My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Childbirth

Getting ready for home birth

7 replies

twolittleboysonetiredmum · 15/11/2015 12:33

As title says, I'm 37 and a bit weeks and have a huge box from the midwives in my bedroom. Just trying to figure out what and where to get something to cover bed and floor with. Any suggestions? I can't get out to actual shops so relying on Internet. Is there anything else I wouldn't have thought of? Cheers :)

OP posts:
Report
GastonsChestHair · 15/11/2015 12:42

These are the things I was advised to get for my home birth. (Don't know if you're having a pool):

Cheap shower curtains - these worked really well.
Puppy pads - really cheap from pound shops if you can get to one, they work just as well as the inco pads the hospitals have.
Stroll and roll for carpet - not necessary for us but it is great stuff for keeping dirt and water off carpets because it's sticky backed.
Waterproof mattress protector - essential really, good even if your waters go in bed.
Towels - we got the cheapest ones we could get from Ikea and they worked well. The midwives asked us to have about 5 or 6 in case they had to wrap me and the baby up. Also they needed one set out on a change mat on a flat surface for a resuscitation area.

Report
twolittleboysonetiredmum · 15/11/2015 14:48

Brill thanks. What is stroll and roll?!

OP posts:
Report
twolittleboysonetiredmum · 15/11/2015 14:49

I had read about using shower curtains but wasn't sure if they'd cover a bed? Are they that big?

OP posts:
Report
GastonsChestHair · 15/11/2015 15:07

Stroll and roll is like sticky back plastic on a big roll used by decorators and builders to protect flooring.

Shower curtains are pretty big when flattened out, we had 2 for underneath the birth pool which was pretty big.

Report
LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 15/11/2015 15:18

I used a groundsheet to protect the carpet. Otherwise I was totally disorganised as dc came early and caught us on the hop!

Midwives put those mats on the bed and wrapped newborn dc up in the best towels as it was all they could find. It was totally fine. (They tidied up and put the towels in the washing machine before they left, it was like nothing had ever happened)

Report
blackkat1978 · 16/11/2015 22:48

I asked friends & family for any old towels I could use. I had a water birth so the pool was on a ground sheet but I cut cheap asda shower curtains length ways to put down as a walk way from the nursery to the bathroom (with the old towels on top) & not a single mark on our cream carpets! I also read (on here I think) about someone making their bed then putting down a waterproof layer (like shower curtains), towels them another layer of sheets & after the birth the bed was stripped of the top layers & then the clean sheets were already & waiting. Good luck, hope everything goes smoothly

Report
CityDweller · 18/11/2015 18:44

Lots of old/ cheap towels
Plastic sheeting or shower curtains (for floor, bed, sofa, etc)
Birthing pool (I rented both times)
Biscuits for midwives

I'd also recommend putting old bedding on your bed for first few days - I bled through a maternity pad first time I fed DS!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.