OB Kit Contents: What EMS Rules and Kits List

General product information only, not medical advice. This page lists what an OB kit contains according to named rules and one vendor’s published kit specification. It does not describe how to use any item, and it is not a substitute for emergency services or training.

Purpose and setting

An OB kit (also called an obstetric or obstetrical kit, or an EMS OB kit when carried on an ambulance) is a packaged set of supplies for an unplanned delivery outside a hospital. The people who look up its contents are usually EMS and ambulance-service staff, supply managers and trainers building or restocking an equipment list. After reading, you should be able to compare a kit against a written equipment rule, and to see which items agencies list separately from the kit.

There is no single national contents list. This page therefore sets a state rule beside a real product kit and two agency inspection forms, and says which source each line comes from. For kits used in planned births see birthing center supply checklist and home birth midwife practice supply checklist. For the surgical product, see c-section kit, which is a different product.

Checklist table: OB kit contents by source

The first column is the Wisconsin ambulance equipment rule. The second is a published vendor kit (Curaplex Obstetrical Kit, Sealed Standard, sold by Bound Tree Medical, product 4440010, listing checked 2026-11-01). A dash means the source does not list the item. The table does not say which kit is better or what to buy.

Category	Item	Wisconsin Trans 309.24(1)(L)	Vendor kit 4440010
Gloves and barrier	Gloves	Sterile gloves	1 pair, large
Gloves and barrier	Apron	—	1, plastic, disposable
Cord items	Umbilical cord clamps	Listed	2
Cord items	Cutting item	Scissors or other cutting utensil	1 scalpel, disposable
Cord items	Twist ties	—	2
Absorbent and cleaning	Towels	Listed	3 towels, 18 in x 13.5 in
Absorbent and cleaning	Dressings and gauze	Sterile dressings	8 gauze sponges, 4 in x 4 in
Absorbent and cleaning	OB napkin and towelettes	—	1 OB napkin; 2 OB towelettes
Absorbent and cleaning	Underpad and drape sheet	—	1 underpad, 24 in x 17 in; 1 drape sheet, 48 in x 40 in
Newborn warmth and airway	Bulb suction or bulb syringe	Listed	1 bulb syringe, 2 oz
Newborn warmth and airway	Thermal blanket and head cover	Thermal absorbent blanket and head cover, aluminum foil roll, or other heat-reflective material, enough to cover a newborn	—
Packaging	Placenta bag	—	1, plastic

The Wisconsin rule names seven components; the vendor listing names thirteen. The overlap is gloves, cord clamps, a cutting item, towels, dressings or gauze, and a bulb syringe. The two differences most worth noticing are that the rule asks for a heat-reflective wrap for the newborn that the vendor listing does not mention, and that the vendor kit includes a drape sheet, apron and placenta bag that the rule does not mention. The vendor page says the components are packaged together in a plastic bag. It does not state that the contents are sterile or latex-free, so this page makes no such claim.

What varies by agency and kit

Bulb syringe: inside the kit or counted separately

Agency checklists do not always treat the bulb syringe as part of the kit. Nevada’s EMS inspection form for ambulance units has a line “Bulb Syringe not in OB Kit” with a count of 1, beside “Obstetrical Kit (sterile)” with a count of 2, and separate lines for a meconium aspirator and an infant swaddler (count 2). The Pierce County, Washington equipment inspection checklist (revision 6, 2026) lists “OB kit” at 1 each for ambulance and aid vehicles at both ALS and BLS level, and lists “Bulb syringe, pediatric” and “Meconium aspirator” as their own lines. That checklist does not itemize what the OB kit holds, so it cannot be used to confirm any specific component.

A stocking count is therefore only meaningful against the checklist that applies to you. If the form wants a bulb syringe outside the kit, a kit that already contains one does not remove that line.

Kit counts differ

The two inspection forms disagree on quantity: Nevada’s form shows 2 obstetrical kits per ambulance, while the Pierce County checklist shows 1 per vehicle. Neither number is a national standard.

Kit versus individual items

Wisconsin’s rule is written as a list of components, so a packaged kit satisfies it only to the extent it contains each listed item. In the comparison above, the newborn heat-reflective material is the component Wisconsin lists that the vendor kit does not.

Storage, expiry and restocking

None of the rules or listings cited here sets a shelf life, storage temperature or restock interval for OB kits. Use the packing list and label printed on the kit you stock, and the inspection form your agency answers to. Wisconsin’s section also requires ambulance service providers to carry out tests or maintenance on medical equipment as recommended or required by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM); that applies to equipment generally, not specifically to kit contents.

Standards and rules that apply

• Wisconsin Administrative Code Trans 309.24(1)(L), “Obstetrical kit including all of the following” (seven components, above). History: CR 19-074, Register October 2020 No. 778, effective 1 November 2020. Checked 2026-11-01.
• Nevada EMS Program, Inspection Form, Ambulance Unit (undated PDF). Checked 2026-11-01.
• Pierce County, Washington, Ambulance and Aid Service equipment, supply and medications inspection checklist, revision 6 (2026). Checked 2026-11-01.
• FDA product classification. FDA’s device database lists a “Labor And Delivery Kit” under product code MLS: device class 2, regulation number 884.4530, specialty Obstetrics/Gynecology. FDA’s entry says this type of convenience kit is under enforcement discretion and does not require a 510(k) premarket notification if it meets all criteria in the May 20, 1997 Convenience Kits Interim Regulatory Guidance. Database updated 2026-10-19; checked 2026-11-01. This does not mean every OB kit is filed under MLS. The cesarean tray has its own product code and is covered on the c-section kit page.

For the wider equipment context see EMS equipment and EMT bag, and for one component in depth see umbilical cord clamp types.

FAQ

What is in an OB kit?

It depends on the rule or product. Wisconsin’s ambulance equipment rule lists sterile gloves, scissors or another cutting utensil, umbilical cord clamps, sterile dressings, towels, a bulb suction or bulb syringe, and a thermal absorbent blanket and head cover or other heat-reflective material sized for a newborn. One vendor kit (Curaplex 4440010) lists thirteen components, including an underpad, drape sheet, apron and placenta bag.

Is an obstetric kit the same as an EMS OB kit?

The names are used for the same kind of packaged emergency-delivery supplies. “EMS OB kit” simply indicates the kit is carried on an ambulance or aid vehicle and is checked against that agency’s equipment list. It is different from the surgical c-section kit.

Is the bulb syringe in the kit?

Sometimes. Wisconsin lists a bulb suction or bulb syringe within the obstetrical kit. Nevada’s inspection form has a separate “Bulb Syringe not in OB Kit” line, and Pierce County lists a pediatric bulb syringe on its own line. Check which applies to your checklist.

Sources

All sources below were checked on 2026-11-01.

1. Wisconsin Legislature, Administrative Code Trans 309.24: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/administrativecode/Trans%20309.24
2. Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, EMS Program, Inspection Form, Ambulance Unit: https://www.dpbh.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dpbhnvgov/content/Reg/EMS/Docs/AmbulanceInspectionForm.pdf
3. Pierce County, Washington, Ambulance and Aid Service Rules and Regulations, Equipment, Supply and Medications List Inspection Checklist (Rev 6, 2026): https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/124580
4. Bound Tree Medical, Curaplex Obstetrical Kit, Sealed Standard, product 4440010: https://www.boundtree.com/kits/ob-kits/curaplex-obstetrical-kit-sealed-standard/p/4440010
5. U.S. FDA, openFDA device classification, product code MLS (data updated 2026-10-19): https://api.fda.gov/device/classification.json?search=product_code:MLS