How to Prepare for a Home Birth

One of my favorite things to talk about is home birth. There’s something so powerful, raw, and sacred about a woman birthing in her own space—on her own terms.

For me, there is nothing more magical than being invited into someone’s home to witness the unfolding of birth in its most natural and primal form. The energy, the presence, the transformation—it’s impossible to put into words.

If you're planning a home birth—whether solo, with a midwife, or a birth support team—this blog is for you. I’m here to share what you really need to prepare: not just practically, but energetically and spiritually.

Why Home Birth is So Special

Home birth carries a unique frequency. It’s sacred. It’s yours.

In a world that so often medicalizes and manages birth, reclaiming your birth space and trusting your body is a radical act of sovereignty.

Unlike the clinical environment of a hospital, at home you're surrounded by your own energy, your smells, your things—your nervous system feels safe here.

And safety is key for oxytocin to flow, for labor to unfold physiologically, and for you to truly surrender.

And truly, home birth isn’t just safe—it’s empowering.

For healthy, low-risk women, research shows that home birth is just as safe (if not safer) as hospital birth, with fewer interventions and higher rates of maternal satisfaction.

What to Prepare for a Home Birth

I always recommend you start preparing around 36–37 weeks.

Here's what to think about:

🛏 Your Birth Space

Create a space that feels like a womb within your home. Think:

• Dim lighting or fairy lights

• Candles or a salt lamp

• Soothing music or birth affirmations

• An altar with meaningful objects or affirmations

• Fresh sheets, waterproof mattress protectors, cozy pillows

This space becomes your sacred portal—where you’ll moan, breathe, stretch, cry, roar, and finally hold your baby earth side.

💧 If You’re Using a Birth Pool

• Practice setting it up in advance—know how long it takes to fill

• Try it out with your partner one night. Have a little mock birth night with candles and affirmations.

• Make sure you have:

  • A clean liner (or 3), hose and tap adapter

  • A sieve for catching debris (aka pooper scooper)

  • A pump for emptying

Water is incredibly soothing and can be a powerful pain relief and transition support as well as a gentle entry into earth life for bubba.

🪷 Labor Stations

Create a few different “stations” you can rotate through during labor:

• A yoga mat and birth ball for movement

• A mattress on the floor if you want to kneel, squat, or rest

• Something sturdy to hang from (a scarf, sling, or doorframe)

• The toilet (yes—it’s magic for opening up! Dilatation station ;) no 1.) 

• The shower (the hot water on your back is amazing)

Remember: movement is medicine in labor.

🍇 Food, Fluids & Snacks

Keep your energy steady with:

• Frozen grapes (YES!)

• Coconut water

• Berries, smoothies, crackers

• Bone broth or warm soup

• Herbal teas for hydration and nourishment

Have meals prepped ahead of time, and consider asking friends to organize a meal train for the postpartum period.

🌿 Essential Oils for Labor

Use only high-quality, therapeutic grade oils:

• Lavender – calming

• Peppermint – centering and together with lavender clears fear/anxiety

• Vetiver – deeply grounding and calming to the nervous system 

• Clary Sage – supports labor and may increase strength and length of contractions. 

Place a few drops in a diffuser or on a cloth to inhale as needed.

🧺 Other Must-Haves

• Old towels, puppy pads and absorbent sheets

• Postpartum setup with pads, witch hazel, peri bottle

• A plan for your placenta: lotus birth, encapsulation, or freezing

• A list of emergency contacts and your midwife’s number nearby

Choose Your Birth Team with Care

One of the most important things you can do is choose who is in your space.

Their nervous system, beliefs, energy, and presence will all influence your labor.

If you don’t feel safe, seen, or respected by anyone in the room—your labor can stall. That’s how sensitive and intelligent your body is.

Even at 39 weeks, if something doesn’t feel right with your provider, you are allowed to switch.

You deserve to feel completely supported and safe.

This is your birth.

Ask your midwife or doula questions like:

• “What is your approach to the third stage of labor?”

• “Do you believe in undisturbed birth?”

• “How do you handle long labors or waters being broken?”

• “Will you honor my rhythm and intuition?”

Your body knows by how you react to her answers if she is the right midwife for you. Trust it.

Birth as a Sacred Rite of Passage

Birth is not just a physical event—it’s spiritual.

When you choose to birth at home, you’re choosing to walk through this portal fully awake.

You’re not handing your power to a system—you’re standing in your sovereignty, trusting the deep wisdom of your body, baby, and lineage.

And that changes everything.

Want to Prepare Deeply for Your Home Birth?

If you’re reading this and feeling the call to prepare intentionally, to educate yourself holistically, and to reclaim your birth as the sacred rite of passage it is…

✨ I invite you to consider taking The Natural Birth Course ✨

This course is for women who want to:
🌿 Understand physiological birth in depth
🌿 Prepare their mind, body, and spirit for labor
🌿 Learn tools for pain management and emotional regulation
🌿 Build confidence, trust, and connection with their birth partner
🌿 Feel empowered and informed every step of the way

Whether you're planning a home birth, a birth center experience, or even a hospital birth—this course will prepare you to optimize your chances of a natural birth in any birth setting.

You deserve to feel ready. You deserve to feel supported. You deserve to feel sacred.

👉 Learn more & enroll here: The Natural Birth Course

With so much love,
Anna ✨
The Spiritual Midwitch

P.S. Don’t forget the frozen grapes. You’ll thank me later. 💛