Birth Kit? Do I need one?

[Sheepdoc]

Did you order one?  What was in it?
We ordered one last time per our midwife.  I think most of it went unused.

Since it will just be me and my husband I don't see a need for sterile gloves.  He doesn't know how to put them on and its not like his hands haven't been down there before. 

The only thing I could see would be if there was a placental issue and he needed to do a manual extraction.  I think plain gloves would suffice.  Same w/ all the iodine and other scrubs, right?  Either its an emergency and time matters more than cleanliness or everything goes fine and there's no reason for anyone's hands to be up that far.

I think I can get chux pads at the drug store.  And if not - well we own lots of towels, there'll just be more laundry to do.
Flexi straws. - have left over from the kids birthday parties.
Hats we have left over from previous.  And honestly, I'm just not convinced that babies need to wear them.  I know they need to be kept warm but that's the point of skin to skin, right?
The cheesy birth certificate was nice but really cheap looking and the disposable foot stamper got lots of ink that didn't wash off on baby's foot but was so dry that it barely got on the paper.
We ended up going out a few days later and buying a reusable one at a craft store. 
- I wonder if you could use the blood from the placenta and do a print w/ blood - like placenta art- instead of chemicals?

Bulb syringe - I think we still have one lying around somewhere.

The only thing I can really think that I would want would be a hemostat clamp for the umbilical cord if we had some weird emergency where we needed to cut it early but honestly its hard to even come up w/ what type of emergency that would be.  And the on-line kits all seem to have the cheap disposable plastic clamps which I know we won't use.  I guess in an emergency we could just pinch the cord w/ our fingers until we can find something?

So, what does that leave?  Are there any websites listing homebirth supplies when you're not having strangers there?

-Lori

[SouthernStormy]

I really can't weigh in too much on what you'll use and not use since this is my first pregnancy.

Just wanted to say- you can get the chux pads at most drugstores and Walmart- they are usually in the same section with adult diapers.

[tracymom1]

I did not order an official "kit" I just bought the things that we might need that we didn't have. I had chux leftover from the last birth, I have a bowl for the placenta, a hemostat, an extra shower curtain liner for the bed or floor if necessary, a birth fishy pool and the accessories needed... so really all I bought were a new pair of scissors for the cord (I have no idea where ours went), some cord tape and my herbals. Oh, and a package of sterile gloves just in case. I initially bought a scale and sling for the baby, but returned it and decided to just weigh myself and then weight myself and the baby on our stand-up scale here. Seems much easier.

[SilverSage]

I got to admit, I bought more stuff than I needed. Most of the extra is for the 'vet kit' for the barn. :D

For the birth, I got a cord clamp because it makes my DH feel better, 1 pair of sterile glove just in case, and cord scissors. Other stuff I have on hand already are old shower curtains (I keep several on hand for 'winter fingerpainting parties'), old towels, bulb syringe, thermometer, herbs, blankets and clothes, obviously. I have a scale in the barn for milking, I'll just weigh the baby on that, DH can bring it inside. I probably will to Walmart or something to pick up some chux pads.

I had to buy a birth kit for my midwife attended homebirth and we didn't use most of it.

[TrishWSU]

You're right, most pre-packed birth kits have way more stuff than you need. Really, some chux pads, towels, blankets, something to tie the cord (we used a braided length of thread-like the kind you'd use for cross-stitch), something to cut the cord (we just boiled a pair of scissors to sterlize), and something to put the placenta in. And a drinking safe hose if you're planning a water birth (well, and the birth pool)...it's pretty boring really. I was a little disappointed when I realized how little I needed to buy, lol!

You can find some cute "Born at Home" type birth certificates online that you print off, if I remember correctly.

[dayiscoming2006]

I'd be comfortable with just chux pads, old towels, a cord tie off of some sort, a pair of scissors that can be sterilized, postpartum pads, peri bottle/squirt bottle, hats, a bowl for the placenta, waterproof cover for our bed, old sheets and an old blanket, waterproof cover for my pillow and some plastic to cover the floor. But, I do like the few extra things I got for just in case. I got some tinctures and stuff in case of hemorrage (spell?), etc. and a few other nice to have things but non-essentials.

I like land birth so those few things may not apply to you if you do it another way. It all depends. :)

[rsochi]

Chux pads are essentially puppy pads.  We have a ton left over from the dogs so I'm not even bothering with Chux Pads. :)  Just thought I'd throw that out there if you're having a hard time finding them.

[TrishWSU]

I've read (somewhere-can't remember now) that sometimes the pads meant for puppies are treated with some kind of chemical stuff to get the dogs to go on them (instead of your floor.) Check the package if you still have it. Otherwise you should be able to find chux pads with the adult diapers in most stores.

[riverview9]

Not sure if its mentioned but "placenta out" or herbs ready incase the placenta is not coming out (blue cohash and shepherds pie). sterile scissors to cut cord. depends to wear afterwards or some big comfy pads

[amberskyfire]

I didn't get a birth kit.

Flexi-straws - I never had a problem drinking from a cup. Maybe I'm a freak. :)

Chux pads - I gave birth on a towel. Hubs folded it up, put it in the machine and hit rinse. About as easy as putting a chux pad in the trash.

footprint ink - I used a children's washable stamp pad that wiped off with plain water

hats - doesn't anyone have a million of these anyway? Do you really need ANOTHER one in a kit? We got a billion before baby was born as gifts.

blankets - like the hats

cord tie - we used a piece of hemp twine

scissors - we bought a new pair but they wouldn't cut it, so we used the kitchen scissors

bulb syringe - ours was a joke. It was a piece of crap and fell apart when I took it out of the package. You shouldn't use them anyway as they can cause baby to aspirate fluid. My daughter's lungs were bubbly and full of fluid, so I sucked it out with my mouth and then turned her over on her tummy and let it dribble out on its own.

I do wish we'd had a couple of hemostats. They are pretty handy for emergencies.

[RMWT]

We had plastic for the floor with a blanket over it, plastic sheet, under pads for bleeding afterward while I slept, ragedy baby blankets for cleaning up bloody baby, shoestring for tying cord, clean (boiled) scissors, peri bottle, black plastic bag for placenta and other bloody wet trash, snacks, juices, gloves (not sterile) KY for checking dialation and helping make things more slicky incase that helped the baby come out better, antibacterial handwash and hand sanitizer, big pads and big panties to hold that big pad and that's about it. I wish I would've gotten some bendy straws b/c I got thirsty and didn't want to sit up. We got some disposable cups this time. That way no knocking over glass cups and no dishes. Major helper: Natural Childbirth the Bradley way. Husband Coached Childbirth wouldn't be bad to have as well.  Knowing about herbs and what helps during birth, long labor, hemorrhage, etc.

[RMWT]

One other thing...put a sheet on the bed, then a plastic sheet, then another sheet. Just take off the top sheet and plastic and voila...new sheet underneath.

[sara-on-the-lake]

I like to have herbs in case of hemorrhage on  hand, shepherd's purse is the big one, but there are others, as well as homeopathic remedies. 

I *always* get those mesh/net underwear from the homebirth supplies website (I use In His Hands or Birth With Love).  I just think they're awesome for those first few days of lochia, when I also love to use and always order the cold pack postpartum pads.  Those are amazing the first 24-48 hours postpartum, and because they're enormous, the mesh panties are perfect for them.

I also have Vitamin K on hand, and because I'm Rh negative, I have Eldon cards for blood typing the baby, to determine if I need to get the postpartum Rhogam shot or not.

All the rest of the stuff mentioned is also in my birth kit.  You don't use everything, but if you're the type that likes to come overprepared rather than under (like me), it's sort of a pregnancy ritual and I enjoy it.

[1babysmom]

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Edited by 1babysmom - 3/19/13 at 7:39am