What's in My Abortion Bag?
As a full-spectrum doula, I support birth as well as abortion. You’ve already seen my birth bag, so it seems like I should also share what I carry when supporting abortion clients. For in-clinic support, most of these things are already there but if I’m giving someone a ride home or supporting them at home, here’s what I bring.
Ginger ale
If a client chooses to have sedation for their procedure, nausea is a pretty common side effect from the medication. Also sometimes you just want ginger ale. People who are having sedation cannot have anything to eat or drink before the procedure so this is for after or for at home.
Baby wipes
Related to nausea, if someone needs to vomit, I want to make sure they can clean their face after.
Ibuprofen
I’m not a medical professional, I’m never going to tell someone to take medicine. But for folks who like taking ibuprofen for menstrual cramps, it can also be nice to have available for after a procedure or during a medication abortion if a medical provider has said it is okay.
Tissues
For tears, for runny noses, for spilled ginger ale.
Tea
For folks having sedation, this is for post-procedure comfort and warmth. For those who can have something to drink because they’re having a medication abortion or are not having sedation, I carry some soothing herbal teas.
Emesis bags
The blue circle is actually a throw up bag. The bottom pulls out to make kind of a tube. This is also part of the post-procedure nausea kit.
Saltines
Some people come out of a procedure and know exactly what they want to eat and are ready to go have their grilled cheese or their fancy salad. Some folks need more time for their stomach to settle and for those moments, we’ve got a lot of saltines.
Instant hot pack
After an abortion, the uterus still has to come back to its not-pregnant size and that means cramps. Clinics usually have heating pads in recovery and when folks are at home, I recommend a heating pad or a rice sock. But for that car ride in between, we’ve got instant hot packs.
