What’s in my Doula Bag?

Written By Leila Walker

Average read time: 4 minutes

Woman with glasses and brown hair gives a thumbs up while taking a selfie. She has on a grey shirt and a grey backpack.

As a birth doula, I always have a bag prepped and ready to go! Whenever I’m on call for a family, my doula bag basically lives with me. It’s filled with things to support everyone in the birthing room - the birthing parent, supporting partner, nurses and healthcare providers, and myself!

Really, my doula bag is a bag within a bag. I have my bigger backpack, which includes a change of clothes for me, snacks, my water bottle, my wallet, and any of the necessary things I need whenever I need the house (prescription sunglasses anyone?). I also have a reusable cloth rice pack, which can be microwaved and used as a heating pack! 

The REAL doula bag is within. It’s the cutest little lunch bag. I wanted something that would bring me joy when I saw it, and this does just the trick! 

 
Small blue lunch box with orange flowers and green stems all around. The bag has a black strap and a black zipper.

My doula bag!

 

Within the bag are a plethora of treats, comfort measures, and necessary items to help anyone through labor*. Here’s a list:

  • Plastic hair brush

  • Comb

  • Trail mix

  • Cleansing wipes

  • Bone broth

  • Lavender essential oil spray 

  • Unscented almond oil

  • Liquid IV

  • Teas - raspberry leaf, ginger, green, peppermint

  • RX bar and fig bar

  • Mints

  • Portable speaker and charger

  • Iphone and android chargers

  • Hair ties

  • Cough drops

  • Essential oils - clary sage, mint, lemon

  • Honey sticks

  • Small hand fan

  • Ginger candies

  • Tums

  • Hand warmers

 
Flowery blue lunch box at the top. Items such as bone broth, granola bars, teas and essential oils are laid out below the bag.

Some of the items in my doula bag.

 

I want to give an explanation to some of these items, in the hope that they inspire you as you pack your own birth bag:

Bone broth - You just birthed a baby! Your body is going into both recovery mode and care mode. Bone broth is a highly nourishing first meal after your baby is born: it can be warmed up quickly and sipped slowly through a straw during those first golden hours, thus making it much easier to have while caring for your new baby. In her guidebook and recipe collection, The First Forty Days, Heng Ou explains that warming foods are more nourishing for the birthing parent. Eating or drinking cold things takes longer for your body to warm up, which requires more of your energy. Foods that are already warm are ready for digestion (see page 140 of her book to learn more), and bone broth is an exceptional first choice!

Comb - I not-so-secretly love the comb! This is an ancient birthing trick, used for centuries by midwives and birthing communities to help with laboring. Holding the comb with the pokey side down into your hand lines can help refocus your mind when having contractions, especially during early labor. This works for a couple of reasons: first, the comb hits acupressure points. When the acupuncture points are activated, your body releases endorphins to manage pain, which in turn release oxytocin, which helps ripen your cervix. Endorphins and oxytocin are key hormones in labor, and if a comb helps release them, we love it! Second, the comb activates the gate control theory of pain management. This theory says that your brain can only handle so many pieces of pain information at one time. If you focus more on the comb, you focus less on the contraction itself. Bonus: a comb is easy to sterilize after births, cheap, and connects us back to our ancestors! 

Liquid IV - Hydration is key throughout labor, delivery and the postpartum period. Hydration with electrolytes? Even better. Your body is working so hard to make new life. It needs to be replenished as it goes through the stages and phases of labor. While I love water, adding electrolytes will give that extra boost that your body needs. I especially recommend water with electrolytes if you know that you will get an IV at the hospital. When you arrive, the providers will need to find a vein for that IV. The more hydrated you are, the easier this process will be! 

I hope you find this blog helpful, whether you’re a parent planning for your own birth, a doula looking for inspiration, or a hopeful client getting to know me a bit more! Want to know more about the other items in my doula bag? Have inspiration of what else I should add? I’d love to hear from you! 



* = shout out my birth doula mentor, Sue, who inspired much of my doula bag!

Leila Walker
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Everyone Deserves a Doula