Knowing where to start to prepare for a home birth can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be!
Birth is an incredible personal experience that forever changes your life. I have been blessed with two wonderful home birth experiences. I wanted to write down some of my favorite tips and resources for birth preparation. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but is based off of my own experiences!
Any media, posts, and comments on this website regarding health, lifestyle preferences,food, supplements,or childbirth preferences are solely anecdotal and based on the author’s own research and preferences and are not to be regarded as advice or instructions on what you should do. Always consult a qualified,licensed, and trusted healthcare provider before implementing any new diet, lifestyle, or supplement. I am neither qualified nor licensed to give personal advice or counsel on health decisions. I am simply a mama who likes to research about health and nutrition and occasionally eats dandelions from her yard.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
The best place to start is to ask your midwife about some of her favorite tips for a great home birth experience. My midwife includes some suggestions for a peaceful environment in the binder she gives to every client. If this is the first time you will be giving birth it may be hard to figure out what to expect. I encourage you to find someone who can share their positive home birth experience with you. Listening to what they did to have a positive home birth is a great starting point.
Prepare Your Home
When imagining your home birth, think about the rooms and places you will be using the most. Most women prefer to labor in a dark and quiet space. I spent most of my time laboring in the bathroom with my first home birth. With my second home birth, I found myself in our living room. Your midwife should give you a list of items to have ready. When preparing for both of my births, I knew that I would be delivering in a birth tub in our living room. I made sure to have a flat surface cleaned off (in our case it was the desk our TV sits on) for my birth team to use.
Don’t worry about having a perfectly clean house, it doesn’t need to be a sterile environment. I like to keep my bathroom wiped down every day after 35 weeks gestation. Staying on top of my laundry used for birth (towels, bedsheets, comfortable clothes, etc.) is important. I don’t mean that everything must be perfect, however making sure those items are ready to go gives peace of mind. Birth can happen at any time!
Pack A “Just In Case Bag”
Sometimes things don’t go as planned and a change of environment has to take place. Although my midwife does her very best to accommodate home birth plans, sometimes she requires her patients to deliver at her clinic. Back to back births, better access to resources, or concern for patient safety are all reasons plans may change. Even when our hearts are set on a home birth, sometimes things change. I will never forget when this happened to me during my first birth. We had to transfer from a birthing center to a hospital. I was incredibly glad I had listened to our birth class instructor and had supplies for a hospital stay. In the event of a transfer you probably won’t have the time or mental presence to get what you would need for a hospital birth, help yourself out just in case.
What We Packed In Our “Just In Case” Bag:
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Socks, underwear, and change of clothes for my husband
tooth brushes, hair brushes, other personal care items such as contact solution
chap stick & lotion (hospital air is very dry!)
honey sticks
drink mixes to help re-hydrate: I like the Trace Minerals Power Paks which can be found in health food stores, Amazon, or Azure Standard. I like most of the flavors available and you just add a pack to some water, so they’re easy to keep on hand!
breast pump (can be used to help stimulate oxytocin to help contractions if stalled as well as encourage milk production if baby cannot latch on within the first hour after birth)
extra blankets for baby
gentle soap safe for baby if you plan to have them bathed ( we actually didn’t pack this, but I wish we had! Our son had an allergic reaction to the soap the hospital used… I wish I would have known to decline the bath in the first place!)
laptop and charger
robe, nursing bras, and comfy clothes for mama
diaper rash ointment or balm
nipple balm
journal (I wish I would have thought to pack this!)
phone chargers
healthy snacks (hospital food is terrible and it saved my husband from having to leave me to find food for himself)
Bible
headband, hair elastics, bobby pins
outfits for baby
depends/pads for postpartum bleeding (no one wants to wear those mesh panties home!)
Perineal spray for bathroom visits post birth. The Earth Mama Angel Baby has been my go-to for all three of my births!
Have Food For Yourself And Your Home Birth Team
During my first home birth, my midwife and her assistants were at my home for about 14 hours. I remember being so embarrassed when one of them asked for permission to make some toast. I wish I would have had some healthy snacks available. Even if you aren’t hungry during labor, your husband or birth attendants may be!
For my second birth at home I made sure to have some granola bites on hand (recipe will be here soon!) and extra fruit. My sweet cousin who came to be with me during labor made a delicious soup. It was so nice to have something ready to eat after labor. My second home birth went much faster and my birth team was only with me for about 4 hours. Even though no one needed a snack it gave me peace of mind and I really appreciated the forethought when I was hungry after our baby was born!
Prepare Your Home Birth Supplies
Each midwife practice will expect you to provide different supplies, but many utilize a birth supply service that you can use to make it easy. Many midwives (mine included) refer their clients to this birth supply company. My midwife even has a preset kit for her clients through them.
Other than the kit from the birth supply company (which contains items such as large blue pads, medical exam gloves, peri bottles, etc.) my midwife also expected me to provide bath towels (they will be getting bodily fluids on them, so old towels are best), paper towels, a quick read thermometer, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, among other items. Your midwife will give you a list well in advance so you can prepare.
For my first home birth I was much more organized and divided my supplies among two plastic totes. One was for labor and birth, the other was for after delivery. I wish I would have done the same for my second home birth. I had supplies stashed everywhere and even though we found it all, it definitely wasn’t as smooth setting up.
In The First Tote: Labor & Delivery Supplies
Exam gloves
blue pads
paper towels
bath towels
suction bulb
thermometer
Baby wipes
Gallon size plastic zip bags
peri bottle of olive oil (if you are having a boy, it prevents the meconium from sticking to all the wrinkly boy parts :D)
New water hose (if having a water birth in a birth pool)
2 sets of sheets (one for birth if delivering on bed, one for after delivery)
Mattress protector (basically a plastic sheet)
large trash bag
laundry basket or hamper (you could use this to hold all of the birth supplies. Everything will be removed and then can be used for birth laundry)
Water birth net (basically a small fish net)
peroxide
rubbing alcohol
newborn hat (if you do not expect your home to be cold, this may not get used, but it’s nice to have just in case)
Any other supplies your midwife has requested or that will be used for labor/delivery from birth supply kit
In The Second Tote: Postpartum and Baby Supplies
Vitamin K drops *BE ADVISED THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE* we chose this option after consulting our birth team and thorough personal research on the possible outcomes of all the options available to us.
baby blankets
sitz bath
infant tape measure
foot printer pad for keepsake
peri bottle
postpartum cooling spray
depends or menstrual pads for bleeding
newborn diapers
big blue pads
Other Supplies:
There were a few items that I kept on hand, but not in a tote because I used them daily
Raw, local honey to eat while in labor (helps give a quick energy boost while in transition. I find that my stomach doesn’t handle food well during this stage)
Headband or hair elastic to keep hair out of your face while in labor
washcloths to help cool if hot flashes are too much
quick read thermometer
Although I prefer not to have a lot of stimulation while in labor, many people enjoy having music playing to help keep them focused and calm. Having everything you need ready is helpful (playlist, bluetooth speaker, phone charger, etc.)
Unscented candles and/or twinkle lights for a calming glow if laboring at night
birth ball: I finally purchased this over sized exercise ball. It’s important to keep your hips in alignment when sitting and smaller balls do not allow for this. I used my birth ball to lean over during transition and it helped me to feel a lot more comfortable!
Prepare Mentally & Physically
Whether this is your first birth, your first birth in a non hospital setting, or you are a home birth veteran, preparing your mind and body is just as important as preparing your home.
Although I have been able to have all my births non medicated, I always prepare my mind and body for what is to come. Stay up to date with chiropractor visits (and try your best to find a chiropractor who specializes in maternity and pediatric chiropractic care if you can!) Not all chiropractors are the same!
I found that consuming bovine gelatin every day through my pregnancy lessened issues with hemorrhoids and a less likelihood to tear.
How you sit and move during pregnancy matters as well, I highly recommend you find these books or resources to help prepare:
Helpful Resources For Home Birth Preparation
1. ‘Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way‘ by Susan McCutcheon which has a chapter about ways to prepare your body for an easier birth. This is a time tested and well loved book. Although I don’t follow the exact method spelled out in the book, the chapters about preparing your body for birth and the stages of labor and birth have been instrumental in helping me to prepare my mind and body!
2. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, another favorite that I read every single time I’m expecting! Positive birth stories from the Midwives who started the home birth revival in the 70s!
3. The Mama Natural Week-by-Week guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth.
4. Although I have never personally gone through this birth course, Genevieve Howland of Mama Natural is a trusted source. I highly recommend reading through her website. She even has a free week-by-week pregnancy update via email for free.
5. If you have Instagram, give this gal a follow! She is a Doctor of Physiotherapy and has some wonderful tips for helping your body prepare for and recover from birth. If you don’t have IG and want to see what she talks about, check out her postpartum recovery course. Although I have not personally used it, it has been highly praised by people I trust.
6. I really enjoyed these non yoga stretches by Caitlin Englebert on YouTube . All of her stretches are wonderful for pregnancy and postpartum.
I hope you’ve found something that will help you prepare yourself and home for a beautiful home birth!
What are some favorite tips for a peaceful homebirth? Share in the comments!
Shalom and Happy Birthing!
Olivia
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