Birth Supplies
Gathering your birth supplies is an important step in preparing for your home birth. Most of the supplies you will need for the birth and immediate postpartum will be supplied by the midwife and brought to you to your birth “rehearsal” at 36 weeks (see below). Everything should be washed and ready by 36 weeks. It is YOUR BIRTH, so add or delete whatever of this list you like! These are guidelines.
Supplies YOU need to gather:
Two sets of clean sheets
8-10 bath towels- these are for drying you off when getting out of the tub and for keeping your baby covered from cold drafts right away. Towels are preferably ones you do not care if they get ruined.
2-4 washcloths- these are for your face/neck or for your bottom.
8+ baby blankets- I suggest having at least 4 that are not precious, maybe even just cotton flannel fabric, so you won’t be sad to have them ruined if they happen to get covered in meconium or blood immediately following the birth. And then another 4+ nicer blankets for cuddles during that first couple of hours. The goal is not to wipe baby off, just to keep baby DRY, so if the blanket gets soiled or a little wet, good to have lots of extras as spare.
Washed baby clothes (breathable cotton fabric is best)
Disposable or cloth diapers
Baby wipes: no fragrance, alcohol, or chemicals
Olive oil (for baby’s bottom in first 3 days)
1 package of Depends and/or Maternity Pads - these are for your first week or so of heavier bleeding postpartum. I recommend getting both, because the maternity pads are nice to prep and freeze with some coconut oil and lavender oil or peri herb tea and then swap in and out of the Depends during the first few days. They feel good! So at least one package of each.
Labor food - lots of food for the laboring person and for the partner. Quick nutritious foods and lots of water, tea and electrolytes for labor. Everyone needs to stay nourished. I recommend REAL FOOD, a mixture of things with protein (e.g. pieces of steak, chicken, hard boiled eggs, yogurt) for long lasting energy, and simple carbs like fruit and honey for quick energy, and some SALT. Welcome to also have food for the midwives, but please focus on yourselves!**2+
Postpartum meals- please have at least two warm, nourishing meals in the freezer or fridge that we can warm up for you to enjoy in the first hour postpartum (soups/caldos, stew, casserole, etc).
Calcium/Magnesium supplements, Afterease tincture, Ibuprofen and/or Comfrey Salve- these for the after pains many experience for the 3 days postpartum, which tend to be worse for those who had quick labors or when it’s not your first birth.
Other postpartum supplies- some people enjoy having sitz sprays, nipple butter, silverettes, nipple shields and breast pumps on hand. If so, proper sizing matters for the pump parts and nipple shields, so ask for help if you need it.
Supplies MIDWIFE provides and brings to your Birth Rehearsal:
Birth pool kit: 25’ hose, adapter, birth pool, air pump, birth pool liner, shower curtain, thermometer, fish net
2 Mesh panties
2 Peril bottles
Perineal Cold Packs
Herbs for Postpartum Perineal Wash and Sitz Baths
Sterile Lube
20 Disposable Underpads
2 Washable Underpads
Amnicators or Nitrazine Paper (for detecting if your waters have released or “broken” before labor starts)
2 Emesis bags
Sterile gloves
Non-sterile gloves
Freezer bags (for placenta)
2 Metal bowls
King-sized vinyl mattress cover
2 Trash bags (one for laundry, one for trash)
Rubbing Alcohol
Hydrogen Peroxide
When it is time to “get the bed ready” for your birth, you will place one clean fitted sheet on the bed, cover that sheet with the vinyl/plastic mattress cover I provide for you, then place a second (usually older or grungier) set of sheets for birthing on top of the vinyl/plastic cover. This top set is for labor/birth and may get stained.
Some people like to have cacao or even something with a little caffeine on hand just in case they are feeling weary toward the end and need a boost to push.