My Top 10 Products to Survive Labour

When you’re in the thick of labour, you want everything you’ll need within arms reach. Here are my must have products products to survive labour with confidence, comfort, and peace of mind.

A positive birth experience is made possible by a number of things.

One of them is constant support to keep calm and in control of your labour.

The second, is a birth environment that supports the progression of labour by not interfering with oxytocin production. This means a space that supports a sense of calm, with dim lighting, and where you feel safe.

Finally, comfort items and products ensure you’re prepared and comfortable in your labour journey.

Here is a list of my  Top 10 Must Have Products to survive labour.

1. Water Bottle with straw

Staying hydrated is important in labour, just like in any marathon event. I recommend a water bottle with a straw because depending on your coping position, side-lying, lying down, rocking on a birth ball, you don’t want to worry about water spilling all over you!

The larger the water bottle the better, it means less trips back and forth to the water fountain.

2. Sleeping Mask

Bright light and daylight inhibits the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps your body get ready for sleep. Melatonin also greatly supports labour in that it increases oxytocin production. Oxytocin is the hormone that induces contractions and contributes to the natural euphoria of labour.

If you’re labouring during the day or in an environment with harsh overhead lighting, a sleep mask can be worn to help calm your senses and help melatonin production. It’s also great to use while resting during labour, and while focusing on your contractions.

A mask like this 100% cotton sleep mask can do the trick.

3. Lip Balm

I find lip balm is a must pack because it serves dual purposes! It hydrates your lips in dry birth environments (like hospitals and birth centers), and they can be both calming and soothing with the right scent. Try this organic mint or this duo pack of lavender lemon.

4. Slippers

When you’re coping with labour, you want to be as comfortable as possible. Who likes having cold feet – no one! So bring your own cozy slippers to keep your feet warm while you’re walking the halls, labouring standing up, or when you need to take a trip to the washroom.

I recommend dark colored slippers and ones you can wash so you can use them from your birth into postpartum. These Pommed Rib Slippers are both cute and functional, and easily packable in your birth bag.

5. Scrunchies or Headbands

Anything to keep your hair out of your eyes and face. I’m not sure who runs a marathon without their hair tied back or a headband to catch their sweat…

Scrunchies are great because you can’t miss them and are less likely to break over hair elastics.

Headbands are great because they both keep shorter hair back and away from the face, as well as catch any sweat you may experience during labour.

6. Birthing Gown

I had no idea I could birth in my own clothes in hospital. My ignorance left me feeling so uncomfortable, like a ‘patient’, in a hospital gown. I now encourage all my clients, no matter where they give birth, to have a change of clothes or specific birthing outfit. Something they feel confident and comfortable in.

There is a specially designed birthing gown to allow access for fetal monitoring and other monitoring equipment, or you could find something made locally online, like Etsy.

Don’t forget about AFTER birth. This is just as important as you begin your healing process and bonding with your newborn. Must have products for birth and beyond include:

7. Comfortable, full coverage underwear

You may feel sore, and your stomach not yet returned to its normal size. Full coverage underwear help the recovery process by keeping everything in place, but being extra stretchy and accommodating as you navigate your recovery.

There are also C-Section specific underwear that keep your incision recovery in mind with their design.

If you’re not into disposable underwear, you can opt for a more sustainable option, although at a higher price tag. These absorbent underwear will give you a little extra leak protection when used with your postpartum pads.

8. Peri Bottle

Nothing feels better than warm water on a sore perineum. Also, instead of wiping when you may still feel sore and tender, warm water cleanses and soothes every time you use the washroom. This design helps target specific areas to make use of your peri bottle easy and simple.

9. Extra long, Extra Absorbent Pads

Lochia, vaginal discharge after delivery, begins shortly (if not immediately) after birth, and it can last for up to 14 days. It’s not recommended to use tampons or cups to help prevent infection.

The last thing on your mind after having a baby, is needing to change yourself more frequently than your newborn! I recommend extra long, extra absorbent pads to make sure you’re fully covered (pun intended!).

There are the conventional disposable types, or the more sustainable versions. I always recommend ‘overnight’ varieties, for both day and night use, as they normally have more absorbency and are longer in length to catch those potential leaks.

10. Comfortable Pajamas

To be honest, I never changed my newborn out of his sleeper for the first 4 weeks of his life. I was so focused on caring and feeding him, that we never had a reason to change him out of his sleeper. Looking back now, and I should have invested in a very comfortable set of pajamas that I could wear immediately in the hospital after birth, and all day/night at home.

I would recommend investing in a set that is comfortable enough for recovery, but robust enough for all day wear. This piped pajama line isn’t designed specifically for postpartum, but they are made of soft fabrics, great for lounging, are super stylish, and have buttons to allow easy access for those parents who choose to breastfeed. Best of all worlds!

I hope you found this list useful of my Top 10 Must Haves for surviving labour. If you need a more exhaustive list of items for labour, check out my Birth Prep Bundle that includes a Birth Bag Checklist of 50+ items for you, your partner, and your baby. It also comes with a Birth Journal to document your birth story, as well as a Birth Wishes Guide to help you plan your birth preferences. Get your bundle for only $9!