Comfort Supplies for Homebirth and Waterbirth
Additional Necessities for Birthing at Home or Birthing in Water
In addition to the basic home birth supplies needed, moms having their babies at home will need to prepare for their comfort during labor. Water births require some extra supplies in addition to the tub. Nutritious food and drink options need to be available. Some tools to cope with the discomfort of labor will also need to be considered.
Water Birth Supplies
Preparing for a water birth is not much different from preparing for a regular home birth. In fact, many women who did not plan to give birth in water often end up doing so because they simply did not want to get out of the tub.
If a water birth at home is planned, it is a good idea to secure the tub ahead of time. Birthing tubs can be bought or rented, or a large soaker tub in the home can be used. For a less expensive option, a relatively deep inflatable child’s pool can serve for a home birth. For the mother’s comfort, the depth of the pool should allow her to be in water over her belly when in a sitting position.
For portable tubs, homebirthers will need a large plastic dropcloth to go under the tub, extra towels, and a medium-sized fishnet (to remove floating particles). A gallon of bleach should also be purchased for cleaning of the tub after the birth. If the pool is inflatable, inflate a week or so beforehand, or at the very least ensure that the air pump works and has new batteries.
Food and Drink for Home Birth
Giving birth is hard work, and the body needs nutritious foods and fluids to maintain energy levels and give a woman strength. Easy, mild foods are recommended, although a woman can eat whatever she feels like eating during labor. Some suggestions for foods to keep on hand for the birth include: yogurt, bread, cheese, crackers, fruit, soup, meal replacement drinks, and frozen juice bars. Juice, water, and electrolyte-replacement drinks, such as Gatorade, are also good to have on hand.
Don’t forget that births can be long, and the midwives and support people will need to eat, too. Have some lunch meat, frozen meals and drinks on hand to keep the birth team fed and hydrated as well as the laboring mom.
Comfort Supplies for Home Birth
It’s hard to tell what kind of comfort measures will come in handy during a birth. A doula will often pack a “bag of tricks” including items such as rice packs that can be heated for warm compresses, frozen or cold compresses, massagers, relaxing music, scented oils or candles, and a large exercise ball. An excellent resource for preparing to cope with a medication-free labor (for both mother and birth companion) is The Birth Partner, by Penny Simkin, P.T.
Being prepared for a home birth or water birth at home can help reduce stress levels in the final weeks of pregnancy, gives the mother something to do if the pregnancy drags on, and also helps mothers-to-be to get excited about the end of one stage of motherhood and the beginning of the next.
Rebecca Trotsky Greets Her New Son, Born at Home
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