How I’m Preparing for My First Home Birth

Me too! After three hospital births with obstetricians and one birth center birth with midwives, I am having my final baby at home! 

While the mental and physical preparation for birth looks very similar to my prior unmedicated births, planning for a home birth feels a little bit more intentional and hands-on. 

This time, I’m focusing on building a strong home birth team, preparing my husband for his support role, and creating a birth space that feels comforting, functional, and ready for the incredible journey ahead. 

Building My Home Birth Team

In a typical hospital setting, you choose your OB or midwife practice, rotate through a series of providers during your prenatal period, and birth your baby with whichever staff is on-call. 

Choosing a home birth gives you more control over your immediate support team. 

I chose the same midwife collective I knew from my previous birth center birth, my incredible doula who has been with me for the birth of my last two sons, and a birth photographer to document the moment we meet our daughter for the first time.

I interviewed each of these people prior to choosing my support team to ensure we were all aligned in our approach to birth, shared similar values, and felt comfortable working together in a home birth setting. It was important to me that everyone on my team respected my birth preferences, communicated well, and brought a calm, supportive presence to the experience. 

When I go into labor, my midwife and an on-call member of the collective will attend, along with our doula and birth photographer. I also have backup care established at a local hospital if needed for transfer.

Preparing My Husband for His Support Role

We’ve come a long way from “grabbing a leg” (Epidural, anyone? IYKYK).

While my husband has been a rockstar support person in my unmedicated births with the guidance of our doula, prepping him for a home birth looks a little different. 

This time around, I’ll rely on him to call my midwife and support team (my labors are incredibly fast!), set up and fill the birth pool, and ensure that my birth space is ready to go with dim lighting and my labor playlist. I’ll also print out a short checklist to make his role as easy as possible when labor starts.

Prepping My Birth Space

I have been envisioning what my birth space would look like since before I found out I was pregnant. Evidence says labor progresses best in a calm environment with dim (or no) lighting and minimal sounds, so my goal is to cultivate that from home. Since we tend to be most comfortable in our own spaces, this should be easy!

My plan is to have the birth pool set up in our living room, turn on some battery-operated candles, and play my Christian hypnobirthing playlist. To add to the home-spa-like atmosphere I’m trying to create, I’ll also set up an essential oil diffuser with a blend of clary sage and lavender (as a doula, these are some of my favorites for labor!). My hope is that labor starts at night so my boys will be sleeping. If not, my mother-in-law will be on standby to hang out with them at her home down the street.

From a practical standpoint, I’ve been compiling some must-haves for labor and the immediate postpartum period. This includes:

• Cotton towels and washcloths 
• A shower curtain to layer underneath the birth pool
• Chucks pads to protect our living room floor
• Another set of sheets to layer over our bed
• A terry robe for getting in and out of the birth pool
• A postpartum care basket filled with pads (iced and overnight), Ease-the-Ache for after-birth cramps, a peri bottle, disposable underwear, and other essentials
• For my full list of postpartum must-haves, check out my blog post: The Ultimate Postpartum Essentials Checklist: Must-Haves for New Moms! 

I also plan to set out snacks and coffee for my birth team and a homemade thank-you-for-supporting-me gift. 

Looking Forward to Birth 

I can’t wait to welcome my final baby in the comfort of my home, surrounded by a team I trust and a space I’ve intentionally prepared. Knowing that everything is in place allows me to focus on what truly matters—embracing the beauty of birth and meeting my baby with peace and confidence.

If you're planning a home birth, I’d love to hear how you’re preparing! Share your thoughts in the comments!