There are about a thousand “what to pack in your hospital bag” lists out in the world and much like baby registry lists, they include things from the obvious necessities (car seat, clothes for the baby, camera, etc.) to some pretty silly ones (blow dryer? laptop?)
But for those of us who plan to deliver at home, those lists aren’t very useful! So here’s my advice for preparing for a homebirth:
Get a Birth Kit
The birth kit, which includes all the necessities for a homebirth like cord clamps, bulb syringe, waterproof pads, latex gloves, etc., might be provided by your midwife or you may need to order it ahead of time. Talk to your midwife well ahead of your due date about what you need to provide and start gathering your supplies early.
Gather Linens
You’ll hear a lot about how messy birth is whether you’re at the hospital or at home so I suggest gathering the following items:
- old and/or dark colored towels and wash cloths
- old sheets/pillowcases and/or the cheapest comfy white sheets you can find (white because bleach and cheap because IF there is a mess, you can just toss them!)
Then make your bed! Actually put the sheets you want to labor/birth on ahead of going in to labor including the waterproof liner (the last thing you’ll want to think about as you’re having regular contractions is making the bed!) You can just layer the waterproof cover and old/cheap sheets over your good ones so after the birth, all you have to do is strip the bed and it’s ready for resting post-baby!
NOTE: none of my linens were ruined or even stained after my delivery with Doodle, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be taking any chances this time!
Collect baby’s first minutes must haves
This includes all the things that baby will need in those first few hours that are usually provided by the hospital including:
- diapers
- wipes
- swaddling blankets
- hats
And for a bit later:
- warm clothes
- socks
- mittens (if it’s cold in your home or you’re worried about scratching)
- nail clippers (Doodle came out with crazy long nails and scratches all over his face!)
- extra bed pillows or a nursing pillow for feeding baby
Have your after birth necessities handy
After you give birth and have a few hours to recover and bond with baby, you’ll probably want to hop into the shower and rinse off then settle into more bonding and resting time. Have the following ready to go for after birth:
- Nursing tanks/sleep bras and nightgowns or whatever you plan to lounge around in (I go for long tanks and gym type shorts, personally)
- Maxi Pads, get either maternity or overnight ones for the early days.
- Old/cheap underwears (you’ll bleed for weeks after birth and it can be overwhelming at first when it is super heavy and you are dealing with so much else. I put a maternity/overnight pad in my least loved comfy undies then usually a tighter pair over the top to help hold everything in place)
- Breastpads (even if you don’t plan to nurse, you may still leak)
- Tylenol (the afterbirth contractions, especially when breatfeeding, can be BRUTAL!)
Set up a “Birth Zone”
Pick where you think you’ll be laboring and birthing (this of course may change in the moment!) Put all the necessities you’ll want/need during labor, delivery and recovery in the “zone” including:
A birth box
Put all of the supplies you’re providing in a big box where they will be easily accessible and easy to find by your midwife/doula/partner in the moment when you’re out of it and explaining where to find things will just be agitating. This should include any of the birth kit items you’ve bought, your extra linens gathered for the birth and immediate baby needs.
Comfort items
Gather together anything you might want during labor to help you relax including an exercise ball and/pr short stool (I spent a good portion of Doodle’s labor sitting on an air mattress in basically a squatting position); candles or air fresheners you really like (my personal fav is lilac so I keep around some spray, oils and candles); something to play music on if you intend to have a “birth playlist” (I had one for Sugarplum but never used it); anything else you think might help you relax.
Drinks and snacks
A homebirth gives you a lot more freedom than a hospital birth and most midwives will allow you to eat and drink as necessary where as the hospital may have a “nothing by mouth” rule (during Sugarplum’s birth I was allowed to drink Gatorade, water and certain juices but I had to sneak snacks when the nurse was out of the room!). I’m not a big eater while I’m in labor but I do like to have snacks available and, of course, drinks to replenish my energy, electrolytes and fluids lost during the hard work of labor. Talk to your midwife about what she recommends you eat/drink during labor and have it handy (a cooler of ice might be a good idea as well if your birth zone is far from the fridge as it is in our new house!)
Prepare memory makers
Those first few moments and hours are magical and it’s important to be in the moment but some nice pictures to remember those first overwhelming moments are nice, too! Make sure your camera(s) are easy to find and have fully charged batteries and plenty of memory storage. Plus have your phones handy to make announcement phone calls and any papers/books you want to have hand or footprints made on.
Getting siblings ready
If you plan to have your other kids at your birth (which is one of the main reasons I choose homebirth), be sure to do a little prep work with them. Start early and talk often. Read books, watch videos and talk A LOT about what they can expect to happen (more tips on how we prepare our kids here).
We also do sibling gifts. Each of the kids buys a gift for the baby and the baby buys a gift for each of his/her siblings. We have big brother/sister open both his/her gift FROM the baby and his/her gift TO the baby, obviously this is more of a treat for the big siblings than the baby but it helps to make everyone feel special on the day and I think helps promote sibling bonding and family togetherness.
Be prepared for anything
While homebirth is a wonderful adventure for mommy, daddy and other family members, the truth is birth can be wildly unpredictable and it’s important to be prepared for anything. At any point during your labor, delivery or after the birth you may need to be transferred into a hospital for care.
Have a bag “ready”
I didn’t pack a hospital bag when expecting Doodle and don’t plan to this time, either, but by having everything out and organized for the birth like baby items and my after birth items, if a hospital transfer becomes necessary (and with ample time, of course), they could be quickly thrown into a bag to take with us.
Have the car seat ready
You’ll need the car seat within the first few days to take baby to the pediatrician anyways, so it’s a good idea to have the base installed in the car and seat adjusted to the smallest setting if using a carrier/bucket style or the whole seat installed and adjusted if using a convertible from the start. If a transfer to the hospital is necessary after the birth, baby will need to come to and should be properly buckled in in the car. IF that is not possible, I personally would call an ambulance to transport us (and still ask about using the car seat for the baby in the ambulance which should be done any time a child is transported via ambulance or other emergency vehicle).
