Creative Ideas for Your Home Birth Space

There is a lot of practical preparation involved in getting ready for a homebirth. Having
everything you need is important, and having things that you WANT is also important!
There are plenty of creative ways to make your home birth space your own.
A woman feeling safe and supported during birth is crucial, and there can be a lot of joy
for her and those around her in setting up a beautiful home birth space. Here are some
of our ideas and favourite things we have seen.
Lighting for a Home Birth Space
Of course you won’t be able to control whether you labour and birth during the day or at
night. Like all mammals, birthing women are often drawn to dark and private spaces –
so it’s worth setting up your birth space in an area of your home that can be darkened
during the day. You may even want to have extra curtains or old sheets on hand to
cover windows.
Pitch black is not required – and probably not helpful to you or your birth support team.
Most likely you’ll want some soft, gentle lighting… and there are many ways you can go
about this.
If you are using lamps, consider using soothing options like salt lamps or yellow/amber
light bulbs that are free from harsher blue light. Very commonly, people choose to use
fairy lights instead: they provide some light, and they are also magical and soothing.
Fairy lights can be strung around your birth space or birth pool… some people even like
to place them between the birth pool and birth pool cover for an interesting effect!
One of the advantages of birthing at home is that you’re allowed to use real candles.
Have your birth team set them up mindfully and away from areas of frequent passage
so that they don’t risk being knocked over. LED candles these days also come in lots of
designs and can look great!
Decorations for a Home Birth Space
You might want to consider creating a birth altar towards the end of your pregnancy.
There are no rules about what you can and can’t include! Common things on birth altars
include words of affirmation or affirmation cards, inspiring images, or precious objects
like crystals and gem stones. You might even get in the habit of visiting your birth altar in
the days when you feel like your baby is close.
Your birth altar or birth decorations might feel like a personal, private undertaking – but
you don’t have to do it alone if you don’t want to. Often at ceremonies like mother
blessings and baby showers, it’s common to ask loved ones to contribute or make
something to include in the birth space. For example, friends could write affirmations on

cards and place them in your birth space, or family members could bring a meaningful
object for you to place in your birth space.
There may be other representations of the divine feminine or your female ancestry that
you’d like to include in your birth space. Most cultures have goddesses or saints that are
believed to protect women and babies during birth, and it may feel comforting to have
artwork depicting one of these in your birth space. You might even like to have photos of
women from your female linage watching over you.
Everything is your choice! It’s worth thinking in advance of the birth space you want to
create, so that you’re not rushing at the last minute. It’s also important to remember that
at the time, you may not wish to labour and birth in your designated birth space – and
that’s completely okay.