MY MIDWIFE BAG
I have spent the last 6 weeks or so sourcing and buying equipment for my midwife bag and here is the result! The places I have bought from are Medisafe, Medtree, Midmeds and Amazon; and I have spend around £1050. I still have to buy a new Sonicaid which will cost between £600 and £700. By my calculations, if each client uses all the equipment and drugs I carry it would amount to £215 per client which helps me budget for it and invoice for it. I have counted down to a single vial of syntometrine and gloves! Whether you are a midwife wanting to make the transition to independent midwifery or whether you are interested to see what a midwife carries, I hope you find this post useful. For a video version check out my instagram reel here.
My Antenatal & Postnatal Bag
This is my every day bag, the one I take to every antenatal or postnatal appointment and to the birth.
In the front pocket I carry an Entonox mask, a quick birth bag, my nurse watch and some extra batteries. I also have a Pinard on the side pocket and a name stamp for documentation. The rest of the bag contains (as per the picture):
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Charger
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Measuring tapes
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Pregnancy Wheel
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Extra batteries
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BP machine
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Sonicaid
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Ultrasound gel
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Urinalysis
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Clinell wipes
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Pulse oximeter
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Gloves
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Mat B1
This is all the equipment I need for antenatal appointments. A measuring tape to measure your belly/baby´s growth, a pregnancy wheel to calculate your gestation, a BP machine for your blood pressure, a sonicaid + gel to listen to the baby´s heart rate, urinalysis strips to check your urine for protein and clinell wipes to clean all the equipment for the next client. Pulse oximeter is mostly for labour and Mat B1s are the forms I can sign after 20 weeks for you to claim maternity leave.
Quick Birth Midwife Bag
In the quick birth bag I have equipment I would need quick access to if I just walk in to a client´s living room and she is giving birth! I have another quick birth bag in my labour bag and for straight forward births this is all I will need; gloves, cord clamps (or cord ties) and scissors! I carry:
- An Entonox mouth piece
- Nurse watch
- Cord clamps
- Cord scissors
- Examination gel
- Sterile and normal gloves
- Syringes and needles for an emergency injection
Postnatal Midwife Bag
In the little postnatal bag I have equipment for baby checks and NIPEs.
Marsden hand held scales
Tympanic thermometer
Opthalmoscope
Paediatric stethoscope
Measuring tape and tongue depressors
Lancets, cotton wool and plasters for the NBBS
Gloves
Marsden scales are hand held scales that can take up to 10 kilos and are grade three medical equipment (good quality, reliable). I have two different stethoscopes around. One in my labour bag for birth emergencies and a neonatal one to detect any cardiac abnormalities during newborn checks. The opthalmoscope is used during NIPE checks to test the red reflex in the eyes to check for any abnormalities in the vision. These measuring tapes are for baby´s head circumference and tongue depressors are used to check for clef lip and palate. The plastic bag contains bits and pieces for the Newborn Blood Spot (NBBS) which is a blood test performed on baby on day 5. Blood is obtained from the heel hence why sometimes is referred to as “heel prick test”.
My midwife home birth bag
I decided to purchase normal travel bags to avoid a clinical look. I also got some travel organiser bags to create compartments. These are (on the left): Neonatal resuscitation bag, Adult resuscitation and PPE. And on the right: Birth bag, suturing bag, examination bag, PPH & cannulation bag and IV fluids bag. I have purchase the bags and the organisers on Amazon for around £90 all together.
Left side:
Incontinence sheets
Sharps box
Clinell wipes
Examination gloves
Adult resus ambu bag and masks
Neonatal resus ambu bag and masks
Stethoscope
Suction
Laryngoscopes
Guedels
Bin bags and clinical waste bags
For those that worry about emergencies in labour. You can see all the equipment we carry for baby resuscitation. It is pretty much what we have in hospital. The only difference is that in hospital the baby resuscitaires have a warmer and the resus bag is attached to a continuous flow of air + oxygen. It is very rare for babies to need support beyond what we can offer at home, specially for straight forward births.
Right side:
Birth bag:
Big and small gauzes
Sterile gloves
Examination gloves
Delivery pack
Epis scissors
Quick birth bag
Cord clamps
Cord scissors
Examination gel
Syringes and needles for injections
Examination bag
Vaginal examination pack
Speculum
Gloves
In and Out catheter
Amnihook
Examination gel
Suturing bag
Head torch
Suturing pack
Big Gauzes
Gloves
Sterile gloves
Syringe and needle
Lidocaine
Sodium chloride
Diclofenac
PPH and Cannulation bag
Syntometrine (usually kept in the clients fridge for best storage)
Various syringes and needles
In and Out catheter
Gloves
Tape
Three way connector
Cannula packs (awaiting the actual cannulas)
IV fluids
Giving sets
(Awaiting for the fluids)
With all this birth equipment I can help at a birth, I can break waters, do examinations, help empty a bladder with a quick catheter, perform an episiotomy, suture perineums (with local anesthetic), give injections for PPH (heavy bleeding after the baby is born) and, once all my equipment has arrived, I could put a cannula and give fluids (for a severe haemorrhage or for cord prolapse). However, with great antenatal care and holistic support at the birth I hope I will only need some cord clamps and scissors.
If you are considering having a homebirth and this post reassures you that we take a little bit of the hospital to you, contact me for a free discovery call.