Which medical tools and gear does Hilary Erickson recommend for labor and delivery?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse. How can I help?

From what I share in my podcast and articles, there are a few categories of tools and gear I talk about a lot in labor and delivery:

• Absorbent supplies: Chux pads (those puppy-pad style underpads) and even regular towels under your hips, especially with an epidural, because labor is “a very wet place to be.” They help us change things out quickly without a full bed change.
• Warm blankets and extra linens: I like to have warm blankets ready when you arrive, plus extra towels, baby blankets, and chux already in the room so you feel cared for and not like you’re “bothering” us if you need something changed.
• IV and epidural equipment: I remind patients that epidural catheters are like “a flexible piece of spaghetti” taped very securely, and that the pain-medication pump is locked and shouldn’t be touched. If the IV tubing is bugging you, I encourage you to tell your nurse so we can MacGyver a fix.
• Delivery table and instruments: I note that the sterile delivery table can look scary with “ten different metal things,” but for a normal birth we usually just need hands and scissors to cut the cord. The rest is there in case of emergencies, plus a bucket for the placenta and tools for cord cutting or assisted delivery if needed.

Is there a specific part of labor (like epidurals, induction, or the actual birth) you want me to focus on in more detail?