For both a home or a hospital water birth you can use our checklist to help you prepare. This way you can ensure that you have everything on hand for a water birth. You can find many checklists online for a home birth, and many of these items are also relevant when you prepare for a water birth. We have prepared a water birth checklist for you below to help you prepare optimally for a water birth. Keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive: some items on the list might be unnecessary for you while other items might be missing. 

Make sure that you have all items on your childbirth checklist and/or your hospital bag ready go. You will need all of these items for either a home birth or a hospital birth. If you planned for a homebirth, it is also important to still have a hospital bag ready in case you need to transfer to the hospital.

Checklist for a home birth (in addition to the maternity box)

• Warm (long) socks
• Icepacks 
• Lipbalm 
• Bucket 2x 
• Garbage bags 
• Hair tie 
• Nursing bra 
• Bedpan

Additional items needed for a water birth 

• Professional birth pool and accessories 
• Read through instructional manual, and the points of attention 
• Sufficient number of dry towels 
• Bathrobe(s) 
• Clean bucket 
• If desirable: swimwear (top) 

Tips

• Don’t forget to elevate your bed with a bed raiser three weeks before your due date. You can rent or buy bed raisers at most large stores. 
• Do you have children or animals? Make sure to arrange care for them 
• Make sure to have a camera or video camera on hand, or a fully charged phone. 
• Prepared well?

This checklist helps you prepare optimally for a water birth. Read more water birth tips, on, for example, proper clothing, pain relievers, and birthing in your own bathtub.