Prepare for Birth with Confidence
Hospital stay data for 241 countries & territories, 52-item smart checklist with 7-question personalization, and 8 birth plan frameworks.
Preparation Features
Everything you need to be ready for delivery day
Hospital Bag Checklist
52 items organized into 7 categories with 7-question personalization. Smart filtering based on your country and preferences.
Birth Plan Creator
8 decision frameworks covering environment, pain management, delivery, and more.
Partner Preparation
Guides for partners on how to support during labor, delivery, and postpartum.
Emotional Readiness
Tools and resources for processing fears, building confidence, and mental preparation.
Logistics Planning
Hospital route, emergency contacts, childcare plans, and pet care arrangements.
Contraction Timer
Track contraction duration and frequency with the 5-1-1 rule: when contractions come every 5 minutes, each lasting 1 minute, for at least 1 hour — it's time to head to the hospital. Live Activity on your lock screen shows real-time timer without opening the app. Duration, frequency, and intensity tracking with visual graphs.
Hospital Bag Checklists
Never forget anything important with organized categories
Mom - Labor
12 items
Mom - Postpartum
15 items
Baby Essentials
10 items
Partner Support
8 items
Documents
6 items
Birth Plan Creator
Document your preferences clearly
Labor Environment
Choose your ideal setting: lighting preferences (dim/natural), music or white noise, aromatherapy options, who is present in the room, movement freedom (walking, birthing ball, shower/tub), and temperature preferences. Your birth space should feel safe and calm.
Pain Management
5 levels from natural to full medical: Level 1 (breathing, meditation, hypnobirthing), Level 2 (TENS machine, water immersion), Level 3 (nitrous oxide/gas and air), Level 4 (epidural), Level 5 (combined spinal-epidural). Document your preferences and flexibility for each level.
Delivery Preferences
Fetal monitoring preferences (intermittent vs continuous), pushing positions (upright, side-lying, hands-and-knees), intervention preferences (episiotomy, vacuum, forceps), and your feelings about augmentation (Pitocin/Syntocinon). Include preferences for both vaginal and cesarean paths.
Immediate Post-Birth
Delayed cord clamping (wait for pulsation to stop), cord blood banking preferences, immediate skin-to-skin contact duration (golden hour), who cuts the cord, placenta delivery preferences, and vitamin K administration method (injection vs oral).
Emergency Preferences
Cesarean preferences if needed: type of anesthesia, partner in operating room, screen lowered for birth, immediate skin-to-skin in recovery, music during surgery. Also covers: who makes decisions if you cannot, preferred communication style during emergencies.
Feeding Plan
Breastfeeding support (lactation consultant, rooming-in), formula preferences if needed, combination feeding plans, first feed timing, and supplementation policy. Includes colostrum harvesting preferences and donor milk policy if baby needs supplementation.
Visitor Policies
Who can visit and when, golden hour protection (no visitors during first hour), visiting hours preferences, social media policies (photos, announcements), sibling visits, and how to communicate boundaries. ProbaBaby helps you share your preferences with family before birth.
Photos & Documentation
Birth photography preferences (professional, partner, none), video recording (labor, delivery, first moments), first photos timing, who takes photos, social media sharing policy, and whether you want the birth filmed or prefer privacy during delivery.
Hospital Stay Duration by Country
Know what to expect based on where you'll deliver — hospital stay data for 241 countries & territories
United States
1-2 days vaginal, 2-4 days C-section. Hospital provides: basic baby supplies (diapers, wipes, blankets), postpartum pads, mesh underwear, sitz bath supplies. Companions: partner can usually stay overnight in the room (pull-out chair/couch). Food: hospital meals for mom only — bring snacks for partner. Insurance typically covers a semi-private room.
United Kingdom
6-24 hours vaginal (midwife-led), 2-3 days C-section. NHS provides: basic baby supplies, postpartum pads, pain medication. Companions: partners typically cannot stay overnight on postnatal wards. Food: hospital meals provided, but quality varies — bring your own snacks. Midwife visits continue at home for 10+ days after discharge.
Japan
5 days vaginal, 7-10 days C-section. Hospital provides: everything — toiletries, skincare, pajamas, baby supplies, full meal service (often restaurant-quality), postpartum recovery instruction. Companions: limited visiting hours, partners rarely stay overnight. Tipping: not customary. New mothers are taught baby care, breastfeeding, and bathing before discharge.
Sweden
6-48 hours vaginal, 2-3 days C-section. Hospital provides: basic supplies, midwife support. Companions: partner can often stay in a family room (BB-rum) together with the baby. Food: meals for both parents in family rooms. The Nordic model emphasizes early home discharge with extensive home visit follow-up by midwives (barnmorska) for weeks afterward.
Germany
2-3 days vaginal, 4-5 days C-section. Hospital provides: basic baby supplies, postpartum care, medication. Companions: partner can usually stay during the day, overnight varies by hospital. Food: hospital meals for mom. The Hebamme (midwife) system provides daily home visits for the first 10 days and regular visits for 8 weeks after birth — covered by health insurance.
Partner & Support Person
Resources for birth partners including packing lists and role guides
Physical Support Techniques
Hip squeezes for back labor relief, counter-pressure massage techniques, positioning assistance (hands-and-knees, side-lying, squatting support), cold/warm compress application, and guided breathing exercises to do together during contractions.
Communication Guide
What to say: 'You're doing amazing,' 'One contraction at a time,' 'What do you need right now?' What NOT to say: 'Calm down,' 'It can't be that bad,' 'My mom said...' Learn to read her cues and respond to her needs in the moment.
Advocacy Skills
How to communicate birth plan preferences to medical staff, when and how to ask questions, understanding informed consent, requesting time for decisions when not urgent, and knowing when to step back and let the medical team lead.
Partner Packing List
Phone charger (long cable), change of clothes, comfortable shoes, toiletries, pillow and blanket, snacks and water bottle, entertainment for long labor, cash for vending machines, and a list of important phone numbers.
Emotional Readiness
Support for pregnancy loss, birth anxiety, and emotional preparation
Birth Anxiety & Fear
Tokophobia (fear of childbirth) affects up to 14% of pregnant women. Our guides include breathing techniques, visualization exercises, cognitive reframing strategies, and when to seek professional support. Includes guided meditations and anxiety-reduction exercises tailored for each trimester.
Pregnancy Loss Support
Compassionate resources for miscarriage, stillbirth, and TFMR (termination for medical reasons). Includes grief processing guidance, memorial options, support group connections, what to expect physically and emotionally, partner grief support, and guidance for subsequent pregnancies after loss.
Building Birth Confidence
Positive affirmation library, birth story collections from diverse experiences, visualization exercises for labor, building your support network, pre-birth conversations with your provider, and creating a postpartum support plan. Knowledge is power — understanding the process reduces fear.
Preparation FAQ
Common questions about birth preparation