Home Birth Supplies

In this post I share details of the items I gathered for my recent home birth. This was my third baby and my second home birth.

My first baby was born on a labour ward in hospital. I really didn’t like giving birth in a hospital environment, so when I fell pregnant with my second baby I knew that I wanted to give birth at home.

Having experienced home birth previously, I planned to keep things much simpler the second time around. You may be surprised by how little you actually need.

For each stage of the birth process I will include items that I would consider pretty essential and also some items that are non-essential, but you may find are nice to have on hand.

If you plan on having a midwife attend your home birth, she may supply some of the items that I have mentioned below. Or your midwife may provide you with a list of items that she would like you to source.

Either way it’s worth having these items on hand, as sometimes midwives don’t make it on time. Or you may be choosing to free birth, in which case you will want to source these items for yourself.

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What items do you need for a home birth?

Birth can be a messy business, so some items that you’ll want to have on hand during the process of labour and delivery include:

Towels – Ideally ones you don’t feel too precious about, as they will get very messy. After a few washes though they do eventually return to the colour they once were! You don’t need a set number of towels, you will just use the ones you have.

Shower Curtains – Shower curtains are great to place down on your bed or on the floor to protect these surfaces. I bought a polyester shower curtain that could be washed before and after. It held up pretty well, but some liquid did end up seeping through to the carpet after my baby emerged.

In hindsight I wish I had put some pads down underneath the shower curtain, or bought a second shower curtain that was purely plastic to go underneath the fabric curtain. Expect an upcoming post on how to remove blood stains from a carpet!

Absorbent Bed Pads – Disposable bed pads, often referred to as either puppy pads or chucks pads, are great to have on hand during and after birth.

Washable absorbent bed pads are more expensive and require slightly more effort, but they are a less wasteful alternative to disposable pads. They are also good to have for when the time comes to potty train your baby.

Bin Bags / Trash Bags – You will want to put any towels, pads or sheets into bags before either washing them or throwing them away.

The next couple of paragraphs aren’t very glamorous I’m afraid, but hopefully you’ll appreciate the heads up!

You may want to keep a jug or bowl handy, in case you feel the need to vomit.

It’s also normal to have bowel movements during labour, so having a potty nearby is a good idea. Sitting in a deep squat position can also help move baby down the birth canal.

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Staying comfortable during labour

Labour is intense and you will probably work up a sweat. In order to keep your energy levels up you will want to have a drink on hand and some (ideally) healthy snacks available.

Drinks – Electrolyte drinks are ideal, but plain water is also fine.

Snacks – Things like energy bars, fruit (bananas are great), toast, cheese and crackers, or whatever you fancy grazing on.

Here are some other items that can help keep you comfortable during labour:

Frozen Flannels – Put some wet flannels in a ziplock bag in your freezer ahead of time. These are great to place on your forehead or the back or your neck during labour.

Fan – If you get really hot use a hand held fan or turn on a larger fan to cool off. Use whatever size fan you have.

Cotton Wool Pads – Wet some cotton wool pads with cool water to freshen up intimate areas.

Non-essential items (that are nice to have)

In this section I have included items that are nice to have on hand, but not essential.

Yoga Ball – Having a yoga ball to bounce on during the early stages of labour, when you still feel quite mobile, is good to have.

Yoga balls are also good for bouncing on once you’ve had your baby. My husband will often bounce on the ball whilst holding our new baby if he is feeling fussy.

Music & Positive Affirmation Tracks -Playing music that you find relaxing (think spa playlist) or uplifting will help keep you feeling positive.

This time around I downloaded the Christian Hypnobirthing app to listen to during labour (and throughout my pregnancy). There are also a number of free positive birth affirmation tracks to be found online.

Positive Affirmation Cards – Positive affirmation cards are nice to place where you will see them. They can provide words of encouragement and reassurance in your ability to birth your baby.

Meaningful Items – Having other items nearby such as precious photos, crystals, cuddly toys and religious figurines can also provide you with moments of comfort when labour feels intense.

Essential Oils – I have always found comfort inhaling the scent of Frankincense essential oil whilst in labour. Find a scent that resonates with you and use it when you need it during labour. Scents such as lavender, clary sage and myrrh are also lovely.

Comb – Squeezing a wooden comb during a painful contraction can help to shift your focus away from the intensity you may be experiencing. It kind of works like a low tech version of a tens machine. I used it for a few contractions and it helped a bit, so you may find it helpful to have one to hand.

Mirror – When your baby’s head is emerging you may want to use a mirror to see them. We used a hand held mirror, but I wish I had placed a large mirror up against the wall as this would have been less awkward.

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Birth Pools – are they worth the effort?

I hired a birth pool for my first home birth, as it seemed like the thing to do. Pinterest will provide you with endless images of ideal set ups, complete with candles and fairy lights.

Whilst overall I did enjoy having access to a birth pool last time around, I decided not to hire a birth pool for my second home birth. The cons of hiring a birth pool outweighed the pros for me.

Cons of hiring a birth pool:

• They take up a lot of space! You may need to rearrange furniture in order to fit it in to the room you intend to give birth in.
• Birth pools take time and effort to set up.
• It takes a lot of water to it fill up and it’s hard to maintain a certain temperature.
• You may lose your deposit if it gets damaged.
• Cleaning it and emptying it is hard work.
• You (or someone else) need to arrange for a courier to come and collect it after the birth. This is one more thing to think about.

This time around I opted to just have a shower when I felt really sweaty. I also had the option of using my bath tub, but even that felt like too much effort once I was in active labour.

If you have someone on hand with the capacity to manage the birth pool for you and you have the space for it, then I would say go for it! If not, then maybe consider whether your time, energy and money may be better spent elsewhere.

Immediately after birth

Once you have given birth to your baby you will want to keep them close to you. Ideally you will place your baby on to your chest to keep them warm and offer them your breast to feed.

Birth is hard work for babies too and they will want to be comforted by you and may need to sleep or have some milk (colostrum).

It’s really important that you both stay together and stay warm after birth. Have a clean dressing gown nearby for you to slip over your shoulders.

Try and stay skin to skin with your baby. You may want to place a soft, clean towel or blanket over them as well though to keep them nice and warm.

Place some absorbent pads in or on your bed, with a towel over the top. Lie down and rest with your new baby. Let your support people clean up the mess.

Keep the lighting in the room low for baby. Coming from the darkness of the womb into a brightly lit room can be incredibly jarring.

I love my pink Himalayan salt lamp. It casts a lovely pink glow and has a dimmable switch. It’s also great to use throughout your postpartum, for night time feeds and nappy / diaper changing.

Cutting the umbilical cord

Wait until the umbilical cord has turned white and has stopped pulsating before cutting it. This will ensure your baby receives their full download of blood from the placenta.

You can cut the cord before or after delivering the placenta. I used a large Pyrex bowl with a lid to place my placenta in. You or your midwife will want to check that it is in tact at some point in the next day or so.

Before you cut the umbilical cord you will want to clamp it with either a sterile cord clamp or cord tie.

I purchased some sterile scissors this time around, specially designed for cord cutting. Last time I just used regular kitchen scissors, which also worked fine. I just wanted to avoid having to wash and sterilise them first.

Caring for you

You may experience some after birth pains as your uterus begins to shrink back down. This amazing muscle will go from the size of a watermelon back down to the size of a pear.

I experienced quite painful cramping this time around, as it was my third baby. I drank Alka Seltzers (aspirin) when I was feeding, to try and take the edge off. These seemed to really help.

I also drank some After Ease, a herbal remedy, which you dilute in water.

You will probably want to start wearing some sort of sanitary pad with some comfortable cotton underwear to help keep you and your bedding clean.

Using a peri bottle rather than toilet paper when you go to the loo after giving birth is a much gentler way to clean yourself. You can then use a soft flannel to pat yourself dry.

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Caring for baby

I kept my baby naked for the first couple of days, just wrapped in a soft blanket on me. They don’t tend to wee and poo that much initially, so having them not wear a nappy / diaper isn’t much of an issue.

After a couple of days though I started to dress him in a baby grow and put a nappy on him.

I clean his bottom with cotton wool soaked in warm water. I keep a thermos flask of boiled water that’s been left to cool, which I then pour into a bowl and dip the cotton wool in to. Next to our bed I have a handy 3-tiered trolley that serves as a nappy changing caddy.

I tend to change his nappy on the bed and have him lie on an absorbent pad. This means that I can stay on, or close to, the bed as much as possible. I do have a changing mat as well, but I’m not using it currently.

Weighing your baby

Within the first day or so, you or your midwife may want to weigh your baby. Your midwife will bring scales with her, but if you’re doing it yourself you can use a digital luggage scale.

Simply create a little hammock cradle by wrapping your baby in a large muslin cloth. Tie a knot at the top, think like an image of a stork holding a baby.

Obviously make sure your baby is as comfortable as possible and can breathe. Then attach the luggage scale by looping it around the knot at the top. Gently lift them up off bed to get a reading.

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I really hope this post has provided you with some helpful insight and has given you a clear idea about the supplies you may need for your home birth.

I’m wishing you all the best for a positive and peaceful home birth.

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