Your Home Birth Checklist — Supplies, Plan, and Logistics

Having everything ready before labour starts means one less thing to think about when it matters. This isn’t a shopping list for its own sake — every item here serves a purpose, and nothing on it is complicated to source. Get it sorted by 36 weeks and then forget about it.

The pool kit

If you’re renting from us, this arrives with everything included: the birthpool, electric pump, hose with tap adapter, disposable liner, drain pump and drain hose, floating thermometer, and sieve. Check the kit when it arrives and do your practice run well before your due date — see our setup guide for the details.

For the birth room

Waterproof sheets or tarpaulins go under and around the pool to protect the floor. Old towels around the base catch splashes. A non-slip mat beside the pool gives safe footing getting in and out. Bin bags handle the liner after birth and general waste. Have at least four or five large warm towels ready for after the birth, plus warm blankets.

A stool or birth ball is useful for early labour before you get in the pool. And think about your midwife: she needs a clear surface for her equipment, good lighting available if she needs it (an angle-poise lamp, not the main room light), and access to a plug socket.

For you

Drinks — you’ll need to stay hydrated through what could be a long day. Isotonic drinks, water, juice. A straw cup you can use from inside the pool without having to reach.

Snacks — high-energy, easy to eat. Dates, bananas, cereal bars, toast. Your body is doing hard physical work and needs fuel. Your birth partner will offer these to you; you won’t think to ask.

Lip balm — lips dry out from breathing techniques. It’s a small thing that makes a real difference.

Hair ties, a dark-coloured old nightdress or bikini top if you want one (many women prefer to be naked in the pool), and maternity pads for after the birth.

Find out about renting a birth pool for your home water birth

For the baby

Newborn nappies, baby clothes and a hat, blankets, and towels for drying. Nothing elaborate — your baby needs to be warm, dry, and close to you. That’s the priority for the first hours.

For the midwife

Tea, coffee, and snacks. She may be at your home for many hours. Looking after the person who’s looking after you is a small gesture that matters.

Your birth plan

Write it in the third trimester, after you’ve done your research, attended classes, and talked things through with your midwife. Keep it to one page — bullet points, clear preferences. Cover where you want to give birth, who’ll be there, pain relief preferences, positions you want to try, whether you want a physiological or managed third stage, delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin, feeding intentions, and any cultural or personal wishes.

Share it with your midwife at around 36 weeks. This is a conversation, not a handoff — she may flag things to discuss or options you weren’t aware of. If more than one midwife might attend your birth, make sure all of them have seen it. Your birth partner should know it well enough to advocate for you during labour.

Bring a printed copy on the day. Don’t assume anyone has memorised it.

The hospital bag

Yes, even for a home birth. Pack it by 36 weeks and leave it by the front door.

Roughly 12% of second-time mothers and 45% of first-time mothers planning a home birth will transfer to hospital during labour. Most transfers are non-emergency, and there’s time to grab a bag. Having one ready removes a decision from a stressful moment.

Pack your maternity notes, birth plan, a nightdress or old t-shirt, dressing gown and slippers, maternity pads, toiletries, phone charger, snacks, going-home clothes for you and the baby, newborn nappies, a vest, sleepsuit, hat, and blanket. Make sure the car seat is installed in the car.

Packing a hospital bag isn’t a concession — it’s preparation for all outcomes. That’s exactly the mindset that supports a confident home birth.