Bag packed

La Canestilla (the hospital bag)

37 weeks is the official time to pack the bag if not already done.  Hospital stays here in Spain seem to be a little longer than in the UK (and I know that Ivan is counting on this to tidy the flat).  If everything goes to plan with no complications then a two night stay is normal, and the time can be a little longer if things don't go quite as smoothly as one would hope. 

I was given a list of "things to take to the hospital" at home but I asked the midwife here if she had one as I had a suspicion it would be different.  And it is.  First on the Spanish list for me is.....a hairdryer.  I suppose that they must be thinking about the first few photos here and giving you the opportunity to ensure you look your best, but I was a little surprised to see it on the list.   Other than that, the list for me is surprisingly short.  Slippers, dressing gown, wash bag, 3 night dresses, 6 pairs of knickers and a couple of bras.  So nothing to go home in then.

The list for the baby is quite extensive and includes among other items a fairly long list of baby toileteries (including perfume).  Perfume?!  I had to read it twice and then ask if I'd read it correctly.  I'm not quite sure that I dare mention to anyone here that the advice I received during the NCT classes was that soap is really not necessary for the first few months - water and cotton wool is quite sufficient.  And simple olive oil is about the best moisturiser you can use.  Just as well as a standard bottle of baby lotion retails in the pharmacies here for a whopping 18 Euros.  Things for babies are pretty much only available in pharmacies in Spain.  The inevitability of this is a hefty price tag on just about everything.  Apparently there were riots a couple of years ago when supermarkets won the right to sell formula and baby food.

Other items to bring include:
4 vests (tick)
4 babygrows (tick)
4 cardigans (we don't have any)
4 pairs of socks (tick)
2 hats (tick)
2 - of something that neither of us know what it is - arrullos.  Perhaps they mean blankets.

We've also been told that we have to make up daily bags for the baby to hand to the nurse who will dress the baby every day.  Each bag must contain a vest, a babygrow, a cardigan, a pair of socks, and a hat (which can be used twice...).  I was regarded with horror when I suggested using supermarket plastic bags.  No, not surprisingly you can buy special bags fit for purpose.  From the pharmacy, of course.