Home Birth Supplies

Home birth supplies checklist for a mom planning a home birth. If you’re preparing for a home birth, your midwife probably gave you a list of supplies to gather for your birth kit. Here are the basic items you’ll need, along with some of my favorites.

As a mom of five who has had five home births, I’ve got plenty of experience putting together a homebirth kit. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things to do in preparation for a new baby!

Home Birth Supplies

The photo below is a photo of my actual birth kit for baby number five. I remember this box coming in the mail like it was yesterday. I still remember the amazing herbal smell. To this day, the scent of lavender reminds me of my births and my babies. So many happy memories.

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But back to the birth kit supplies! Here are my must-have items:

Two Sets of Sheets

I had a set of sheets that were just for birth, and they were a burgundy color so they wouldn’t show anything that might get on them. I would buy second-hand sheets at the thrift store for this since you won’t want to use your nice ones.

Waterproof Mattress Protection

You can either use an actual waterproof mattress cover or a plastic shower curtain. You just need some sort of mattress protection for your bed.

Towels and Wash Cloths

You’ll need around 6 of these, both regular-sized and hand towels. And also several wash cloths. I always used second-hand or older towels I didn’t care about getting dirty.

Cozy Blanket

While you’re at the thrift shop looking for towels and sheets, you might also want to find a blanket you can cover up with during labor or after the birth.

Large Chux Pads

Thanks to these awesome pads, my birth sheets stayed nice and clean! These are great for protecting the bed before, during, and after the birth.

Birth Ball

I used one of these for labor, and it’s also great to sit on during the weeks leading up to labor.

Birth Pool

If you’re planning a home water birth, you’ll want to have a birth pool. We never lived in a house large enough to fit the birth pool in a private place, so I didn’t use this.

However, from everything I’ve heard, read, and seen about water birth, it’s definitely the way to go if possible! If you’re like me and you don’t have room for the pool, laboring in the bathtub is the next best choice (and I found it to be so soothing during my second baby’s posterior labor).

Essential Oils

Essential oils for birth are a wonderful thing to have on hand. I particularly loved lavender to promote relaxation. During my second birth, I spent hours in a bath laced with lavender essential oil and surrounded by candles. It was lovely and beautiful. Be sure to include an essential oil diffuser in your birth kit too.

Candles

I also liked to keep candles on-hand. For all five of my births, I preferred to be in semi-darkness during labor. Candles help create a peaceful and special atmosphere.

Snacks and Drinks

Staying nourished and well-hydrated is so important during labor! Be sure to choose food and drink that will give you energy in a healthful and natural way. Some great choices for snacks would be string cheese, energy balls, eggs, nuts and seeds, and trail mix. For drinks, consider red raspberry leaf tea, vitamin water, coconut water, and smoothies.

Almond Oil

This is great to have for massage.

Hydrogen Peroxide

My midwives were the ones who taught me the super-useful trick of cleaning up blood with hydrogen peroxide. It works better than anything else!

Receiving Blankets

I liked to have lots of these ready for use that first week.

Bulb Syringe

My midwives always had one of these on the birth kit list.

Baby Hats

This set comes with mittens.

Baby Outfit

I always preferred baby gowns for my newborns. They just seemed so much more practical and they were great for diaper changes. This one by Burt’s Bees is so adorable and made of organic cotton.

Disposable Diapers

We used these for the first week before switching to cloth diapers.

Postpartum Sitz Bath Herbs

My midwives always prepared this soothing herbal sitz bath for after the birth.

Postpartum Mesh Panty

Loved these.

Perineal Cold Pads

I didn’t even know I needed these with my first birth. After my second birth, my midwife had this in my birth kit, and it was such relief! I considered these a must-have for every birth after that.

You probably won’t need this whole package, so go in with a friend on these if possible. But they’re so worth it in my opinion!

Herbal Perineal Spray

This is a must-have!

Peri Bottles

My midwives always had peri bottles like these on the birth kit list. They’re great for that first week when everything is sore.

Large Overnight Pads

First, I used these, and then as time went on, I switched to overnight pads.

Lansinoh

This is a life-saver for those first days of breastfeeding.

Herbal Tea

I always made sure to get Mother’s Milk Tea and Red Raspberry Leaf Tea before each birth.

Pain Relievers

After my first birth, the after-birth pains were minimal. But with each successive birth, they seemed to get more difficult to handle naturally. I made sure to have Ibuprofen and even Aleve on-hand for later births.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure here. Sharing here. Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, and I’m not giving medical advice. I’m simply sharing my personal experience and opinions. Be sure to check with your doctor or midwife on any health-related concerns.