Maternity pack

With some health insurance policies a maternity pack is provided as part of the cover. Check with your insurance company to see if this is true in your case. The Birth Shop also sells a maternity pack containing all the equipment necessary for a home birth and the period afterwards.

A maternity pack contains everything needed to care for mother and baby, such as:

•    nappy tape

•    maternity pads, 2 packets

•    pleated cotton wool, 1 packet

•    alcohol 70%, 1 bottle

•    sterile gauze dressings (16cm x 16cm), 2 packets

•    cellulose bed covers, 6

•    net pants or large underpants, 2

•    large birthing mattresses, 2

•    sterile gauze dressings (10cm by 10cm), 6

•    breast pads

•    umbilical cord clamp

Raised bed

According to health and safety regulations for maternity assistants, the bed should be raised. We therefore ask you if at all possible to raise the bed on blocks or beer crates. You can call the loan service of Amsterdam Thuiszorg (Amsterdam home care) on 0900-250 000 02. They will deliver and collect the blocks (and other items) free of charge.

For the baby

For the baby it is handy to have:

•    about 6 romper suits or crossover undershirts

•    about 6 tops with trousers, or bodysuits

•    1 bonnet

•    12 hydrophilic nappies (apart from disposable nappies)

•    3 flannelette nappies

•    6 baby face flannels

•    1 approved metal hot-water bottle

•    1 hot-water bottle cover

•    baby bath, with stand if necessary

•    baby oil

•    2 nappy buckets (if using cotton nappies)

•    digital thermometer

•    Kamillosan tincture (for sale at drug stores)

•    refuse bags

•    plastic sheet to protect the mattress

•    pedal bin