BIRTH PREPARATION

CARE PROVIDER

Your birth preparation starts with your choice of care provider. Make sure you feel

completely satisfied and happy in their care. Your care provider should have plenty

of time to discuss your birth plans and make sure that you have safe, evidence based

information. It is important that you know what to do to contact your care pro-

vider at all times and it is very useful if you can talk to them frequently in the early

stage of labour in order to judge when you need see them. With continuity of care

midwives they may see you at home before you transfer to hospital because we

know that transferring too early in labour leads to far greater rates of intervention.

So make sure you and your birth team know when your care provider wants you to

make contact and have all the phone numbers in you and your partner’s phones.

Care provider’s number in your phone and partners phone

PLACE OF BIRTH

Check that your place of birth has policies in line with what you want in labour

and birth (eg that you can eat and drink in labour, that you can move around freely

and do not need to be continuously monitored, that you do not need your waters

broken on admission).

Policies reviewed

Partner can stay

Where to park?

Plan to get to hospital considered

How to get into the hospital?

TOOLS FOR LABOUR AND BIRTH

TENS machine for early back pain

Hot packs for home (wheat packs for

microwave, or gel pack)

Having some hydrolyte in the fridge at

home for early labour if you have a long

latent phase or are feeling nauseous

Massage Oils

Stress Balls

Consider reading Birth Skills

by JuJu Sundin for more

distraction tools

Ice cubes in the freezer

WHAT TO BRING IN LABOUR

Water Bottle

iPhone and/or iPad

Roll on deodorant

Hair ties

Brush

Face Wipes

Washer

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Healthy snacks (e.g fruit, muesli bars, etc.)

Poppers

Thongs

iPhone charger

Massage oil (we packed jojoba oil)

Lip balm

Baby beanie

Medicare card

Private health insurance card

Wallet

Pregnancy Health Record

Pads and underwear

Something to wear in labour if needed

Crop top or bikini top for showers

Partners pair of swim shorts for showers or bath

LABOUR CHECKLIST (CHECK OUT ELLE TENS LABOUR CHECKLIST)

BIRTH PLAN

This is a whole separate topic! Consider talking to a midwife if you have not already

done so – email admin@mymidwives.com.au for further details.

POST BIRTH BAG

Make sure plenty of large (larger than

you think) dark coloured underwear or

disposable underwear

Maternity pads (check out our pads for

ultimate no odour, max absorption)

Maternity bras

Loose feeding friendly clothing

Phone Charger

Singlets

Baby Outfits - cotton

onesies, newborn nappies,

scratch mittens

Phone: 07 4642 2977 | Fax: 07 4639 1118toowoomba@mymidwives.com.au

www.mymidwives.com.au331 Margaret Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350

GETTING HOME READY

Get maximum meal preparation – 14 frozen meals prepared for the first two weeks

and frozen is a great start. Suggestions include lasagne – vege or meat, oven bake

risotto (look for Donna Hay recipes), frittata – leftovers for lunch next day, various

curries and buy steamed rice to accompany, lamb stew (look for Jamie Oliver reci-

pes), stews or casseroles, zucchini slice. Have some small things like muffins sweet

and savoury ready as snacks.

Make a list for visitors to do and let them know that every cuddle = 1 job. Make the jobs simple and doable so

you can actually ask for help. Examples are hanging out clothes and folding, picking up online grocery orders

and putting them away, washing up or emptying dishwasher, holding baby whilst mum has a shower.

Make a “Mum and Bub sleeping” sign for the door and use it.

Think about pets and how they will react. Talking to your vet and getting inside pets ready is important. Having

a blanket that is put with baby and given to pets before baby comes home is a great start.

EARLY DAYS AT HOME

Consider early post birth comfort measures – ice packs for your perineum, salt

for salt baths, some method of washing and drying any stitches after birth. Have

Panadol and or Nurofen available for post birth pain following a surgical birth, or a

normal birth. Recognise that you will need some places where you can sit and feed

easily – a specific chair or sitting area set up with all the things you need. Consider

apps to click to keep track of feeding and nappy changes and sleeping.

Know that baby will feed between 8 and 12 times and that night time is often less settled than day time. Make

sure both partners have as much time as possible off work to support each other.

Consider who you can call on for unexpected increased care needs.