Giving birth at home used to be done
all the time. Midwives were compassionate and wise about the ways of
birth, and offered competent and loving care to mother and infant
alike. Unfortunately, there were risks in some cases, and the
medical establishment got into the act. Over the past few decades,
however, home birth has become more widely accepted again. If you
are in good health and having a healthy pregnancy, chances are you
can have a safe, happy birth experience at home.
Homebirth supply kits are available for
around $20 to $45, depending on what they include. Here are the
items you are most likely to need for the blessed event. You can buy
new items, but in most cases you can save money and make do with
second hand items. Many of these items will be included in the kit,
if you invest in a homebirth kit (which is a very good idea!) Your
midwife will probably give you her own list of homebirth supplies to
have on hand.
1. Two or three old vinyl shower
curtains or plastic drop cloths. A plastic sheet will be needed to
protect your mattress, and you might want one or two on the floor
beside the bed to protect the carpeting.
2. A supply of clean sheets, towels,
and receiving blankets. If you have extra pillows on hand for
finding comfortable labor positions, you will probably want clean
extra pillow cases as well. Launder these items ahead of time, dry
them an extra ten minutes in the dryer to kill germs, and have them
stored in an accessible place in a paper bag to keep them clean.
Four extra sheets, four towels, and four receiving blankets are
considered a minimum. Towels can substitute for receiving blankets.
3. A flashlight with extra batteries.
This is very helpful for the midwife to examine the perineum for
tears and to see the baby crown. You might want to have a small
mirror in your birth kit as well so you can see the crowning
yourself.
4. Cord clips or sterilized thin
elastic, along with a pair of sterilized scissors for cutting the
cord. A great way to sterilize items at home is to place them in a
pressure cooker for a few minutes at 5 pounds pressure. Leave them
sealed in the pressure cooker until needed. Cord clips are
pre-sterilized and wrapped, and are available from homebirth supply
companies. Elastic is better than string if clips are not available.
5. Source of hot water and a stack of
clean wash cloths. If you are comfortable with very hot water on the
perineum, a crockpot full of water can be kept in the birthing room.
The midwife will probably want to use hot wet cloths to soften and
prepare the pereneum for the birth.
6. Sterilized 4-by-4 inch gauze pads.
Get plenty. A box of 100 probably won't be too much. These will be
used by the midwife during the birth.
7. Disposable underpads to protect the
surface of the bed. Again, get plenty. A package of 10 to 20 would
be nice.
8. Things for the baby to wear. These
include diapers, several gowns or sleepers, and a cap. They can be
laundered, dried, and included in the paper bag with the sheets and
towels.
9. Food and drinks for mom as well as
for dad, the birth attendants, and any friends you invite to help.
Gatorade is good, because having a baby is
similar to an athletic effort in many ways. Yogurt, boiled eggs, or
other easy-to-fix protein foods are great for soon after the birth.
The birth attendant and friends are likely to go through a lot of
cookies and other junk food.
10. A package of post-partum sized
sanitary napkins. Some new mothers use disposable diapers as
sanitary napkins in the first few days.
11. A bulb type ear syringe.
Sterilize this in the pressure cooker with the scissors. This will
be used to suction fluids out of the baby's nose and mouth during the
birth.
12. A peri-bottle and a bottle of
Betadine or similar povidone-iodine product. The peri-bottle is a
curved plastic bottle used to squirt an antiseptic solution over the
perineum after the birth any time you use the bathroom. (If you're
into herbs, get a half-pound or so of shepherd's purse for making
healing baths after the birth.)
13. Birth kits usually include "bendy
straws." It is helpful to have a few bendable straws since you
will be drinking a lot of liquids while lying in bed after the birth.
(Drinking ample amounts of juice, milk, and water is essential if
you are breastfeeding.)
14. Clean clothes for Mom after the
birth. Have a comfortable nightie and soft cotton undies clean and
ready.
15. Several plastic garbage bags. You
will probably need 4 or 5 big black bags for soiled underpads, gauze
pads, empty 2-liter bottles and cookie packages (just joking), and
the like. You might be surprised how much trash a home birth
generates.
16. A large bowl for the placenta.
17. Several pairs of medical-type
rubber gloves for the birth attendants.
18. Have the car in running condition
and filled with gas. Hopefully nothing will go wrong, but it is wise
to have an emergency plan in place just in case. Try to have someone
at the emergency room alerted ahead of time in the event of a quick
arrival.
19. Things to do. Have on hand some
activities like board games or cards because there is often some
waiting time involved. Also have handy some CD's of the kind of
music you relax best with.
20. Friends! Extra hands come in
handy when the birth is going on, but the other side of the coin is
that people you don't relate to well can interfere with your ability
to relax during labor. Be careful who you invite, but do invite a
few you can trust. Have someone on hand to watch any older children,
or leave them with a babysitter. It's helpful for someone to be
available to wash dishes, fix food, answer the door and the phone,
let the cat out, and keep things picked up.
