What to Have Ready Before Your Baby Comes
Somewhere around thirty-five weeks, most women get an urge to scrub something.
It arrives without warning and it is usually pointed at the wrong target. Cabinets get reorganized. Closets get emptied onto the floor. Meanwhile the actual list of what a home birth requires is short, mostly unglamorous, and available at any grocery store.
Here it is, so you can spend that energy on the right things.
Gather it by your thirty-seven week visit
Thirty-seven weeks is when we go on call for you, and it is a good deadline for the same reason. After that point, labor could begin any day, and you do not want to be sending your partner out for chux pads at two in the morning.
Most of this is inexpensive. A fair amount of it you already own.
Put it all in one place once you have it. A tote, a laundry basket, or a tiered rolling cart all work well. Your midwife should be able to find everything without opening four cabinets, and you should not be directing traffic from the bed.
The supply list
Linens and towels: Two sets of sheets. Six to ten bath towels. Four to six hand towels. Four to six washcloths.
Protecting the bed: A waterproof mattress encasement, on the bed by thirty-seven weeks. Turn it inside out so the slick side faces up, and put it directly onto the mattress as your innermost layer. That gives you a surface that simply wipes clean.
A second waterproof layer, which can be a mattress topper protector, a shower curtain liner, or anything similar. Ten to twelve large disposable underpads, sometimes sold as puppy pads. Disposable or reusable chux pads, and splurge on good ones. This is the item families economize on and regret, because a thin chux pad slides, bunches, and soaks through at he worst possible moment.
For you afterward: disposable period underwear, reusable period underwear, or large maxi pads. A peri bottle. Arnica, AfterEase, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, whichever of these you want on hand.
For your baby: Newborn diapers and baby wipes. That is genuinely the whole list. Babies do not need much in the first days. A diaper and a boob.
Comfort measures: Whatever you desire. A comb to grip. Essential oils. Massage oil or magnesium lotion. A music playlist. Affirmation cards. A heating pad. Ice packs. A handheld fan. Lamps or string lights for soft lighting.
Cleanup: Three large trash bags. Three gallon-sized ziplock bags. Hydrogen peroxide. Tub cleaner, ideally one containing bleach. A sponge. Laundry detergent.
If you are using a birth tub: A drinking-grade water hose and faucet adapter. An extension cord. Plastic floor covering, which you want anyway if the room is carpeted. A bath pillow or cushion if you plan to use your own bathtub.
How to make the bed, which is worth doing properly
This is the single most useful thing on this page, and almost nobody knows it.
Starting at thirty-seven weeks, keep a waterproof encasement on the mattress. Then, once labor begins, your support person builds the bed in layers:
1. The waterproof encasement, already in place, slick side up
2. A fitted sheet
3. A second waterproof layer
4. Another fitted sheet
5. Chux pads on top for the birth
The reason is simple and lovely. After your baby is born, the top two layers come off in one motion, and underneath is a clean, dry, made bed waiting for you. No one is changing sheets around a woman who just gave birth. You move a few feet, lie down, and it is done.
Give your partner this job. It is concrete, it matters, and it gives him something to do while early labor stretches on.
The herbal bath
Before we leave you, we draw an herbal bath and the two of you get in together. It is one of the older practices in midwifery and one of the loveliest, and it is often the first moment a mother feels like herself again.
Here is the part worth knowing in advance: do not throw the tea bags away. They can be brewed a second time and the liquid added to your peri bottle for the days that follow. Same herbs, same benefit, nothing wasted.
A note on ice, since it is what most people expect. We do not routinely recommend it for the perineum afterward, because cold reduces blood flow to tissue that is working to heal. If you have significant swelling that is a different conversation and we will have it with you. Otherwise, warmth and that peri bottle do more good.
Food and drink
Have things available that sound appealing and are easy to digest. Fruit or honey sticks. Granola bars. Beef jerky and cheese sticks. Applesauce or yogurt. Eggs and toast. Nut butters.
For hydration, juice, electrolyte drinks, coconut water, bone broth, or herbal tea.
It is also worth preparing something nourishing for after the birth, ideally with protein in it. You will be hungrier than you expect.
And a small selection of simple snacks for your birth team is always appreciated. Nobody requires it. Everybody remembers it.
Your home in the last few weeks
None of this needs to be perfect. A calm, prepared space simply means your care team can put their attention on you rather than on hunting for an outlet.
The birth space. Clean, uncluttered, and comfortable, whether that is your bedroom, your living room, or both. Floors clear enough for equipment and movement. Fresh linens available. Bathroom clean and stocked. Laundry caught up. Trash bins emptied and lined. Lighting you can soften. A comfortable postpartum spot ready with clean sheets, water, and snacks nearby.
Pets. A plan for any animal who may need separating during labor. Litter boxes and crates cleaned and moved away from the birth space. Pet hair minimized in the area. If your dog needs a walker or a sitter, arrange it now rather than during labor.
Older children. A designated caregiver arranged, even if you plan for them to be present. Snacks, activities, and comfort items ready. If they will be at the birth, prepare them gently for what they might see and hear.
Final touches. Clear directions to your home, including gate codes, parking, and which door to use. Your midwife’s number saved somewhere easy to find. Clean, comfortable clothes set aside for afterward. Your infant car seat installed. A phone or camera charged if you want photos.
What you do not need
You do not need a finished nursery. Your baby will sleep near you for months. You do not need to deep clean your house. We are not inspecting anything. We have attended births in homes mid-renovation, homes with three dogs, and homes where the laundry was very much not caught up.
You do not need everything on this list to be new, matching, or organized into labeled bins.
The nesting urge is real and it is worth following, but do not let it convince you that your home has to be impressive. It has to be yours, and it has to have towels.
Where to start
If you are earlier in pregnancy and still deciding whether home birth is right for your family, the next step is a consultation. We meet face to face, review your health history, talk through your hopes for birth, and decide together whether this is a good fit.
Because we take around four births a month, availability can fill quickly.
To schedule, call or text 806-281-7725, visit our contact page, or email maltamidwifery@gmail.com.
