Homebirth Supplies & Checklist: What You'll Need & How To Prepare

One of the many benefits of choosing home birth is the ability to set up your birthing environment exactly how you want it.

While the more fun part of preparing your birth space is decorating and making it cozy, you’ll also need to collect the necessary supplies for a home birth. Below is a checklist of home birth essentials. Consult with your midwife as she may have other specific recommendations, too!

Your midwife will want you to have these supplies gathered by the time you are 36 weeks pregnant so you will be prepared for whenever your baby is ready. Simply follow this home birth preparation checklist and you’ll be set!

Home Birth Supplies for Mom

When collecting items for your home birth, remember that they may get soiled or stained and need to be thrown away. Your midwife or doula will salvage what they can but will toss anything else so use linens that you don’t mind throwing away.

A waterproof layer big enough to completely cover your bed - plastic mattress cover, painter's tarp, 2 shower curtains taped together, etc. to protect your mattress from fluids. Look up how to double-make the bed for helpful tips!
1 fitted sheet sized for your bed.
4-6 bath towels
2 washcloths or small hand towel
2 kitchen-size trash bags
2 extra-large trash bags
1 tub of disinfecting wipes
1 roll of paper towels
Extra toilet paper
Handheld mirror
1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide and 1 bottle of bleach for cleanup.
Birth pool and pool supplies if planning a water birth.

Birth Kit

Your midwife will also need you to purchase a birth kit. To ensure you receive the correct supplies, your midwife may direct you to purchase a custom birth kit designed specifically by your midwife, composed of everything they will need.

If you are receiving care from the midwives of Holistic Midwifery NY, you can buy your birth kit from Precious Arrows here.

Comfort Items for Labor

Another benefit of choosing home birth is that you will be laboring and giving birth in the comfort of your home! You will already have your comfort items nearby. Make sure you have these items easily accessible in your birth space. Everyone is different in what makes them comfortable so consider what helps you relax and include those items in your birth space.

Music

Create a playlist or two of music that you’ll want to play while laboring. Depending on your style, you may want a playlist of calming music and a playlist of upbeat music to match your mood while in labor. You can also find a hypnobirthing playlist or app if you prefer that to music. Have a speaker ready and charged to keep you swaying or dancing through contractions!

Soft Lighting

If you are laboring at night, which is very common, you’ll want some soft lighting to help create a soothing, cozy environment. Battery-powered candles, dimmable lamps, or string lights are perfect for giving off just enough light to see but will still give you a calming ambiance.

Birth Affirmation Cards

You can easily find birth affirmation cards on Etsy or create some yourself. Hang them up around your birth space and bathroom to offer encouragement and remind you of how your body was made to do this!

Clothing During Labor

You may surprise yourself with what you find comfortable to wear (or not wear) during labor! It is common for mothers to labor in just a nursing bra or bralette but if you get cold, have a bathrobe nearby to cover up. However, you may feel more comfortable in a t-shirt or labor gown. Again, a benefit of home birth is you will have a closet full of options if you change your mind in the moment.

Other Home Birth Comfort Items

Home Birth Supplies for Baby

Clothing

You will probably have a closet full of cute baby clothes you can’t wait to put on your newborn but on the actual day of their birth, you’ll only need a couple of onesies and hats that are weather appropriate.

Keep in mind that in those first few hours and days, you will be having a lot of skin-to-skin time with your newborn.

You can keep your baby in a diaper and cover them with a blanket for easy skin-to-skin time.

Other home birth baby essentials:

Snacks and Drinks

You’ll want to make sure you have a stocked fridge and pantry for yourself and also your birth team. Have a variety of snacks and drinks available for everyone in the home for the birth.

It is also helpful to prepare a few meals that are easily reheated after the baby is born.

Stock your fridge with drinks that encourage extra hydration such as electrolyte powders, coconut waters, juice, or labor-aid. Have nutritious and protein-packed snacks nearby, such as fruit, nuts, trail mix, granola bars, chia seed pouches, applesauce, fruit snacks, meat/cheese, yogurt, and peanut butter for when you feel hungry and need a boost of energy.

Postpartum Recovery

Hooray, you did it! Your sweet new baby is here. Now it is time to focus on your recovery. Your midwife and/or doula will help you clean yourself up, tuck you into bed, help your baby latch and breastfeed, and bring you your “victory meal.”

There are a few products you’ll want to have ready for the first few weeks of your postpartum journey.

For the Nightstand

AfterEase After Birth Contractions tincture to help ease the discomfort of post-delivery contractions. Check with your midwife as this may already be included in your custom home birth kit!

Ibuprofen can be taken as needed for post-delivery soreness but do not take this while pregnant.

Nipple cream, coconut oil, or olive oil can be applied for nipple tenderness when breastfeeding.

For the Bathroom

You will need quite a few supplies stored in the bathroom for your early postpartum journey. Some mothers prefer to wear disposable underwear for the first week after giving birth,in addition to pads. You can expect to bleed for about 4-6 weeks after birth, although the heavyness of the flow will vary.

Sitz bath supplies, witch hazel pads, and perineal spray will offer pain relief and will encourage quicker healing of your tender areas.

You will also want to keep a peri-bottle next to the toilet and use it to spray your tender area when going to the bathroom.

Get a plastic caddy, basket, or cart to store all of your bathroom supplies and keep it in easy reach of the toilet.

Miscellaneous

During pregnancy, you should create a birth plan and review it with your midwife. Birth plans can help communicate your informed choices to your birth team and support system, especially when you are deep in contractions and having a hard time getting your words out.

Included in your birth plan, make a plan for the unlikely event of a hospital transfer–where will you go, who will care for your other children or pets, etc.

How to Prepare Your Homebirth Supplies

Once you’ve gathered all your homebirth supplies, you’ll want to organize them in a way that will be helpful for your birth team. If your homebirth essentials are organized and labeled clearly, your birth team will not need to disturb you while you are focusing on your labor.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare your homebirth supplies.

Put like-items in the same container and label it. For example, you can organize supplies by the stage they will be used: labor, birth, postpartum, and baby.
Wash all your linens designated for home birth in hot water and dry at high heat for an extra 10 minutes. Once they are clean, place them in labeled brown bags or clean bins, grouped by the stage they will be used. You can also label a bin for soiled linens. Try to leave your washer and dryer empty when you go into labor so your midwives can start washing the soiled linens before they leave.
Clear a surface in your birth space for your midwives to place their supplies. This can be the top of a dresser, bench, bathroom counter, or even just space on the floor this out of the way. Having a designated space for your midwives’ equipment will be extremely helpful for them.

NYC & Long Island Homebirth Midwifery

Equipped with this homebirth supply checklist and with the help of your midwife, you will be ready to have the homebirth of your dreams. If you are local to New York and are looking for a midwife team, speak with the midwives at Holistic Midwifery New York today!

At Holistic Midwifery NY, we believe that where you decide to give birth is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. We’ll be with you every step of the way.

For a deeper dive into everything homebirth, please see the Resources section of our website, Resources – Holistic Midwifery NY.

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