Clinic Bag Tips from KOKADIne to KOKADIne - Part 1

In a Facebook post, we asked you to share your tips for packing your clinic bag. We then selected three lucky KOKADIne's to write this blog post with us. We hope you enjoy reading it and wish you all the best for the birth!

Lisa P., Mom:

"My number one tip for packing your hospital bag: pack two bags! One for the delivery room, one for the maternity ward. That way you have everything you need at hand during the hot phase and don't have to rummage through the big travel bag.

The delivery room bag should contain a cosy outfit that is suitable for the temperature and slippers. Your own pillow can work wonders during rest periods! I swear by lip balms, with all the breathing your lips get dry quickly. Speaking of which, flavored drinks and good snacks are real saviors when the birth is long. If music is good for you in other ways, you'll be happy to know that you have Bluetooth speakers. And those who pack a decent camera are happy that the first picture of the baby is not blurred.

The big bag contains all the rest: breastfeeding-friendly clothes and nursing pads, a dressing gown that's nice enough to shuffle around the station in with a clear conscience, flip-flops for the shower, charging cable for the mobile phone and a nice "going home" outfit for the baby, preferably one in 50 and one in 56 - don't leave it to your partner at home who has no taste. Very important: a notebook or a note app to remember all the information you get: when do I take which tablet, where do I get the form for the registry office, in how many days is the next examination... Don't trust your memory alone, it might not work at first.

But the most important tip to take with you: Serenity. No birth goes according to the plan you create for yourself. So let it come to you with an open mind. As we say in the Rhineland: "et kütt wie et kütt - es kommt, wie es kommt".

Svenja F., Mom:

I'm Svenja, 24 years old, live with my boyfriend and have a 3.5 year old son.
He also taught me what will go in the bag with child #2!

1. MUCH less clothes... honestly: net-slippers (how comfortable they are!) You can get them in the hospital- only breastfeeding bras 1-2 sizes bigger, loose shirts (the ones from your partner will do!). ?) If photos are to be made - a chic outfit and if desired make-up have.
A dressing gown would also be great if there is no shower in the room. It's so uncomfortable to have to walk across a corridor - to get into an extremely narrow shower, where bending over is almost impossible. ?? and not having a suitable dressing gown with you ?.

-another keyword: dry shampoo! I wasn't allowed to shower at first because of the birth injury. But after a birth the hair is quickly stringy.
Or wash your hair at home with rye shampoo as a precaution - it works like dry shampoo afterwards - don't worry, you still can't bake buns on your head! ?

Well go on with the text.
Take your favorite CD or MP3 player with you (do they even have those anymore?) I think it's better to dance away the nasty, nasty contractions or something. ?

Also get someone to bring your favorite food UN-BE THING!
(Yeah yeah you're not supposed to, but...) there's no better man than the one who brings you a fat roll with onions instead of soon-to-wilt flowers!

Do you have a Polaroid camera? Use it! I love 'old looking' pictures like that- they are so nostalgic!

And bring a sling with you to the hospital :)
The first moments of cuddling in the sling- were wonderful- I think it would have helped us breastfeed in the hospital too. ?.

I think I've got it!
And so I'm out-
Love greetings
Svenja and the current runner.

Charlotte J., mum and midwife:

Dear Mommies,

As a midwife AND a new mum, I can tell you from two perspectives what really belongs in your birth bag. Important: start packing early, you'll be moving it around plenty! Set up a small separate bag in which you put things that should be handy (men regularly despair looking for certain things in fully packed birth bags!). In this small bag you put your maternity passport, wallet, insurance card, mobile phone, if necessary registration papers of the clinic and birth plan (feel free to write down your wishes and ideas for the birth, so the midwives can better respond to you). Also take a well-filled basket of provisions with you! That's the midwife in me talking! Giving birth can take time... Especially first-time mothers are often in the delivery room for several hours. Take cola, chocolate and muesli bars, dextrose, bananas, biscuits, salt sticks or these fruit squeezers for children with you! Especially at night, the delivery room often only has rusks and coffee and tea in stock. Even though you won't have an appetite even in labor, your husband will thank you! And sometimes a glass of cola can do wonders for a slow birth!

Otherwise, pack practical and comfortable clothes for you and your husband! Men sometimes sweat in the warm delivery room, at night a pair of jogging pants is comfortable and comfortable shoes are an advantage! You don't have to buy anything special for the birth, don't get extra fancy, at some point you don't care how you look, it's not worth buying an expensive "birth shirt". I myself was incredibly warm during labour, the only thing I had on was a nursing bustier, it doesn't pinch and you can even leave it on in the bath if necessary. You should also pack warm socks and comfortable clothes for the way home. A lip balm is also useful. If you want you can take your own music with you, but I didn't think about it at all. For your baby, it's best to pack the homecoming outfit directly in a little bag in the Maxicosi, this also protects dad from the desperate search. Celebrate the choice of baby clothes, it will be the first thing your baby wears! I personally love wool silk clothing for little ones, it's comfortable to wear and helps with temperature regulation. Last but not least, a tip for the car journey: take a disposable seat pad with you (amniotic sacs tend to burst in the car) and a spit-up bag. This also contributes to daddy's relaxation!

As always when packing a suitcase: we all take too much with us anyway! But that's a good thing, you don't know what to expect, what will do you good during the birth, how long you will be away from home. Most of the things you will need after the birth. In the delivery room itself you don't need much. Ideally, you should take a familiar person with you (husband, mother, friend...) and have a competent midwife you already know by your side!

Enjoy the anticipation of the birth adventure! It is unique...