Preparing for possible stay in Special Care

[Amy_T]

Hi everyone...

I have posted this in the 3rd trimester too but I was recommended to come and see you ladies for advice. My baby won't technically be premature as I'm being induced at around 37 weeks but here's the story anyway...(hope you don't mind me posting here)

I know there are loads of threads on packing a hospital bag etc but I have a bit of an unusual situation.

Basically I am being induced early at a hospital which is over an hour away from where we live due to baby having a condition which needs their expertise.

The minimum amount of time we will be in hospital will probably be about 4 or 5 days but baby may need ventilating and admitting to special care (this is quite likely but we won't know until its born). So my question is, does anyone have any experience with this and/or any suggestions of what to take?!

I know we'll have family coming and we'll be able to come home and get extra bits if necessary but I want to be prepared for at least a few days hospital stay - think I'm going to be turning up with a couple of giant suitcases!!!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Amy x

 

[mammyy]

other then clothes etc, check weather the hosp you are going to you need to take in your own nappys. some supply them, but others dont
good luck x x

 

[Faerie]

Hi Amy

I was also induced at 37 weeks due to a known congenital defect.

I just packed a "normal" hospital bag, with lots of snacks for me and hubby. More importantly for him, didn't want him wandering off to the chinese I then had another bag with more clothes etc for both of us.

Are they providing a place for you to stay at the hospital too? They didn't for us (but we lived close by) but we could sleep on a sofa by my daughter's bed.

Mothercare do a great range for prem babies that have sleeves and legs that velcro up, which are great if your baby is going to be having any kind of lines coming out of them, they can be done up around them.

Any questions feel free to ask. Good luck x

 

[katy1310]

Our daughter was in neonatal for 12 weeks - intensive care, high dependency and then special care. Our hospital provided nappies and clothes for the babies using while in but we were allowed to take our own clothes too if we wanted. If your baby is likely to be feeding by bottle maybe take in the bottles you plan to use because they can get too used to the hospital teats! The hospital do provide bottles and disposable teats but we took our own bottles so Sophie didn't get too used to the hospital ones. (I am breastfeeding but she was bottlefed by the nurses overnight when I was not there).

Other than that I think I would just take a normal hospital bag as if you were just going in and getting your baby straight home because it doesn't sound like it'll be for too long. As someone else said, there might be somewhere you can stay so just take whatever you would need for a few days.

Good luck xxxxx