Week 35 Pregnancy Update + Hospital bag

Week 35!! I can't believe I'm almost 9 months pregnant! Where did time fly? The feeling of getting ready to a newborn baby arrival is so unreal but yet it's coming & it's very real! hello, labor ward, I will see you in a few weeks time :)

Baby bump at 35 weeks ~ many commented I don't look like an almost 9 month pregnant lady and I don't look like I have already gained 15 kg but deep inside (I don't know it's just the feeling), I feel so huge, especially standing up next to my husband (I feel bigger than him!) ~ so I take 'You're not huge' comment as a compliment! :)

Baby bump from the side ~ I'm sure my belly has dropped at 35 weeks because recently I feel light, I mean I don't get breathless from walking anymore ~ I pretty much feel comfortable when I walk, just that I need to pee more often which explains my belly has dropped & I feel lightening, it's a sign my body is getting ready for labor. Plus I'm no longer suffering from heartburn (I suffered horrible heartburn at 33-34 weeks, every single night) and that's another sign of lightening ~ heartburn relief and breathing feels easier too! :) I feel great!

I will be giving birth at Thomson Medical Centre. The hospital will provide almost everything ~ including baby necessities likes clothes, mittens, blanket, diapers, swaddle, baby wipes, etc, so I don't have to bring a single baby item.. Just need to bring my own stuff and of course husband's too :)

I have packed ready my hospital bag at 34 weeks and I'm here to share what I have packed so far, I try my best to bring as less as possible ~ I want my bag to be light and hassle-free. So I will bring one sport bag (medium size ~ not too big) and another one (pink color from nestle) as my handy hand bag.

As this is my second pregnancy, my first born was delivered at TMC too, I pretty much know what I need to bring to hospital VS what I need to just leave it at home.

I remember I packed a big luggage, a small sport bag and a hand bag when I had my first child last year. I think at that time I over-packed (first time mum at that time, didn't know what exactly I needed). I packed breast pump which I didn't use because breast milk came on the third or forth day. I was discharged from hospital on the 2nd day, so I ended up not using my breast pump, plus thinking how troublesome needing to sterilize the breast pump parts too.. I also remember packing lots of snacks like chips, dried mango, chocolate & even my favorite Ribena drink and 2 latest fashion magazines. But again ended up bringing those untouched snacks & magazines back home.. I didn't have time to read magazines, too focused & excited on my child birth and after he was born, I was too in love with him! And for snacks, during labor, I didn't have mood to eat chips and stuff and also the hospital provided me with lots of nice cakes, cookies, milo, etc. So I was pretty full at that time and after delivery, I was pampered with lots of good foods & snacks from the hospital too.. So, seriously, there's no need to pack foods at all!

My sport bag has 2 compartments which is great. I put my small items and toiletries inside one small cosmetic bag (silver color) and dump everything inside the bag's outer compartment.

My toiletries (hospital provides toiletries but I prefer to bring my own) and other small items I packed in my hospital bag:

1) Sample sachets (I find it easy to bring & light) of face cleansing foam, shampoo & conditioner, a super small bottle of shower gel, a sample size of Kodomo lotion powder, toothbrush, a travel size toothpaste, 2 strings of dental floss (instead of bringing the whole), deodorant, lip gloss, travel size moisturizer, hair clips & 2 hair ties (must bring 2 because hair tie snaps easily) and a hair brush

2) 2 pairs of socks (I put 1 in my hand bag for labor & delivery and another pair in my hospital bag). Last delivery I brought only one pair of socks, oh dear, big mistake! My socks were so dirty!

3) 3 sachets of Mother's Milk Tea (breastfeeding tea) to stimulate breast milk production earlier

4) 3 plastic bags for dirty clothes, underwear or wet toiletries (I don't like to mix)

P/S: I won't bring make up stuff at all because I don't think I will have the mood to put on make-up, I will just wear my oversized glasses to cover my black panda eyes. Oh yeah, I brought make-up & contact lenses last delivery, ended up not using it at all (no mood & couldn't be bothered at all)

And inside my hospital bag, I have my:

1) Breastfeeding pillow (This is a MUST!) I didn't bring mine last delivery, ended up having difficult position in latching on the baby and hospital pillow was too thin to be a proper breastfeeding pillow. So I learned from my lesson and bring my own this time!

2) Nipple cream (This is a MUST!) I didn't bring mine last delivery and ended up having super painful nipples!

3) 2 bras, 3 cotton panties, 1 pack of disposable panties (although I don't like to wear disposable panty with maternity pad inside, I just feel it doesn't fit well & blood can leak but anyway I just bring it, but most likely I will double wear my regular cotton underwear over the disposable one for better fit & double protection from leaking), a pack of maternity pads (hospital provides but I bring mine too in case I don't feel comfortable with hospital pads or it's not enough, I need to change my pad every time I go to toilet)

4) Breast pads (2 pairs), most likely I won't need it because milk will only kick in on or after the third day but it's ok to bring, just in case, who knows milk will kick in more quickly, since this is my second child? It's very light too, so no problem to bring at all!

5) Hair Dryer. I didn't bring last delivery, ended up borrowing hospital old hair dryer and it didn't dry my thick hair properly. I thought I wouldn't need it, I planned not to wash hair during my hospital stay but oh man, epidural made me vomit like mad! I vomited all over my hair & definitely needed a good hair wash after delivery! So this time, I'm well prepared!!

6) Clothes: 2 nursing pajamas, one nursing dress, 1 dress robe (I find hospital air-con can be too cold and I need this as my extra wear and it will also make breastfeeding easier too) and a going home dress that fits 6 month pregnant bump (I will still pretty much looking pregnant after delivery). I bring extra set of clothes because I'm too paranoid that something "bloody" would leak heavily =.='

7) Husband's clothes.

8) Hot Water Thermos. It's easier for me to make hot drink whenever I want to

 

And inside my hand carry bag, I packed:

1) Admission letter from doctor, wallet (with both husband & wife IC's inside), ROM certificate (for birth registration, most likely won't need it because I don't plan to register for her birth certificate immediately, will do that after being discharged from the hospital, but will bring it anyway, in case I need that for admission), medical bills (if any, to claim from medisave)

P/S: I have already pre-registered my hospital stay at 34 weeks pregnant because we want to stay in the single maternity room for more privacy, so I booked early!

2) Cordlife Banking Kits (I have registered with them)

3) Scarf

3) Handphone & charger. Will only use iphone to snap pictures

4) Mints

5) Tissues/Wet Tissues/Anti Bacterial Sanitizer

6) A small water bottle

7) A pair of socks to wear during labor & delivery

That's pretty much everything I packed for my hospital bag and yes, I'm done! Please excuse me if I'm missing anything (I'm pregnant, I have pregnant brains too!) To avoid re-check, unpack and re-pack again (in case you are afraid missing anything), while you're packing, take picture of what you have packed, in case you are missing something, refer to the picture, add more stuff into your hospital bag and that's it! :)

Btw, I also bought Lemongrass Shower Gel for my confinement, 2000 grams because there's no way I can skip showering for 1 month, I will be depressed & go crazy! I actually tried this once and I love the lemongrass smell, very refreshing.. It felt minty when I lathered this on my body and it still felt minty for a while after I rinsed & wiped dry my body and a while later, I felt warm sensation in my body, so I guess this confinement shower gel worked as it claimed! Bought a super big bottle because I plan to use it after my confinement to expel wind and gas from my body ^^

 

 

That's everything about pregnancy week 35 update and my next doctor appointment will be on next next week (37 weeks)

 

Almost there & the countdown begins now!

 

~Netty~