PLANNING A HOME BIRTH? YOUR PRACTICAL GUIDE
On a weekly basis, I talk with families about the practicalities of preparing the home for the birth of their baby. Birth pools, older siblings, comfort measures, lighting and how to set up the space.
So here is your “One stop shop”, for tips, suggestions and things you might like to consider if you are planning to have your baby at home!
YOU DON’T REALLY NEED ANYTHING!
Let’s begin here, because it matters.
Here I am, about to share a long list of things you might like to organise for your home birth — and yet, in truth, it is entirely possible to birth your baby at home without having prepared anything at all.
Babies are born unexpectedly at home all the time. They have been born in forests, fields, tiny dwellings, and vast open spaces since the beginning of humankind. No fairy lights. No birth pools. No hypnobirthing playlists. No tens machines.
And yet, birth happens.
At the heart of it, what your body needs most is not “stuff” — it is a sense of safety. Familiarity. Comfort. Privacy. These are the conditions that allow your incredible birth hormones — particularly oxytocin — to flow freely.
And your home already contains these things.
Birth is also generally far less messy than we have been led to believe. Films and television have a lot to answer for here. In reality, most fluids are easily managed and cleaned, and many families reflect afterwards that their concerns about mess were far greater than the reality.
In fact, more than a few people laugh afterwards and say things like, “We wanted a new sofa anyway,” or “By that point, we really didn’t care about the blankets!” Once your baby is in your arms, everything else fades into the background.
And it’s worth noting too — the early postnatal period is often far messier than the birth itself.
That said, for many of us, preparing the space is not about necessity — it’s about intention. It can be a deeply meaningful part of the nesting process. It can help you feel grounded, calm, and ready. It can allow you to visualise your birth and begin to connect with it emotionally and physically.
So if it feels good to prepare — then prepare.
WHAT IF I WANT TO USE WATER?
I will certainly be doing another blog post, or maybe several on the benefits of using water in labour, and also a more detailed dive into the practicalities of having a pool.
Water is one of the most commonly used and most loved comfort measures in labour.
If you already find yourself drawn to water when you’re tired, stressed, or unwell — long baths, hot showers, that sense of being held — then there’s a good chance you may feel drawn to it during labour too.
A warm shower directed onto your lower back can be incredibly soothing. A dimly lit bath with quiet music can create a cocoon-like space where you can fully relax.
And yes — babies can absolutely be born in the bath or shower. Bathrooms often feel private, enclosed, and safe.
However, many families choose to include a birth pool as part of their home birth setup.
A birth pool offers something slightly different. Its size allows for greater freedom of movement — you can squat, lean, kneel, sway, and move your body instinctively. And when you are able to submerge more of your body — especially your chest — the effect can be profound.
The warm water helps to relax your nervous system, reduce pain perception, and support the production of oxytocin and endorphins. Many describe it as a turning point in labour — a place where they can “sink into” the experience more deeply.
There is no right or wrong time to get into the pool. One of the beauties of home birth is that it is entirely your space. Your rhythm. Your choices.
Some people find the pool most helpful in later labour, when surges become more intense. Others use it earlier, simply for comfort and relaxation.
If you do choose to use a pool, there are a few practical considerations:
Even if your pool has a padded bottom, it can be really useful to have an old duvet or thick blanket (those gorgeous new Totter and Tumble play mats are really popular at the moment!) to put underneath the pool. Not only will this ease your knees, but it also helps to prevent the pool losing heat downwards into wooden or stone floors
A cover can help maintain the temperature and reduce condensation.
A long hose and correct tap adapter (tested in advance!) will save a lot of stress.
Buckets are surprisingly useful — If your pool needs warming up, scooping out some bucketfuls, then running the hose into the bucket until the water is the right temperature is a good idea. Using the bucket to prevent spillages from either end of the hose when you’re not using it. Buckets can also be handy for sickness, going to the toilet, and catching placenta’s as well
Some kind of non-slip surface around the pool makes life easier when you are getting in and out, old Yoga mats work really well for this. Many people use dust sheets or old shower curtains, which can be great if you are worried about any surfaces, but can also be slippery and crinkly which can be a bit of a distraction.
You might like to consider a sieve for fishing birth matter out of the pool- and some people like to have a mirror and thermometer as well.
It’s usually relatively easy to source a second hand pool and you would just need to get a new liner from the relevant company (many are different sizes and shapes). Some Doula’s have pools to loan, and many pools end up on second hand sites, plus it’s possible to hire instead of buy. My favourite company is Gentle Births.
If you live in Bath, Somerset or NW Wiltshire, then I also have a handful of birth pools that I facilitate being passed from family to family. If you are local and interested then check out my page here
3. TOWELS
If there is one thing you take away from this entire guide, let it be this: you can never have too many towels.
Whether you are using water or not, towels are endlessly useful. Draped around the pool. Spread across beds and sofas. Used to dry off, to stay warm, to wrap your baby, to protect surfaces.
Midwives often suggest around 20 towels — and most families find they use a good number of them.
They are soft, absorbent, familiar, and practical. Truly one of the unsung heroes of birth.
4. LIGHTING
Although a labouring woman can seem almost “out of it”, her senses are acutely heightened. Anything that pulls her out of what she is experiencing in her body and into her front brain, can be overstimulating and can impact the flow of labour. Having lovely low lighting can feel very relaxing, but is more than just a pretty addition to your birth set up.
My third baby chose to surprise me and come on a bright sunny autumn day, but more commonly, labours unfold best at night, where as mammals we would have been able to feel safe and secluded, and where melatonin can be a really helpful addition to the cocktail of hormones pulsing through our bodies.
Think about the time of year you are having your baby.
If your labour is flowing in the day and that is working for you, then great. However, do you have the ability to close curtains or put up blinds to feel more cozy and unobserved?
If it’s night time or a darker time of year, can you find a way of gently lighting the space in a subtle and relaxing way? Fairy lights and candles can work really well, red light is also more restful and less stimulating for our brains. Remember to pop something like battery operated candles around in areas of the house you might not anticipate spending so much time, like bathrooms and toilets for example. Often those lights are bright and so having the ability to spend time in the toilet but still be able to see what you’re doing is very helpful!
If your birth is being attended by midwives, many now use computer systems to write their notes. Both the light and sound from a laptop can be extremely distracting, so for many reasons I would really encourage finding a separate space in a corridor or kitchen or other room of the house. It also means you won’t be disturbed by extra noises or have a feeling of being observed. Once again, birthing at home means you can own the space and simply invite your care providers in and out as and when you feel you would like to.5. TEMPERATURE
Birth is physical work, and very often when we are doing something physical we get quite warm. Conversely, sometimes spikes in adrenaline or shifting hormones can cause us to feel shivery and cold, so it’s great to have a space where the temperature can be adaptable.
If you are using the pool, the optimum temperature is body temperature, but it’s likely as you are working hard, that you might feel quite hot. Handheld fans or cool flannels and bowls of ice can be a great way to get the benefits of the warm water but to keep yourself cool at the same time. A longer cloth such as a muslin can be dipped in cold water and draped over the neck as a lovely alternative, it tends to involve less faffing and adjusting, both of which are generally quite irritating for a labouring woman!
In terms of the temperature of your space, sometimes women like a cool breeze, but it’s great to be able to quite quickly warm up the room upon the arrival of your baby.
A small fan heater, electric heater or a radiator you can drape towels over to warm them up quickly is important for when your baby is born (although keeping them skin to skin will help you regulate their temperature as well).The birth of your placenta (3rd phase of labour) requires the same environment as birth. Utilising the most enormous peak of oxytocin that you get after the birth of your baby alongside quiet gentle voices, low lights and a lovely warm room can be very conducive in allowing the body to continue to do the job of birthing your placenta.
6. PARTNERS
The vast majority of birth partners I work with and talk to, say what an incredibly positive experience it was for them to be welcoming their baby into the world at home. To be able to support their partner in their own space, using their own comfort measures and on their terms.
So many partners making the comparison between a previous hospital birth experience and a home birth, are over the moon at the difference it made to their labouring partner, but perhaps didn’t anticipate the positive impact it might have on them as well.
There’s so much to be said for being able to eat your own food and drinks, use your own toilet, step into another room in your space, tend to your older children and generally meet your needs more effectively then you might be able to in a hospital setting. If you are choosing to pack bags then it can be a great idea to do it yourself, so you know where everything is during labour. A bag for your birthing partner, your baby and of course yourself. The snacks that you might like to eat, and having all the essentials for your partner and your baby in one place can be really useful, even if it’s your plan to stay at home the whole time. Some people also like to put together a small box of items that may be useful during your home birth. This can be a lovely thing to do together in preparation, talking about how your partner might plan to use them. Essential oils, tens machine, comfort measures, any medication, photos, affirmations, candles, that sort of thing.
A useful reminder! If you are preparing food at home, or eating something for yourself (which it’s really important to do to keep your energy levels up as well), try and keep flavours and smells as subtle as possible. As I mentioned with lighting and sound, a labouring woman’s senses are heightened, and the smell of a packet of cheese and onion crisps is likely to get you booted out of her birth space pretty quickly! Having a toothbrush handy or some mints is a useful idea!
FOOD
Talking of food….when you are labouring, you might have very specific food needs or desires! As wonderful as our NHS tea and toast is, nothing beats being able to plan, make and eat your own food choices in your own space. Some women are ravenous in labour, some can’t stomach much at all (remember your body is working hard so your digestive system may check out for a while), so even more reason to be able to have exactly what you want, when you want. Preparing or stocking up on foods that are high energy but easy to eat and digest is great. Sometimes you won’t feel like chomping through a chewy flapjack mid labour, and simplicities like a spoon of honey, yoghurt, sweet tea, grapes, bananas and coconut water can be great. And staying hydrated of course. Many midwives are now keen to have a gentle idea on how much you are drinking and urinating, so a water bottle with measurements and a measuring jug for peeing is sometimes advised….just advised though, so you do as you please!
And lets not forget the gloriousness of the post birth meal! Tucked up in your own bed with your own food and your new sweet baby….bliss!
SMELLS AND AROMATHERAPY
No need to remind you again about our heightened senses in labour! Our sense of smell has a particularly powerful impact on our limbic system and in labour, smell’s and aromas can be really impactful (both negatively and positively). We’ve spoken about partners and the cheese and onion crisps, or a care provider with a strong perfume…these things are likely to feel way too much, and overwhelming in labour. But the use of gentle and relaxing aromas can really help with that Oxytocin flow and encourage us out of our heads and into our bodies. Certain essential oils can also have a profound physiological impact on our labour and on pain relief as well, and in time I will write more with my good friend Lizzie at Top to Toe treatments about this, you can also join me for our practical and tangible workshops if you’d like to know more.
If you are using aromas, it can be a great idea to have them on a tissue or in a little pot with a lid so that you can easily get rid of the smell if it starts to become overstimuating. Having a “practce” before labour and finding out which smells we like, and what makes us feel good is a wonderful way to prepare and create positive associations with those aromas.
CREATING YOUR NEST AND PROTECTING SOFT FURNISHINGS
Once again, i reassure you that birth isn’t generally as messy as we might think. If you have new carpets, particularly special bedding, or a fancy mattress you might want to consider some ways to cover your more prized furnishings.
As I previously stated, the early postnatal period can also be filled with various body fluids, so some kind of mattress protector is probably useful regardless of where you are having your baby.
And for areas of flooring, although it’s unlikely for them to be impacted, it’s possible to get things like giant Sellotape from the builders merchants, and dust sheets and shower curtains, towels and old Yoga mats are all helpful. Most families planning their first home birth, reflect afterwards that perhaps their “surface protection” was a slight overkill, but if it helps to relax you then go for it! See Point number 3. “Towels”….they really can be your best friend! Washeable, absorbant, soft, comfortable and not noisy!Apart from the odd placenta that decides to pop out unexpectedly after you’ve had your baby, generally the mess is contained to the pool or wherever you are choosing to be immediately after the birth of your baby.
This is why I often recommend families pay a little bit of attention to their nest area.
A place near your pool, or near where your care providers might be, where you can labour, where you might be if you were choosing to be examined at any point, and where you might like to snuggle up with your baby, wait for your placenta, enjoy some skin to skin, or have your perineum checked after birth.
Again, covering things in slippery plastic items is not the most conducive for making a cozy nest, but it can be helpful to put something waterproof folded up on the bottom cushions, covered with a heavy blanket or an old duvet, then a layer of towels and finally some inco pads which you can buy, but very often your midwives will also provide. (These can also be helpful for your first couple of nights in bed).It’s also extremely beneficial to have a pile of cushions and pillows that you aren’t too precious about that you can prop yourself up with, so that your perineum is comfortable, and you can easily and comfortably enjoy that initial time with your baby skin to skin and having their first feed.
In fact, wherever you are having your baby, a glut of pillows is really useful!
A nice old familiar dressing gown or something you can drape over your shoulders is also a good idea, this can help you to feel cozy, comfortable, protect you from any damp hair, prevent you from cooling down too quickly as you will have been working hard during labour, and protect your modesty if you need to take a trip to the toilet or stand up at any point.
Your “nest” is your landing space.A place to rest, to labour, to hold your baby, to birth your placenta.
It might be a sofa, a bed, a mattress, or a carefully arranged corner of a room.
Of course in time, one of the beauties of a Home birth is being tucked up in your own bed, but until you feel ready for that, the nest is fantastic for those first few hours. Comfort is everything here.OLDER SIBLINGS AND PETS
This one comes up a lot.
Managing the transition for yourself, but also your human or animal baby can feel hard.
As always, there’s a lot of advice out there, ways you “should” do it, things you “should” think about, and once again I would invite you to really feel into what is right for you and your family, which will be different for everyone.
A couple of things to consider are- The early postnatal period and also, Oxytocin.
We can spend a lot of time mulling over what might happen to our pets and other children during the birth of our new baby, but sometimes we spend a little less time thinking about that early postnatal period.
In the same way we might batch cook, or organise people to come and support us in our home, how does that postnatal period look for you in terms of care and support for your other children, or someone to come and entertain or walk your dog?
Can you set up a loose plan? Is there anyone around that can help? Or can you have a conversation with your partner or family members about how best to include them, whilst at the same time acknowledging that you will need time with your new baby, time to rest, and time to recover.
This leads neatly into my second point about Oxytocin.
Having to use our analytical brain in labour can really squash our oxytocin levels. If we are worrying about how it might be for an older sibling, or who’s going to walk the dog, we are less likely to be able to dive into our bodies and the process, and more likely to find ourselves stuck in a bit of an early labour “stop, start” pattern.
I’ve supported plenty of births where the mother, or birthing parent is perfectly happy with having siblings present at the birth. Very often sleeping soundly upstairs, but also sometimes happily bumbling along in the birth space (typically not nearly as interested as we thought they might be!)
I think it can be helpful to know that younger children don’t have the same reference points as we do for birth. They are experiencing so many new and different things on a daily basis, so mummy having a baby, can be just another new thing, and like I said, there are regularly other things that interest them much more than the birth!
That said, it’s also extremely common for the presence of siblings, or even just the worry about how they will be, to reduce our oxytocin levels and inhibit our labour becoming more established.
This is such a common pattern for the birth of subsequent babies, and very often once parents have come up with a plan, or a sibling has been scooped up by a loving family member, toddled off to nursery or is tucked up sleeping in bed, then the labour unfolds pretty quickly from there.
It can be really helpful to make a list of different plans depending on when your labour begins, and even covering the possibility of needing to leave your home if necessary, and who might be there to look after your children or pets.
Don’t underestimate how delighted most people are to be even a small part of your birth plan, I’ve met plenty of very excited neighbours popping over to sit in a house while a sibling sleeps, if there has been a change of plan during the birth.
In summary, a little bit like your birth preferences, make as many plans as you need to, to allow yourself to relax, and then let it go. Trust that your birth will unfold as and when it needs to, and that your much loved other children or pets will be fine, even if there is momentary disruption to the life they are used to.
On the whole, particularly our kids, are very adaptable, they are used to experiencing change all the time….sometimes we just need to tend to the part of ourselves that feels challenged by the change, or by “letting go”.AFFIRMATIONS
You may notice by now that I firmly believe birth unfolds in the most straightforward way when we can really lean into trusting our body and the process.
However, part of that for many of us might be setting the space up beautifully to make us feel more calm and centered in our labour, and part of that may well be putting things up around your birth space as a gentle reminder of your innate belief in yourself.
Photographs and beautiful things that may boost our oxytocin levels, and handwritten or printed affirmations , to encourage us and give us focus.
There are some gorgeous examples of affirmations out there online, and in books, and many families say that taking some time in pregnancy or early labour to be creative, to paint, draw and write their own affirmations, and put them around your birth space can be such a gorgeous way of connecting with and preparing for the birth.
Some people even like to create a small area like an altar. Candles, good wishes from friends and family, items you may have made if you chose to have a mother blessing, perhaps a drawing from an older sibling, these can all help to contribute to positivity in your space.
Birth affirmations can also be used to transform another space if you find yourself not birthing at home.INVITING OTHERS INTO MY HOME
For some families it makes perfect sense to give birth to their baby at home with no unfamiliar people in their space. They might choose the presence of a Doula or friend, or birth alone, together as a couple.
For many of us, the presence of a reassuring and understanding individual such as a Doula or Midwife is what we need to feel safe, held and relaxed during birth.
Here in Bath we have a wonderful team of Home Birth Midwives called the “Hummingbird team”. They are a small (but growing) group of Midwives dedicated to supporting families who would like to birth their babies in our local birth centres or in their own home.
There is a monthly opportunity to meet this team and get to know them before they are part of your birth journey, and they also do their upmost to minimise too many Midwife changes during your Antenatal appointments as well.
Research clearly indicates that continuity of care provider, enormously contributes to more positive birth experiences and outcomes.
However, whether you know your Midwife or not, and even if you have a fantastically close relationship with your Doula, inviting others into your space, particularly if it’s once your labour has begun, can sometimes feel intrusive and distracting.
Again, speaking for every Doula I’ve ever met, and the wonderful Midwives that support Homebirth in our local area, the intention would never be to be intrusive.
We tend to gather in a space away from the birth space, keep conversation to an absolute minimum and generally stay calm and quiet and out of the way.
So when it comes to setting up your space, how might this be possible for you? Even in the tiniest of spaces, there’s usually a slither of kitchen or a corridor or somewhere that other people can make themselves as inconspicuous as possible! As above, if you are inviting NHS Midwives into your home then it’s likely that laptops may be used, so it strikes me that carving out a separate space is even more important than it ever was. The Midwives tend to bring a lot of kit with them as well, so considering beforehand where you might get them to put that, and thinking about whether there is the option for an access point that doesn’t enter straight into where you are planning your birth space to be. And remember, the way you choose to set the space up can set the tone for those supporting you.
If your oxytocin enjoys conversation, laughter, local radio and normality, then you can set that precedent in your home. If you feel a cozy , dark, quiet, twinkly lit space is more conducive for your oxytocin levels, then again invite your care providers to respond to your needs as they step into your space. Time and time again, families’ feedback that one of the most positive outcomes of their Home Birth was feeling ownership over their space.Whether it’s a midwife, doula, or loved one, their presence should support — not disrupt — your experience.
Remember: this is your home.
You set the tone.
You decide what feels right.
Those who enter are guests — there to support you as you do the extraordinary work of bringing your baby into the world.
AND FINALLY…
Home birth is not about creating perfection. It’s not about having the most beautiful setup or the longest checklist.
It’s about creating a space where you feel safe enough to let go.
Where you feel supported enough to soften.
Where you feel undisturbed enough to follow your instincts.
Everything else is simply there to help you do that.