Home Birth Must Haves

Jordan Carney
Feb 5, 2023
10 min read

Updated: Feb 22, 2023

I'm 34 weeks pregnant today and getting so excited to meet our little girl, the nesting has been in full effect lately. As well as third-trimester insomnia, as if we aren't uncomfortable enough let's add in little to no sleep too! With us choosing to do a second home birth I have been extra prepping to make sure everything is ready. In all honesty, she could come today and I would be ready and everything would be fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to spend the next couple of weeks adding a few finishing touches! Before I get into the list of my home birth must-haves, I'll share my last birth experience. If you don't feel like reading it, scroll to the bottom for the list.

My First Home Birth

My home birth with Braxton was amazing but it was far from what I had planned or wanted. Birth never truly goes the way we plan no matter how hard we try. I think a big part of his not going to plan was me and my health. The whole pregnancy I didn't take my health seriously, I ate what I wanted and blamed it on eating for two, I didn't walk or exercise because my hips and pelvis hurt, and I didn't hydrate enough. All of this eventually resulted in me having high blood pressure, and liver failure toward the end of my pregnancy, I think around 28 weeks it set in. Thankfully it wasn't preeclampsia so my midwife was able to manage it with medication. Not all midwives can manage medications and such but an RN midwife can, so if you have any preexisting conditions that require medication it might save you some time and money to hire an RN midwife that can manage everything for you. During this pregnancy, I didn't have the option of going with an RN midwife and it has definitely not been easy, I have had to see a primary care provider for all of my blood work and prenatal appointments as well as the midwives for prenatal care. The primary care provider has given a lot of pushback on my choice to go with home birth. We have made it work though and learned how to all get along.

Home Birth Away From Home

For Braxton's birth we were delivering in Las Vegas because the midwife wouldn't travel to Lake Havasu, this made prepping a little difficult. We were going to try and just deliver in a hotel (not as uncommon as you think) until a family friend offered up their house. It was a God send that they did, we were able to go at 37 weeks set up the bedroom how I wanted, and establish a solid plan. Once I was in labor we would call them and they would head out to their camper in the driveway so the house was empty and ready to go when we arrived. At my 38-week appointment, my midwife informed me that my liver was failing and that we needed to try to get the baby out sooner than later, so we planned for the next week to go in for a membrane sweep and herbal medication to get things going (knowing what I know now I would not have taken them). We booked a hotel for 4 days so if all went to plan I could recover for a few days before we drove back to Havasu. Inducing labor with natural supplements did make it easier to plan and settle in before labor started, which I think was the only benefit.

Labor Starts

Contractions started about 2 hours after the first dose. I had no idea what to expect but I had read when contractions start they come on slowly and build in strength and frequency. They did come on slowly but they were quite strong from the beginning and came very close together from the get-go. I definitely had a meltdown after about 2 hours and called the midwife in tears, her telling me it was normal and just the medication was so disheartening, I had two more doses to take and if the contractions continued after the last dose then I was in true labor. What I was experiencing was solely the medication contracting my uterus. I managed the pain by taking lots of baths and leaning over my yoga ball (I swear I took 10 baths over the span of my labor) as well as trying to sleep when I felt calm enough. By 7 pm contractions were very strong and labor had officially started, I called my mom at this point to head to vegas. Every woman needs or wants her mom at some point in labor and this was so true for me, my husband just wasn't who I wanted there at that moment. Don't get me wrong he did AMAZING taking care of me and helping me manage the pain but I just wanted my mama. 3 AM I thought my water broke. We called the midwife and my friend and then made our way to the house where the birthing pool was set up.

Midwife Arrives

The midwife arrived around 3:20 AM and to my disappointment informed me that I was at 4CM and I still had a while to go. As a Doula I really hate it when they say that to moms, it's so disheartening and unnecessary, there are so many other encouraging ways to phrase that. She left around 4 AM and told me to lay down and sleep...obviously, she has never gone through labor herself! There is no sleeping once things get intense, and keep in mind my contractions were about a minute and a half apart from the time they started the day before. I think that was the hardest part of it all, I had no time to really rest between them and I was exhausted.

Pushing

I spent the next three and a half hours in and out of the birth pool until I started pushing around 7:30 AM. We called the midwife again but she didn't think I was actually pushing so she wanted my husband to time the contractions again for an hour then call back. Thankfully after 15 minutes my mom called her and told her "get here now because I was pushing." She arrived at 8:15 and Braxton was born at 8:30, he was born sunny side up and sideways... and was not breathing.

Scary Moment

I was so exhausted that I was very out of it but I am told it was about 4-5 minutes he wasn't breathing. He would take little breaths but couldn't cry or get them out, the midwife started to blow puffs of air in his mouth while stimulating him but, with little change, she was ready to make the call to 911. Just as she was having my mom dial 911 and cutting the cord to get him out he took a big breath and started crying. The rest of the midwife team arrived shortly after that and everything was smooth sailing from there. He was a beautiful healthy little baby and has been the center of my world since.

Prepping For My Second Home Birth

This whole pregnancy has been a different experience from the start, not only did I have really bad prenatal depression, but I had terrible morning sickness and a toddler that I had to be functional for. I was able to have grace on myself though and let myself get through the hard times the best I could, the house wasn't perfect, and my toddler watched way too much TV and ate too many snacks but we got through it and he thought it was great! Once I was able to around 19-20 weeks we started walking every day. I also really worked on my diet and limited the sugar and carbs I was eating. Daily stretches were also a top priority this time to make sure I could handle the labor positions better and have more movement options. Becoming a Doula and learning how to help other pregnant moms has really made a difference in this pregnancy. Now let's just hope it all pays off in a couple of weeks when she makes her arrival, so I have a much better birth story to tell.

Prep Your Body and Your Mind

Prepping for home birth is so much more than just the supplies you need (which are listed below), it starts with prepping your body and mind. You don't have the pain management you do at a hospital so you have to be ready to handle it on your own with comfort measures and breathing. It also helps if you prep your body properly so that your uterus works more efficiently with each contraction. This means staying properly hydrated the whole pregnancy with water + electrolytes, and eating a balanced diet with lots of fruit, vegetables, and iron. (I have a post on my diet this pregnancy coming) In the final weeks from 34-36 weeks start drinking red raspberry leaf tea and eating dates every day. Both of these have amazing benefits on the uterus and cervix in prepping for labor. I also started practicing hypnobirthing around 30 weeks, which is just a form of labor meditation. All of these things combined with walking and stretching are resulting in a much more prepared momma for labor.

The Supplies

Birth Pool- Water births are just amazing and it's natures pain relief. So whether you rent one or buy your own... just get one!
Yoga Ball- An essential part of every pregnancy and can be one of the best tools for laboring. Not only is it better for pelvis alignment during pregnancy, but it also helps the baby engage in the pelvis better and provides some much-needed counterpressure during contractions.
Heating Pad- Great for Pregnancy aches and pains. Even better for postpartum pain!
Fairy Lights- It may seem silly but creating the perfect mood is an essential part of making your home birth a great experience and one of the ways to achieve this is with some soft fairy lights to create the perfect relaxing environment.
Black Out Curtains- Not essential but very helpful. I just used cardboard over the windows last time to get the blackout effect. Bright light and loud noises can really disrupt the headspace of a laboring mom so getting a dark quiet space ready is going to help you labor in peace so much better.
Sound Machine or Music- I'm a music girl, I had 3 different playlists prepared for the 3 possible moods I might be in. If music isn't your thing, think about a sound machine or something to block out the noises of the world. Some moms also use noise-canceling headphones.
Tarp- Having a tarp laid down under your birth pool is going to save your floors from any water as well as any mess as you are getting out afterward.
Plenty of Towels- I recommend at least 10 towels that you don't care if they get ruined. The midwives use them a lot for cleaning up you and the baby and laying on the floor so you don't slip if it's wet. My husband threw all the towels immediately in the wash after we were settled in bed and none of them were stained at all.
Chux pads- These are used for early labor, labor, and postpartum. In a home setting, you want to be able to labor where ever feels best so, if it's your couch you want to make sure nothing gets on it. I also use one in the weeks leading up to my due date in case my water breaks or something my bed is protected. Get at least 2 packs and keep the receipt in case you don't use them all.
Coconut Oil- This is great if you want your husband to massage you or if you need some perineal massage to help the baby come out and for the baby's butt! The first poops are very sticky so if you put a little coconut oil on before it happens it wipes right off!
Depends- I honestly hate the huge overnight pads they feel like a diaper but leak. So why not just wear the nice comfy diaper and be leak free! Plus the Always brand makes some pretty cute ones.
Electrolyte Drinks- Staying hydrated is one of the most important things during labor and the reason they hook you up to an IV right away in the hospital. Just drinking water doesn't always cut it though, you need electrolytes. My favorite is Mamas Labor Aide which I make at home, but Gatorade or Body Armors do just fine.
Protein Snacks- New studies show that it is very beneficial for moms in labor to eat small meals and snacks while in labor, so beneficial that it outweighs the risk of having food in your stomach in case of surgery. I recommend yogurts, cheese, and granola bars.

Your midwife will have their own list of supplies they recommend and most of these items will be on there, they will also provide you with your birth box at 36 weeks that has everything you would need for the delivery if they weren't able to make it before the baby. So you will be plenty prepared! The main thing is just to create your space, you want it to be your ultimate zen zone because birth and labor are very emotional and spiritual journeys that require moms to just let go and give in to it. You almost go to another place where you aren't really aware of what's going on around you. That is why the best comfort measure for labor is breathing slow and deep, you want to be able to almost meditate through it. Is labor hard? Yes. Is it the most painful experience you will ever go through? That depends on how your headspace is when you go through it. Have you ever heard some moms say they love having babies? Those moms probably had a great experience because they prepped and practiced, it doesn't mean it wasn't hard or painful they just knew how to manage the pain. You got this mama! If you are still doubting yourself and feel totally unprepared that's normal but also a great opportunity to look into a Doula. Doulas offer emotional and physical support to help keep you calm and in the right zone. We also have some amazing tricks up our sleeves to provide comfort during the contractions!