×

Select Your Language

  • LANGUAGE

Private MidwivesPrivate Midwives

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Outcomes & Results
    • Charity Work
    • Insurance and Reassurance
  • What We Do
    • Antenatal & Postnatal
      • Antental Care
      • Birth Plans
      • Postnatal Midwifery
    • Birth Choices
      • Home Births
      • Hospital Births
      • Cord Blood Banking
    • Republic of Ireland Midwives
      • Our services in Republic of Ireland
      • Home Births in Ireland
    • International Clients
      • Information for International Clients
      • Our Services for International Clients
  • Meet The Team
  • Prices
  • Work With Us
    • Work With Us As A Midwife
    • Work With Us – NHS Trusts
  • Parents Area
    • Resource Library & Guides
      • Resource Library
      • Videos & Guides
    • Testimonials & FAQ’s
      • Testimonials
      • F.A.Q’s
      • Covid Information
    • Pregnancy Information
      • Pregnancy Calculator
      • Pregnancy by Trimester
    • Blog Articles
      • Blog
  • Contact Us

What is in a Midwife’s Home Birth Kit?

by Jo Watson / Monday, 18 November 2013 / Published in Uncategorized

I have been an Independent midwife for 8 years and have noticed that there are many things I view as essentials to my home birth kit that were absent. I am not talking about the standard equipment sonic aid, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope, thermometer, sterile gloves, etc.

No these are the idiosyncratic things that have made women’s birth and my life far better over the years!

Essentials for me are deodorant, clean knickers, socks and toothbrush especially if it’s a first baby I can be away from home for days!

A bag of food; things like nuts and dates that don’t need refrigeration are ideal  if I need sustenance but I always suggest the client gets a jar of honey in for her own use as it is a great energy booster.

Love is needed in abundance at all births and I usually set that up along with the birth beads in a prominent place. Each bead has been threaded on to represent the babies I seen safely born into their Mothers arms.

Massage is a vital part of my birth support and this can be carried out with various tools including tennis balls but most importantly I bring my skills of creative healing massage and the use of luscious essential oils to help sooth your birth.

Rescue remedy is ever present as is the homeopathic 18 remedies for childbirth these are able to reduce nausea help relieve pain and anxiety as well as birth a placenta.

Gentle birth music to help create the right birth ambiance, sounds of waves, dolphins, chanting all bases need covering as each woman is different but sounds are evocative and help a women meditate and deeply relax.

Bendy straws will allow access to a drink no matter what position the Mum ends up in! This gets me on to the subject of food and drink for birth. Raspberry leaf tea is a great tonic and if served with a teaspoon of honey will inject energy. Pop some grapes in the freezer as these are both refreshing and nourishing. Some of those “vitamin and mineral complex” packs which you dissolve in water – they are great if a woman flags during the second / third stage.

A torch for me to see my notes as so often the lights are dimmed to encourage  oxytocin to flow .I tuck a  “Howe’s Mirror”  in to my birth kit for use in the birth pool to see the baby’s arrival.

My Rebozo shawl accompanies me to all births to allow me to “shake out the apples” Do “sifting massage” as well as bilateral hip squeezes. The shawl can be knotted and thrown over a door that is then closed to create a birth rope so many uses for one amazing length of woven cloth.

I encourage the Mums to get a collection of hand towels, bath towels and baby towels and always set the baby’s first blankets to be warmed along with a hat that is lovingly knitted by my Mother in law for the new arrivals.

I bring Inco- sheets to the birth but have also used thick bin liners with a towel on top. The same sturdy bin bags can be folded and used to line the toilet if women are pushing on it in third stage it saves fishing around   the “U” bend for the afterbirth! Mums will often have acquired a washable plastic tablecloth with fabric backing to protect their carpet, it is much less slippy than plastic sheets!

I have  discovered that instead of old big knickers to hold maternity pads in place, or the rather uncomfortable disposable paper knickers, Tena Ladies disposable pants are great and do not leak!

I bring a birth stool along with me, it was made in the Amish community of America and has been wonderfully crafted out of pine. It is versatile for birth purposes and extremely sturdy, lending itself perfectly for the physiological delivery of the placenta.

In short my birth kit is less “shiny metal” and more crafted birth artistry!

  • Tweet

About Jo Watson

What you can read next

Breast Feeding
Instinctual Birth
Alternative therapies provided by UK Birth Centres Ltd

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About Us

At Private Midwives we love to keep you up to date with the latest help and guides for Mums in our blog area - if you do have any questions for us please feel free to call us on 0800 3800 579

Recent Posts

  • Independent Midwife Of The Year – Winner

    MAMA Academy Awards – Independent Midwife...
  • WINNER – Gamechangers Progress Champion Award for Race & Cultural Equalities

    Gamechangers Progress Champion Award for Race &...
  • HOW TEA CAN SUPPORT YOU IN THE BUILD UP TO LABOUR

    TEA FOR THE THIRD & FOURTH TRIMESTER OF PRE...
  • Routine Screening Tests in Pregnancy

    Most people believe that blood tests are a stan...
  • Hypnobirthing & Home Birth Testimonial

    One of our private midwives, Melanie Ambrose ha...

Recent Comments

  • NOT ENOUGH MIDWIFE MINUTES FOR PREGNANT UK MUMS | Mid Surrey on 2018 UK Maternity Report
  • NOT ENOUGH MIDWIFE MINUTES FOR PREGNANT UK MUMS | Crawley and Horsham on 2018 UK Maternity Report
  • National Midwife Shortage Leaves New Mums Feeling ‘Under-supported’ - Baby Magazine on 2018 UK Maternity Report
  • Why You Shouldn't Ask The Internet For Pregnancy Advice - Mumfidential on 2018 UK Maternity Report
  • Lorena L on Due dates

Archives

  • November 2022
  • March 2022
  • August 2021
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • March 2018
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • September 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013

Have any questions? - Contact us

UK: 0800 3800 579

ROI: 1800 937 119

About Us:
About Private Midwives
FAQs
Insurance & Reassurance
Testimonials
Privacy & Cookie Policy
How To Make A Complaint

Telephone:
UK: 0800 3800 579
R.O.I 1800 937 119

Email:
info@privatemidwives.com

Copyright © 2021 Private Midwives
The Heath Business Centre, Runcorn, WA7 4QX
Website development by Arise Media

Copyright © 2021 Private Midwives
The Heath Business Centre,
Runcorn, WA7 4QX
Website development by Arise Media

TOP
Loading...