She probably won’t need the laxative until a couple of days after the baby is born, if at all. The bowels tend to purge early in labor!
I take a CD player and CDs (usually recorded lectures). Most people have iThingies, but I’m not that modern ;-). It helps to pass the time when my hands are occupied and I can’t read.
Extra blankets, depending on how helpful your hospital staff is.
Extra set of pajamas: sometimes one sweats buckets a few hours after delivery. Definitely remember the skin lotion - dry skin is almost instantaneous.
If nothing goes wrong, 18 to 24 hours is a reasonable stay, especially if she’s not going home to a madding crowd. I was home less than 24 hours after Bill was born in 1994: I put my sweatsuit on, shuffled down to the business office, signed off everything, and off we went. That was one of the less-nice hospitals. At some of them, I would have happily stayed two weeks, if they’d let me!
fanfan, Grandchildren are a Great Blessing. The love shared is the love received. I have pleasant memories of being in the delivery room with spouse when our last child was born. Then shortly after-wards came Grandchildren. Grandchildren are more fun ... well just a little more fun than ones own little ones. Grandchildren are easier to raise. If anything goes wrong, one can blame the parents. Bringing in a Grandchild for a visit is great. Doing special activities with a Grandchild is even better than great. Hearing one of the parents say ... “You never let me get away with that” is priceless.