Home birth advice

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

I'm due in about 6 weeks and really want a home birth. Would love to hear from experienced home birthers and what you found the most useful things to have to hand, how you prepped your home for it, and any thing else that you wish you'd know before hand.

Thanks.

[Starspread]

I am SO pro home birth (despite ending up getting transferred in the end!)

Have plenty of tea/coffee/biscuits on hand (I planned to get snacks in for the midwives but failed to do it before I went into labour; really wish I had!)
You can't have too many (old) towels
Have a bottle of wine ready for your neighbours for afterwards :)
Have a hospital bag ready just in case (I stuck a paper list on top of mine of all the things we'd need to grab as we didn't want them stuck in a bag for weeks, like phone charger, toothbrush etc)

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

Thanks starspread will add these to the list once I start writing it

[RedZeppelin]

Birth pool, birthing ball, candles and nice music. The Hypnobirthing classes were priceless too and bacon sarnies for when it's all over.

[ThatsIrrelephant]

Not had one myself, but attended several. Top of my list would be, if possible, a really helpful person to take charge of your home and organise all the snacks/drinks/protective mats/answering the door/birth ball/pool/towels!

[Yarpyarp]

Have a bucket available in case you need to be sick and cant get out in time.

And have your stuff ready for post birth big knickers and maybe even some of those maternity bed pad things just for extra security. I didn't and so poor midwife was scrabbling around in my drawers trying to find stuff.

[anotherbloodycyclist]

Those plastic decorating sheets from homebase so you can line the room with them. The midwives dropped a bag of med stuff round the week before, make sure they remember the nozzle for the gas and air canister, so that when you decide that you'd like some they don't rummage in the bin liner and then tell you they've forgotten it.
One hospital birth and one home birth and the home birth was fantastic. Good luck!

[lljkk]

Chair to lean on, standing to deliver is the best :).

[lljkk]

Oh, and floor mats to protect carpets. Helpful husband to clean it all up. I made a huge mess the times before I learned to lean on a chair.

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

All of these are now on the list, thank you lovelies keep it coming.
What about anything for afterwards?

Is it a messy as I imagine it will be? I've given birth in hospital twice before but wasn't really aware of the clean up that was needed ifyswim.

[Yarpyarp]

I used a pool and found it surprisingly clean. Everything in the pool went down the drain and the pool liner in the bin.

The cord and placenta were dealt with by midwives and taken away.

There was really as much water spilt as stepping out of the bath!

[Yarpyarp]

For afterwards, just need towel to wrap baby and then clothes and bedding ready for them. And milk if you aren't breastfeeding.

For you something comfy to get dressed in ( I had a shower first) and some of your fave food/drink.

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

good to hear yaryarp am planning on the pool - have one already, need to check it soon that it doesn't leak etc.

[blackkat1978]

You probably don't need as much stuff as you think but It's better to over buy & return what you don't use. I had a few cheap shower curtains with old towels over the top running along the landing from the pool to the bathroom. Lots of cream carpets but no mess on anything I really was surprised. Also we bought lots of biscuits but they weren't really there long enough to eat them. I bought 3 buckets (1 for each end & a spare! ) & had them lined with bin bags but didn't need them! I Had the things you usually have in a hospital bag in a nice box which could've been shoved into a bag if needed but was easier to get at in the box.

The only things I really needed were the music I'd chosen & the chocolate (more for after)!

[Topsy34]

Homebirth is fab, had both of mine at home.

Mw will bring some inco pads for your bed, but some buy extra.

You really don't need much, my first i had birth pool, floor cover, towels, candles and music.....was lovely. My 2nd was so fast, i had a few towels!

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

This is all sounding great. Getting very excited about it now. Really looking forward to snuggling up in my own bed afterwards with my new baby, DH and DC 1+2.

[Scattymum101]

I had loads of stuff and didn't use most tbh.

Had my first in hospital and my second 11 months ago tonight at home. It was the most wonderful experience.

I would recommend

• oatcakes, pancakes, ice lollies to snack on
  
• isotonic lucozade to avoid ketosis
  
• loads and loads of towels
  
• an old dressing gown
  
• birthing ball
  
• kids bed mats
  

I had tons of plastic sheeting I never needed.
Got loads of biscuits and stuff for midwives and they only arrived 20 mins before she was born so they only got a biccie and tea after.

There was no mess tbh. My waters went on the couch but I had a maternity pad on and just grabbed towels and shoved them under me and went for a shower and changed to my bikini top and dressing gown after that.
No blood in the water for me either.
Delivered placenta in loo by accident lol so no mess from that although poor midwife had to fish it out.

I would also recommend having a torch and hand mirror if the mws need to see in the water.

Also have a bag packed in case you need to transfer. It was great because I knew where everything was post birth and could ask hubby to get it for me.

Good luck.

[Astralabe]

Loads of good advice here. Here's a tip for afterwards! DS was born in our home and every year on his birthday I have my own little remembering - light a candle and sit on the sofa where he was was born - its so lovely to have that connection. He might not thank me for it when he's a teenager but its my rules for now!

[Scattymum101]

That's lovely Astralabe. I'm so sad because we just moved house two weeks ago and I cried my eyes out because of be attachment I felt having given birth there.
Luckily Bil bought it from us so we can go back but I'm sad not to be there for her first birthday.

[DinoSnores]

Definitely prepare a hospital bag. I had my first at home. All went well and we weren't transferred, but it was so useful having everything we needed already collected and together rather than having to hunt down things.

As for the mess, there was none. The shower curtains protected my bed where I ended up delivering. While we were all cuddled up, the midwives went downstairs to tidy up and they took all the bloody towels/plastic sheeting etc away - and also made me some hot chocolate and toast.

It was great!

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

that sounds fab dino definitely going to pack a bag just in case and to be able to easily find things.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

Two home births and no mess outside the pool here either. Except the big pile of towels that DS and I snuggled under afterwards, which just went in the machine.

Definitely pack a bag for hospital. Also, try and have another bag or box which duplicates it of stuff like babygros and nappies. That way the bag can easily be collected after delivery from another room.

I've never eaten in labour - you probably know by now if you are likely to - but biscuits for the mw's and someone to make tea and coffee!

Also, as an experienced mother, if you feel like you are getting close to delivery and the mw hasn't necessarily clocked it yet, try to communicate that! The on call second mw may have a journey from home and need some warning, not just be dragged from next door. Mine had to leg it from the very close birth centre because the one who was meant to come wouldn't have got there!

Both sets of my mw's (two different cities) were very keen on an anglepoise lamp being available in case they were stitching me at night. It's not something you particularly want to either have done in the half light, or to have to angle your bits up so there is no shadow (Thankfully only needed stitches once of the twice, but they used it both times for examinations).

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

I labour pretty quickly, I was just over 5 hours with DC1 and that was an induction - literally they popped in the pessary and I was off with the contractions no slow build up or anything. DC2 was less then 2hr 30 from first contraction to baby in arms which is in my notes so hopefully they will prepared for me to need the two of them fairly quickly . Though I am a little bit concerned that DC3 might arrive before any HCP can get here.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

I've had that happen too, if you want me to talk to you about it!

Fast labour is a pretty good reason to plan a home birth. Medical professionals would far rather deal with a home birth that happened to go so fast that a mw didn't make it rather than an unplanned home birth or, worst of all, a birth in a car in a layby!

[lljkk]

Plenty of mess outside the pool.
Labour in pool fine but they firmly wanted me out of pool for actual birth.
I am not agreeing that was sensible, but still what they wanted.