Prepare for a Home Birth #1 – Supplies

photo adapted from jessica.diamond

I’ve had two wonderful home births and am hoping for another one. Part of having your home birth go smoothly is being prepared.

1. You should have a packed hospital bag for labor ready to go.  You never know!
2. The midwife’s office and pager number’s should be in a prominent place.
3. A map to the hospital, along with the phone number of the hospital, and any other important numbers should be in a prominent place.
4. Child care should be arranged. {I plan for my mother to come and watch the children while I have the baby but I’m packing them each an overnight bag just in case things don’t go as planned and she needs to take them home with her.}
5. Snacks and drinks planned in advance for you, your spouse and the midwives in the event that your labor is a long one.

Gathering Supplies:

Here is a list of supplies that I prepare. You may not need them all and I’m sure this isn’t exhaustive but they are things I’ve had prepared.

For Labor

• chapstick
• a candle
• CD Player + music selection
• Pillows, blanket
• Comfy clothing + hair elastics. {I plan to wear my hair in braids this time to keep it out of my way and still be comfortable for my post-labor nap!}
• Light reading + movies
• Gravol {during Chloe’s long labor, the midwife recommended I take two to calm vomiting and help me get some rest!}
• Tena underwear
• Waterproof protectors
• Drinks
• Snacks (juice, boiled eggs, cheese, crackers etc. Labor is hard work!)
• Straws
• Birth Ball
• Stool or something to sit on/lean over
• Warm Rice Pack
• Rocking Chair

For Birth

• Flannel backed disposable table cloths
• Waterproof pads (handy for sitting on furniture if your water hasn’t broken etc.)
• Old Towels
• Old facecloths in a crock pot for perineum compresses to sooth and help prevent tearing.
• Clean facecloths for your face
• Heating Pad
• Old Sheets on Bed (and an extra old set though honestly? I have a waterproof pad under me and have yet to stain any sheets)
• Placenta Bowl
• “Garbage & laundry” totes lined with garbage bags
• extra garbage bags

For Afterwards

• Clean nightgown
• Tena pads or disposable underwear {I wore pads with my first then realized how awesome disposable underwear is. I had no idea that there would be so much fluid those first 24-28 hours}
• Ice pack (help alleviate pain if you have any stitches)
• Tylenol or Motrin
• Peroxide
• Thermometer
• Peroxide
• Good lamp available for perineum repairs
• Healing Herbal Bath {recipe found on the Hamilton Midwives’ website}
• This time round I am also trying the IntelliCeuticals Episi-Prep Cream that was provided to me for review to help prevent / sooth perineum tearing.
• I also like to have a bottle of Folex carpet cleaner and a roll of paper towel somewhere handy. I’ve yet to need it but you never know.

For Baby

• Heating Pad {to make sure receiving blankets are nice and toasty for sweet baby}
• Receiving Blankets
• Cap & Mittens
• Diapers {I cloth diaper but use disposables for the first few days!}
• Baby Wipes
• Presents for siblings

Tomorrow’s post will talk setting up for a homebirth. For those readers out there who have had a home birth, did I miss anything essential?

Have you had or considered a homebirth?

• This post in part of Simply Baby and links to Works for Me Wednesday