Home Birth Supply List - What Do You Need?

If you've decided on a home birth and are working on gathering supplies, here's a home birth supply list with things I found necessary when I had my two babies at home.

Photos courtesy of Peace Love Babies | Twin Cities, St. Cloud birth, newborn, family photography

Home Birth Supply List

1. Towels: You'll need lots and lots of towels! Once baby is born you'll want to wrap them up and keep them warm. We had water births, so we used 4-6 towels between the birthing pool and then moving into bed. Most midwives will suggest using old or dark colored towels (meconium is messy!) but we found that everything washed out!

2. Hydrogen Peroxide: We used Hydrogen Peroxide in our laundry right after both births, and all of our laundry came out perfectly clean. That's saying something considering the towels and clothes had blood and meconium on them!

3. Chux Pads: These are those blue underpads that soak up essentially everything. I always jokingly called them my puppy training pads because that's what they reminded me of. These are great to have as a precautionary item under your sheets in case your water breaks in bed, under you while you labor (when your water breaks on your dining room floor, it's a mess-trust me!), and after birth. I used mine for about 2 weeks while my tear healed instead of

trying to wear underwear.

4. Bulb Aspirator: Sometimes an aspirator is used to clear out babies noses and mouths after labor. Neither of my kiddos needed to be aspirated, but it was great to have it on hand in case we needed it. I was also able to use it when they got older and had runny noses.

5. Birthing Pool: Your birth attendant may have a pool included in their fee, but if they don't and you are considering a water birth, you'll want to purchase one. For my first home birth, I used this kiddie pool from Amazon and it worked great. It has an inflatable bottom so it wasn't uncomfortable to kneel in. Since it was around $30, we were fine with throwing it away after the birth.

6. Garden Hose: If you have a water birth, you'll want a hose to fill and drain the pool. It's MUCH simpler and faster than filling buckets. You can purchase an attachment at a hardware store so you can hook your hose up to your kitchen or bathroom sink, and your midwife will usually have a pump to drain the pool straight into the toilet after the birth. If they don't have one, you can purchase a fish tank drain pump to empty the pool.

7. Camera: If you want to document your birth, you'll need to have a camera available. Make sure it's charged leading up to the birth. Or you can hire a birth photographer, which is what I'd totally recommend! Even so, it's nice to have a camera around because if you're like me you'll want to have a million photos of baby!

8. Foot printer: Baby footprints are a big deal to me, because I think baby feet are the sweetest. They grow so fast. I got a picture frame for both of my kids and did prints of their hands and feet at birth, then added a photo later. You can buy this one on Amazon, but if you search for "baby footprint kit" there are many options available.

9. Peri bottle: You will definitely want one of these! A peri bottle is simply a squeeze bottle that you fill with warm water in to rinse your sensitive bottom when you use the bathroom for the first couple weeks after baby is born. You can also put brewed herbs in it to aid with healing, especially if you have a tear.

I hope this home birth supply list helps you gather some supplies for your home birth! Are there things I missed that you find necessary? Let me know in the comments!

Check out our other Home Birth / Natural Labor Posts:

Home birth: Is it right for you?

You want a home birth, now what?

Home birth: questions to ask your midwife.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional, but after personal research and two home births, these are some items I think are necessary for most home births. This information, including text, images, and links are for information purposes only and is based on my (Amber) personal experience. This post is NOT intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any kind. Always seek the advice of your physician or health care provider with any questions you may have regarding your healthcare, diagnosis, interventions, or treatments. I am not a medical professional and I was under the direct care of wonderful midwives for both of my pregnancies. They monitored me to make sure I did not become high-risk and that home birth was a safe option for me. Amazon links are affiliate links and contribute to the cost of maintaining this site.