Yesterday I wrote up a general list of what is in the typical birth kit for a homebirth and I mentioned that I would share what I have or am preparing to have in mine. Because I am a #midwife, I will have some things in my own kit that would be more like some of the things that would be provided by a midwife and not gathered around by the birthing family.
Basics & Consumables in My Personal Homebirth Kit
Underpads — a good stash of disposable & reusable ones for various things
Large Plastic Sheets/Flannel Backed Vinyl Table Clothes/Shower Curtains — for covering floor under birth pool & covering futon mattress near pool
Umbilical Ties — beautiful little pieces of art to tie off the cord
Extra Towels & Receiving Blankets — for in & out of the pool action, as well as right after birth for both baby & I
Absorbent Cold Pads & Mesh Undies — to ice down my vulva for the first day postpartum if needed!
Witch Hazel — for cleaning around umbilical stump & for use in peri bottle
Peri Bottle — for cleaning up after going to the bathroom
OTC Pain Meds — Extra Strength Tylenol (500mg) and #Arnica (200C)
#Placenta Bowl — it’s got to hang out somewhere after it’s birthed, right?!
Birth Pool & Liner — for labouring in & probably, ultimately to give birth in
Water Hose & Pump — for filing & draining pool
Midwife-ishy Supplies
Hemostats & Umbilical Scissors — for aiding in tying & cutting cord
Herbs — Wombstringe, HemHalt, Placenta Out, & Motherwort tinctures
Bulb Syringe — just in case it’s needed
Fetoscope & Doppler — in case I feel the need to check in on baby’s heart tones
Non-Latex Gloves — in case someone else present needs to do some dirty work (I am allergic to Latex)
Comfort Things & Immediate Postpartum Items
Essential Oils — Patchouli, Frankincense, & Clary Sage
Space Heater — expecting a January baby in a house that was built in 1906!
Labour Tea — RRL, Alfalfa, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, Spikenard, & Motherwort
Emergen-C & Raw Honey — for vitamins & sugar if eating is undesirable
Sweetgrass Emporium’s Iron + Herbs Syrup — for my postpartum iron boost
Music — I might publish my playlist in the future. You can find it here
Birth Art & Birth Altar — friends/family & folks attending my baby shower are contributing meaningful items to my birth altar, which will be in the room I am planning to give birth in
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