep yet? A sweep is a vaginal examination, where a finger is placed inside and makes circular sweeping motions to help kickstart labour. You may be offered a sweep at around 37 to 40 weeks pregnant, but you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to let nature take its course.
- Make sure you keep all your important phone numbers to hand in case labour starts, so you can call your emergency contacts.
Note: These are just general ideas of how you and your baby are getting on. Donβt forget that every baby develops differently. If you are concerned about your babyβs development, please consult your doctor or midwife.
*Illustrations by Charlotte Watkins. ο»Ώ
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