Hesperian Health Guides
Preparing for Labor and Birth
HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 6: Pregnancy and Birth > Preparing for Labor and Birth
Things to have ready before birth
Try to have these things on hand by the seventh month of pregnancy:
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These are some additional supplies a midwife or birth attendant may have:
flashlight
fetoscope
blunt-tipped scissors that have been sterilized, to cut the cord before the baby is born all the way
sterile
gloves or
plastic
bags
gloves or
plastic
bags
sterile needle and gut
thread for sewing tears
in the birth opening
thread for sewing tears
in the birth opening
sterile syringe
and needles
and needles
several injections or tablets of ergonovine, ergometrine, oxytocin, or misoprostol
ART (HIV medicines) for adult and baby if pregnant person has HIV
antibiotic ointment, povidone-iodine solution, or silver nitrate solution for the baby’s eyes
suction bulb for sucking mucus out of the baby’s nose and mouth
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Learning about labor and birth makes anyone better able to help when someone is having a baby
Helping at the birth
If you are pregnant, read these next few pages to know what to expect during labor and after the baby is born.
If you are helping someone give birth, reassure them so they will not be afraid. Remember that most babies are born without problems. Stay calm and cheerful, and let the person know that you trust their ability to give birth.
| For safe birth practice the 3 cleans: | ||
| 1. Clean hands | 2. Clean place to give birth | 3. Clean tool to cut the cord |
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DO
- Keep your nails clean and cut short.
- Wash your hands with soap and clean water. Let them dry in the air.
- Learn the “Danger Signs during Pregnancy” and find out if the person has any conditions that increase the risk of a difficult birth. If they have risks or danger signs, help them give birth in a health center or hospital.
- Learn the “Danger Signs during Labor”. Go to the hospital if they have any of these signs.
- Treat anyone in labor with kindness and respect.
IMPORTANT! Protect yourself from HIV and hepatitis by wearing clean gloves during a birth. If you do not have gloves, use washed plastic bags.
DO NOT
- Do not put your fingers or anything else in the vagina unless you have been trained to do vaginal exams. If labor is going well, wait at least 4 hours between exams. Do not start a vaginal exam during a contraction, and never do an exam if there is heavy or unusual vaginal bleeding.
- Do not give any medicine to speed up or strengthen labor. These medicines can kill someone giving birth as well as the baby. Medicines to contract the womb should only be used to stop bleeding after the baby is born.
- Do not tell someone to push before they are ready. When it is time, they will feel like they have to pass stool and will start pushing on their own.
- Do not push on the person’s belly. This will not make a baby come out faster but can tear the womb or cause the placenta to separate from the womb too soon. Both the pregnant person and the baby can die.
This page was updated:22 Jan 2024