Life on Call: How My Birth Bag (and Sanity) Have Evolved
Life as a birth worker means always being ready — whether it’s 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning. Over the years, my “on call” setup has seen many versions, from overstuffed backpacks to a streamlined system that actually makes my life a little calmer.
Glimpse into my On Call Setup | Wooden Altar Cabinet, Birth Bags tucked away beneath, wooden Treadle sewing machine used like a home office overlooking the greenery in my backyard.
The Early Days: Overpacking and the Kitchen Sink Mentality
When I first started attending births, my bag was a bright magenta camping backpack stuffed to the brim. I carried snacks, extra clothes, birth tools, cozy items for clients, and just about anything I might want during a long labor. Honestly, it was a little over the top — but when you’re new, there’s comfort in being prepared for anything.
My car became my second home. The bag lived there 24/7, ready to grab whether I was heading to my own clients or backing up another doula. At the time, it worked — but it also felt heavy, cluttered, and chaotic.
Growing Roles, Growing Gear
Now, my on-call responsibilities look a little different. I’m not just a doula anymore; I’m also serving as a monitrice, midwife assistant, and student midwife under supervision. That means carrying equipment that requires more intention and care: tools for vitals, resuscitation supplies, tinctures, and other items that can’t just be left in a hot (or freezing) car.
The kitchen sink days are over. Instead, everything has a clear place and a purpose.
A New System: Calm in the Chaos
These days, my gear is organized in two main categories:
Home Base Supplies: Equipment that’s temperature sensitive now lives under my altar cabinet, neatly stashed and easy to grab on my way out the door. This also includes my favorite backpack where my emotional support water bottle, snacks, energy beverage of the week, my laptop and other such things to maintain my own body’s needs.
Car Kit: Baby carriers, wraps, a spare set of clothes, and my much-slimmed-down doula bag (we’ve officially graduated to carry-on size, not checked luggage!) all stay packed in the car.
This shift has done wonders for my peace of mind. The clutter is gone, and I no longer waste time digging through a mountain of “just in case” items. Everything has a home, and everything is easier to find when it matters most.
Would you like a more in depth tour of the actual items I carry - whether as a fellow birth worker trying to figure out what they need for themselves and for the client, or as a birthing person wondering what I might bring into your birth space?
Glimpse at the contents of my doula bag.
Can you guess which items I almost always use?
Always Evolving
If there’s one constant in birth work, it’s change. Just as births unfold in unique ways, so too does the way I prepare for them. I know my system will keep evolving as my role shifts more fully into midwifery — but for now, this setup feels right.
It’s streamlined, intentional, and keeps me grounded when that call comes in.
Because when you’re walking into a birth space, the most important thing you bring isn’t in your bag at all — it’s the presence, calm, and steady care you offer the families you serve.