Checklist: What to Pack in Your Birth Center Bag
Full disclosure . . . I LOVE a good list. I have notepads all around my home listing everything from books I want to read to goals I want to smash, groceries I need to buy and questions to ask at our next pediatrician appointment. Lists on lists on lists is this “type A” mommy’s love language. So when we found out we were expecting baby number three and made the decision to pursue an entirely new birth experience at a private birth center, I immediately went on the hunt for a Birth Center Bag Checklist!
I was SO surprised when Pinterest turned up virtually nothing! There were countless hospital bag checklists but the resources were extremely minimal for Birth Center births. Our birth center is fully equipped with most everything you’d expect to see in a labor and delivery room, but in a more comfortable and natural environment. Much like the hospital they provide any supplies and medical equipment needed for delivery in their facility. Unlike a hospital birth however, we will be bringing home baby just 4 to 6 hours after the birth, and because of that there are a few comforts from our previous two hospital births that I would like to replicate at home postpartum. I am a creature of habit, what can I say? Ha!
This is where our Birth Center Checklist comes in! I’ve put together a resource guide that I hope will provide a good starting point for mommies much like myself who are gearing up for a birth center birth. Whether it’s your first or fourth baby you can never be too prepared, so I have broken down our list into three sections. First, labor essentials: items for you and your partner that may enhance your birthing experience or make you more comfortable during labor. Second, baby’s essentials: a minimal list of what you’ll need to bring baby home. Lastly, and probably most importantly are the postpartum at home essentials: items that you will need as you transition back to your home for the postpartum period. Now let’s get started!
Labor Essentials
- The bag
- Birthing gown
- Nursing bra or tank
- Hair ties and a headband
- Toiletry bag with makeup removing wipes
- Comfortable flip-flops and non-skid socks
- Swim top for mom & trunks for partner
- Change of clothes for mommy & partner for going home
- Quick, healthy snacks and drinks
- A great playlist and a bluetooth speaker
- Oil for massage
- Phone & charger
- Camera
Baby Essentials
- Stocked diaper bag
- Baby’s coming home outfit
- Swaddle blanket
- Newborn scratch mittens
- Nursing pillow
- Infant carseat installed
Postpartum Essentials
- Organic sitz bath spray & soak
- Organic nipple balm
- Reusable/washable bed pad
- Perineal cleansing bottle
- Dermoplast spray
- Tucks medicated cooling pads
- Perineal cold packs
- Organic maternity pads
- Mesh disposable post-delivery panties
Your baby’s birth is bound to be a unique and memorable experience, and we hope that this Birth Center Bag Checklist aids in your preparations for what is bound to be the best day of your life! For additional tips for any type of birth from drug free to C-section please be sure to check out our incredibly in depth “Birth Tips” page!
There you will find countless posts on everything you need to know for your upcoming labor and delivery!