supplies

[Aliy]

Okay my midwife gave me a list but what do you consider nesscary...

and what would you consider extra fluff?

[littlethingstx]

I have been wondering the same thing.... due in March, also.

[averlee]

Every single item in my birth kit was used, down to the very last alcohol prep pad and glove. Don't skimp there- your midwives have a pretty good idea of what they will need.

Things I gathered and purchased that were essential included a puke/placenta bucket, bed protection, flashlights & batteries, tons of washcloths & towels, etc.

Things not on the midwives list that I thought I'd need, and did, included:  sweat pants and swim shorts for my husband (His jeans were scratchy when I clung to him, and he didn't want to be naked in the tub with me around the midwives), hair ties for myself and the midwives, ibuprofen for afterward.

Things I didn't use, but were good suggestions, were socks and a hand mirror. 

[Youngfrankenstein]

We had lots of stuff left over.  I got the exact kit my mw wanted and added some things on my own.  I know I didn't use many of the gloves, mirror, flashlight, Emergen-C.

I wouldn't second guess the mw's requests.  If you are strapped for cash or something, I think you should talk to her and ask her the bare-bones list.  I couldn't always guess why she wanted what she wanted.  For example, she had a tube of K-Y-type jelly on there and I'd assumed it was for vaginal exams.  I never had one so it was never used.  Later when I talked to her, she was including it in the kit to help with PP sex.  She just never said it specifically.

[LittleBirdy]

I used just about everything my MW's suggested, and the things I didn't use I'm still glad I had, namely:

A desklamp with a bendable arm (they requested this in case they needed to stitch me and it was night time... if someone is suturing that sensitive of an area I DEFINITELY want them the be able to see what they are doing!  They didn't specify that it had to be a desk lamp, just that it was some sort of light that was bright and they didn't have to hold.  We didn't happen to have one so I bought the desk lamp and now... we have a nice desk lamp )  Could have certainly borrowed one from someone else though and saved the $$.

Heating pad/hot water bottle:  this was to warm baby's clothes.  It ended up being 80 degrees when DS was born so there was no need, but I live in an area prone to cold snaps even in the summer, so I wouldn't have skipped this... plus again, I could have borrowed one but instead chose to buy my own.

I do remember having a couple of chux pads left over, but not many and they are relatively inexpensive anyway.

Oh and PP's mention of ibuprofen for after... YES.  This was not on the list, I ended up having a long & difficult labor and had to send SIL out for some...

[dex_millie]

I can't remember what was used and what was not...but my midwife has a birth kit(with chux pads, lubricating stuff, gloves, pads, squeeze bottle, ect..) we order and then have extra items on a list for us to get like

Flashlight

Trash bag

freezer bag(for placenta)

heating pad

bowl (placenta and throw up)

recieving blankets

wash cloths

ammonia

hydrogyen peroxide

(might have one or two more)

for after labor they suggest

the afterease tinture

liquid calcium

ibprophen

I think everything is good to have, like I said I don't every realize when certain things are getting used. I know I usually have chux pads left over.

[Meganlove]

We used everything. But I had a very long labor with my water broke so I need everything. 

Lets see I had

trash bags (black so that you can't see the blood.) 

2 bowls 

bendy straws and Emergen-C 

plastic drop cloths I used one on the bed and one on the floor in the living room. 

white wash cloths so they could see the amount of blood so they knew if I lost too much. 

hydrogyen peroxide gets blood out of anything

peri bottle helped with after birth peeing :)

hat for baby

blankets for baby

chucks pads

large pads

I know there was other stuff but I can't remember right now. :)

[Aliy]

i think most of this sound what we have gotten. thanks...

[crunchymama214]

My MW gave us a list of supplies that they 'suggested', but did not push any certain supplies on me. I bought a large package of chux pads at Walmart on sale for $3 when I first found out I was pregnant (they were on clearance...score!), but everything else I picked out myself and bought either from local stores or at InHisHands online. I put together my own 'birth kit' though, I didn't order a premade one. 

Here's what we actually used...

- trash bags

-chux pads (one bag worked fine for us, and in fact we still have a few left over)

- cord ring (the mw's had clamps, but I don't like those)

- birth pool and small fish net

- towels of course

- washcloths

- peroxide (I bought a large bottle at Walmart for $1. Glad I bought the big size as they used it to remove blood from everything)

- colander

- peri bottle (I really love this thing, though in the past I have just used empty squirt water bottles, but the actual peri bottle is great)

- thick heavy pads for pp bleeding

And that was seriously it. We had the equipment for the birth pool (sump pump, new water-drinking safe hose and bucket for 'waste') and of course a hat and receiving blanket for baby after getting out of the pool, but that was all we actually supplied. It really doesn't take much that the midwives don't already come with. 

[littlethingstx]

Originally Posted by crunchymama214 

My MW gave us a list of supplies that they 'suggested', but did not push any certain supplies on me. I bought a large package of chux pads at Walmart on sale for $3 when I first found out I was pregnant (they were on clearance...score!), but everything else I picked out myself and bought either from local stores or at InHisHands online. I put together my own 'birth kit' though, I didn't order a premade one. 

Here's what we actually used...

- trash bags

-chux pads (one bag worked fine for us, and in fact we still have a few left over)

- cord ring (the mw's had clamps, but I don't like those)

- birth pool and small fish net

- towels of course

- washcloths

- peroxide (I bought a large bottle at Walmart for $1. Glad I bought the big size as they used it to remove blood from everything)

- colander

- peri bottle (I really love this thing, though in the past I have just used empty squirt water bottles, but the actual peri bottle is great)

- thick heavy pads for pp bleeding

And that was seriously it. We had the equipment for the birth pool (sump pump, new water-drinking safe hose and bucket for 'waste') and of course a hat and receiving blanket for baby after getting out of the pool, but that was all we actually supplied. It really doesn't take much that the midwives don't already come with. 

What was the colander used for?  It is probably obvious, but I am just not getting it. 
 

[MegBoz]

Originally Posted by littlethingstx 

What was the colander used for?  It is probably obvious, but I am just not getting it. 

I think it's to strain poop out of the birth tub- at least I remember reading that in the book "Pushed." I believe my MWs list states a fish-net for that purpose. A net certainly has much smaller holes than a colander, so I would think that's probably better.

I asked my MW about some of the things on the birth kit, like little packets of KY jelly. She said they're sterile packets & they use them to lubricate the sutures if they need to stitch, so I should keep them in. The only things I eliminated from her default "kit" for sale on inhishands.com was a baby hat (I already have so many!) and a bulb syringe - usually not necessary anyway, and I already own 2. Everything else we kept in there. & for the other list of things to gather (i.e. NOT the things you buy as part of the 'kit') thankfully I already own most like extra towels, crock pot, heating pad, flashlight. I think the fish net & hydrogen peroxide are all I have to go buy.

I also told her I don't want to have a little unopened bottle of olive oil on hand because I just can't get over finding it a little gross to use a food product on my genitals. I know, I know, I'm weird & it's totally illogical! We have bottles of KY Liquid lubricant on hand that she can use instead to lubricate baby's head at crowning time if necessary and if I'm not in the tub.

[crunchymama214]

Oh yeah, should've added what it's for....sorry! Actually, it was for the herbal bath afterwards. We had a small fish net for the poo. :) But, most people have colander's on hand, so it's not something you have to buy.