What we supply

Your midwives will bring to your home all of the supplies that a small community hospital would have in a birthing room to support and monitor your labour, deliver your baby, and ensure your and baby’s health and safety after the birth.

What you supply

Please gather the following items when you are 37 weeks pregnant:

• 2 standard garbage bags (one for laundry, and one for garbage)
• 4-8 old washcloths or old towel cut into washcloth size pieces (for hot compresses or gentle cleaning)
• 2 old towels (for the initial drying of baby)
• 4-8 receiving blankets (to cover baby when you are skin-to-skin or wrap baby) • Bowl and 2 plastic grocery bags or one freezer bag (to put the placenta in after the birth)
• Sanitary napkins (large ones for the first day of heavier bleeding, and regular ones thereafter)
• Paper towels (a few will do – we don’t need a new roll – for our birth instruments)
• Thermometer (for taking baby’s temperature)

Bed preparation

This can be done in early labour. Please note that you don’t have to give birth in your bed..

Cover your mattress with a plastic sheet (drop cloth, picnic table cover, shower curtain, etc) and a good fitted sheet. Cover the good fitted sheet with another plastic sheet and an old fitted sheet that you care less about.

After the birth, when you get up to use the washroom, we remove the old sheet and top layer of plastic, and tuck you into your clean bed with your baby.
The hard work is done.

Cuddle your baby!