Ultimate home birth supplies and essentials list

This ultimate home birth supplies and essentials list will help you think through everything you might need for a successful home birth.

*I’m a minimalist, so my list consists of only essential items.

*To all of the expectant mothers reading this, I’d like to say “Congratulations!” This is such a sweet and precious time to enjoy.

I hope and pray you get a wonderful home birth experience in the comfort of your own home that you can always look back on fondly.

The very fact that we need to take a pregnancy test to “find out” if we are pregnant or not tells us that we are not in control of creating new life.

Only God can do that!  

Keeping God in the center of the process, right where He belongs, is going to lead to so much more peace and joy through the whole experience. 

Home birth preparation with mindset.

“Tips to prepare for an unmedicated ‘natural’ birth”

There are quite a few things to consider when you’re planning a home birth, but the first and most important is ‘mindset’.

So much of the process of giving birth starts in the mind.

We need to feel safe and confident in our choices, and if we feel scared or unsafe it can actually stall labor.

That is the last thing we need!

Our mindset is crucial.

Feelings of anxiety can certainly creep in, especially in those last few days before labor really begins.

We’d be lying if we told ourselves there’s nothing to be anxious about.  The birth of a new baby is such a vulnerable time.

Whether you choose a hospital birth, a birth center birth, or a home birth, there is plenty of variables that are out of our control. Try not to worry too much!

 If you find that you’re starting to feel anxious, I’d recommend lots of prayer and scripture reading.

You might want to consider writing up some favorite scriptures and posting them around your labor area (more on this later).

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Philippians 4:6-7

This is a time when you may need to consider how you can protect your mind as well.

Maybe it’s not a great time to be reading murder thriller books. Calm and peaceful is the goal.

Find what brings you peaceful joy and lean into those things.

(Self-Care for homemakers and caretakers)

Home birth essentials by building the best team.

Before we get into any practical items that you need to have a safe home birth (of which there are plenty!), you have to consider assembling the right team. 

This will look different for each personality, but the key is to find what’s right for you! 

This is NOT the time to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. You need to make sure you feel safe and supported during the birthing process.

This is something you really need to discuss with your husband as well. If he feels strongly about someone being at the birth, I’d encourage you to really hear him out.

This is his birth experience as well.

Even though the baby doesn’t come out of his body, I think it’s much harder on the men to watch us go through labor.

I can imagine most husbands would be glad to take on the work and pain of birth for us, but all they can do is support us through it.  

Don’t discount what this experience means for Daddy too.

A birth team can be complete with just Mom and Dad.

I, personally, am not a “free-birther”, but if that’s more your style, then that’s great! Simply skip ahead to the next section.

A midwife is the next important team member to consider.

A midwife must be someone you feel comfortable being around.

She (or he) must be someone that has a birthing philosophy that you agree with, and they have to be willing to accommodate your wishes. This is SO important.

If you choose someone without fully discovering these things about them you could end up in a situation you’re not comfortable with. 

Remember, feeling safe and secure is critical to having a smooth birth. 

Research the stats and credentials of the midwife you choose. It’s also a good idea to ask any of the previous clients (if you know any) how their experience was with this particular midwife.

That will give you a really good picture of what you might be able to expect.

Your husband needs to be comfortable with your choice of midwife as well.  Let him be a part of this process!

Building the best birth team by considering a doula. 

A doula can be a beautiful addition to any birthing experience.

Sometimes you can have a super amazing friend that can simply act as a doula. If this is your first baby, you may feel more comfortable having a doula. 

It seems, after having a few babies, you just want to be left alone to do what you know you need to do. There’s nothing worse than people messing with you when you’re trying to breathe through contractions.

Ladies, you’re the boss of your own birth. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise.

Completing the best birth team

Next it’s time to consider anyone else you would feel comfortable being naked around. (I’m not joking.)

Giving birth is the most primal experience we will ever have, and sometimes (often times) you end up naked. That is perfectly natural and normal.

You want your birth team to consist of who is going to be most supportive of your choices. Sisters, moms, friends, grandmas… you will know who will be the best addition to the support people!

Ultimate home birth checklist with paperwork

I would recommend simply keeping all of your papers together in a folder, in case you need to quickly reference anything.

This should include your birth plan (yes, write up a birth plan!), and any records your midwife gives you for keeping. This may also include your list of home birth items to attain before your due date approaches.

It’s great to have all this in one place to quickly grab in case you do need to transfer anywhere. 

Ultimate home birth supplies and essential items

This will look different depending on what your midwife (if midwife you have) requires you to purchase.

My midwife had the most mercifully minimal birth kit, but there was still plenty on the list!

If you desire a water birth, be sure to research a good birthing pool and practice setting it up before you’re in labor.

I have very fast labors, so I opted to just use hot showers instead of a birth pool for the warm, relaxing water. 

When you’re birthing naturally, warm water is the most wonderful pain relief! 

A perfect home birth kit.

You’ll want to acquire a small stack of bath towels and wash cloths. These are for wiping down you and Baby after birth.

Get those washed up and ready to go before the birth. A few receiving blankets could come in handy here as well, but honestly you could do without them. 

A set of bed sheets you don’t mind destroying will be important here as well.

Another set of sheets that can be used for postpartum recovery are important, too.

If you don’t want to buy a couple extra sets of sheets (it DOES get spendy!), just find a second-hand fitted sheet for your bed and wash it up really good before birth.

Have shower curtains or some absorbent pads to put under your fitted sheet to protect your mattress. A specific mattress protector could be great as well, but that might be a more expensive option.

Then for postpartum bedsheets, you could use your normal bed sheets and just lay a few chucks pads under you before getting into bed.

This should only be a concern for the first day or two after birth, after that your bleeding should have slowed down enough to not have to worry about messing up your sheets.

*If you do end up with a little blood on any carpet or bedding, just use some hydrogen peroxide to clean it up! 

I did get a big roll of plastic sheeting to protect the floor, but a trusted friend reminded me how slippery those plastic sheets can be when they get wet. 

I hadn’t thought of that!

We decided to use an abundance of chucks pads, and they worked like a charm.

This brings me to our next item on the list of necessary supplies.

Chucks pads (or puppy pads) are essential. These are probably the most important item in terms of containing the “mess” of birth.

I admit I was much more concerned about the mess than I should have been. It was really not a huge deal. (Even birthing on white carpet…)

The whole mess was all cleaned up and contained in one black garbage bag. My midwife wanted me to have two large plastic bags on hand, but we only used one. 

The last few items in the birth kit were: a cord clamp, some adult diapers, peri bottles, and sanitary pads.

There was a couple pairs of surgical grade gauze and gloves.

A few of your own supplies that you may want to consider adding to your birth kit.

A comfortable environment is so important for any birth. 

Consider what will be your most comfortable environment for labor.

Maybe include some fairy lights and essential oils in a cozy space. You may even want to write up your birth affirmations to post on the walls in your birthing space.

Make it a beautiful space to help you feel at peace. 

Right before transition a lot of women get extremely hot. A small fan might be the biggest lifesaver! Be sure to have one handy in case you need it.

I highly recommend acquiring a cart to keep all your supplies handy.

I purchased a 3-tier craft cart on amazon and it was great to have everything readily available without having to dig through boxes or totes.

The handy cart was easily transformed into a postpartum recovery cart, and is now acting as the baby’s diaper cart.

Don’t you love those multi-tasking investments!?

Talk to your midwife if she has a birth ball you could borrow if you decide you want to use one.

Lip balm and hair ties are small items that just might make a big difference. 

Right before transition with my last birth, my hair was in my face and it was just annoying enough to throw off my groove. My husband quickly brought me a hair tie and the baby was born minutes later.

It was wonderful.

Last things to consider for your home birth supplies

Basically, think through anything you’d pack in a hospital bag and have those things handy.

Since you’re home, you may think it’s no big deal to go dig out a set of baby clothes after the baby arrives, but it’s so much more relaxing to have everything readily available.

Same goes for a set of nursing pajamas for you to wear after you get cleaned up after the birth. 

“Postpartum essentials”

A hot water bottle for those after birth cramps might prove to be one of the most important things. Those after birth cramps can be really intense. Heat will help with the discomfort.

If you have all the right supplies, you can have a beautiful birthing experience in the comfort of your home. 

God bless you as you prepare for the arrival of your new little one. You were designed for this. You can do this!

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