10 Small Things You Can Do to Prepare for your Home Birth
Preparing for a home birth doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are 10 simple, thoughtful ways to get ready—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
1. Think About Who You Want in Your Birth Space
This could include your midwife, doula, husband, a trusted friend, your mother, or even your children. Who you invite is completely up to you.
Some women thrive in intimate, quiet spaces with only a few trusted people. Others feel empowered with a fuller room of support. The key is to protect your birth space and ensure everyone present aligns with your vision and brings peace—not fear or tension.
2. Gather Your Birth Supplies
Find a home birth supply list that matches your philosophy and birth plan and begin to take inventory of what you already have.
Start collecting the items you do need early—herbs, extra towels, postpartum clothes, birth pool supplies, and any tools you may want for natural pain relief or comfort.
As your doula, I can help walk you through this step during our prenatal visits and even help you organize your space.
Remember: You don’t have to do any of this alone.
3. Pray Over the Supplies and the Space
Take a quiet morning with your coffee and sit in the space where you hope to birth. Breathe it in. Visualize bringing your baby into that space.
Then begin to pray over it all—
• the herbs
• the Scriptures you’ve written out
• the robe you’ll wear postpartum
• the floor you’ll stand on through each wave
Cover it in God’s strength and peace. He called you to carry this baby—and He will be with you as you labor and birth.
4. Take a Birth Class
Childbirth education can feel overwhelming with so many options. You don’t have to find the perfect class—just one that mostly aligns with your beliefs and birth vision (home vs. hospital, Christian-centered, etc.).
Even more important than the content is that it gets you and your husband on the same page. It can spark helpful conversations and build your confidence as a team.
5. Rest
This step is vital. Rest can mean naps, but it can also look like cutting back on social obligations or giving yourself grace in daily routines.
Your body is working so hard, physically and emotionally. It’s okay if your version of “productivity” shifts right now. You are already doing enough.
6. Soak Up Time With Your Husband and/or Children
Life is about to change in a beautiful way. Take a moment to savor this season:
• Hug your current youngest a little longer
• Sit in the quiet
• Enjoy unrushed moments with your husband
This isn’t to say that what’s coming is hard or bad—but change deserves space. Let your heart settle into what is, before stepping into what’s next.
7. Meal Prep
Invite your community into this step. Throw on worship music, gather some friends or family, and prep a few nourishing meals.
Focus on warm, broth-based, easy-to-digest foods. Lasagna may be convenient, but it’s likely not what your postpartum body will crave.
Bonus tip: Make breakfast burritos! My husband found them super helpful during those early postpartum mornings.
I highly recommend Nourishing Traditions for helpful postpartum recipes and principles.
8. Write Out Bible Verses
Late in pregnancy, I found great peace in hand-writing verses. It helped me dwell on God’s promises and reminded me that He is with me—always.
I encourage you to do a short Bible study and find verses that speak to your heart. But if you’d like a starting point, I’ve compiled all the verses I used during my pregnancy into one downloadable document.
9. Rest (Again)
Yes, this step is so important it deserves two spots. Please—be gentle with yourself. Allow rest. Accept help. Embrace slowness.
10. Clean the Baseboards
This can be literal or metaphorical.
As my due date came and went, I felt that familiar impatience. “Why isn’t the baby here yet?” I needed a way to stay grounded. So... I cleaned the baseboards.
It gave me something to focus on while I waited for my baby to come in God’s perfect timing.
Whether or not you choose to deep-clean your home or find something that helps you stay in the waiting: your baby won’t stay in forever. They may just need a little more time than you expected.
