can someone tell me about the practicalities of a home birth?

[mad4mybaby]

Am pg with number 2 and not sure if im wanting a home birth or birth centre (providing everything goes ok of course). At a home birth what do you actually need? Obviously towels, but how many. Also where did you actually give birth? I like the idea of giving birth in water but worried about needing stitches as they wait for your bits to dry off before they do it all (ive been told) and i think thats horrible, i had it all done straight away after ds was born but my sister says they waited over an hour for her stitches and she said it was awful as at that point your getting over the birth and enjoying new baby.

If you do have a birthing pool what are the general circumference? Also do you fill it up with a hose pipe? And how do you empty it??

Just trying to decide one way or the other and its worrying me already and i have a long way left and feel silly worrying about it now...

[motherinferior]

Who is 'they'? The midwives? Mine didn't, they got on with it straight away after my water birth. And why on earth would it take over an hour for a bit of water to dry off your fanjo? Are you sure it didn't take over an hour to deliver the placenta?

I think you are supposed to get a waterproof sheet. I have no memory of towels, but I assume some were used. DP filled up the pool with some sort of hose attachment, and emptied it afterwards by, I believe, chucking away the disposable liner (frankly I wasn't particularly interested).

A torch is useful, for fanjo inspection and if necessary stitching, but my midwives used an anglepoise lamp.

[mad4mybaby]

yeah i was on a thread on here not long ago and 9/10 people said they had to wait to be stitched because they'd been in water...

[S1ur]

Several towels (keep one clean for wrapping baby in and a couple for after your bath, the rest for mopping up during labour)
Cheap pillows
Ground sheet/Dust sheets

Really nice biscuits for the midwives, milk and bread in freezer just in case and champagne on ice!

• All other stuff you'd have for hospital birth.
  
  Birthing pool can often be hired through mw, filled with hose. Needs to be on fairly strong floor. Didn't use one so don't know about emptying and such.

[Snaf]

It's pretty common practice to wait for a while before stitching if you've been in water. It's because if you've been in water for a good while (which is usually the case) the skin tissue are somewhat waterlogged - it's not just a case of 'drying off'.

Imagine you'd been in the bath for 2-3 hours - your fingertips go all wrinkly and soggy, right? Well, it's kinda the same for your fanjo It wouldn't be a great idea to stitch you up right away as the tissues are not the same 'consistency' iyswim, so the stitching might not be as accurate or 'hold' as well.

Having said all that, I've not actually seen any evidence to support doing this. Might investigate.

Don't forget, there's a distinct possibility you might not tear in water anyway, or at least not badly enough to warrant stitches.

[S1ur]

Oh saw other question.

With dc1 I gave birth in bedroom
dc2 in living room.

All fairly unmessy really. But plastic sheets covering sofa and carpet helped

[motherinferior]

Ah, that would make sense, as I was only in the water for four minutes or so - actually less, for four pushes - so presumably my fanjo stayed unsoggy.

[pickie]

I gave birth twice in our own bath, I had no stitches so cant help there. You get a homebirth pack which has most stuff in but we had a large dustsheet at the ready and towels plus nice food & drink for everybody but me! Also a tens machine was very usefull (but cant be used in the bath)

Not very messy as all flushed away

[Snaf]

Almost honeymoon fresh, MI

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

You do often have to wait to be stitched if you've been in water. I think it's something to do with having the skin return back to normal. Although I'm sure according to statistics you are less likely to tear in the water as it softens the perinieum (sp?)

I've got a couple of shower curtains for protection and a collection of old towels and sheets.

You can hire/buy a pump to get rid of the water out of the pool. If not your other half can bale it out with a bucket.

You fill the pool with a new and never used before hosepipe.

[mad4mybaby]

how was there enough room in the bath?? I could see me water logging the bathroom! Also im trying to have 2 scenarios covered because of having 2yr old ds 1)in labour middle of night in which case will give birth downstairs 2) born in day and ds at nursery/managed to get my mum to take him out.

Those of you who gave birth downstairs how quickly did you manage to walk upstairs? Our stairs are quite deep and when i came home after having ds (lived in diff house) i nearly cryed trying to get upstairs about 18 hours after giving birth....

[pickie]

I was in the bath for a good 2 hours so reckon I must have had a very soggy fanjo not to have torn as they were big babies 8.8 and 9.5

Re room in the bath, yes there was enough room in the bath and no water spillage. MW lifted up one off my legs with DD so she could see what happened but with both births had my legs on the side of the bath

[rapunzelle]

I had birthing pool in my bedroom so that I had all the options covered and not far to go to snuggle up in bed afterwards. Filled pool with hose and had one of those new fangled ones which you can fill up in advance and waft around in for several days before the birth.

I laboured through the night and the noise did not wake up my 18 month old and yes there was noise. My son was...11lb!!!

No idea how it gets emptied - husbands job ;-)

[mad4mybaby]

my ds was only 4 hours (first baby) and m/w says it more than likely this one will be fast. hence looking into the home birth, esp if its during the night i know ill be worrying about ds and having to hang around 15 mins for mum to turn up and a good 15 mins of car journey!

Dh not keen on home birth in case something goes wrong. Hes not anti and wont say no you cant have a home birth but i know it worrys him. Statistics dont mean anything to him!

[sweetkitty]

I had my second homebirth just over a week ago, MWs supplied most of what we needed a huge bag of "stuff" two canisters of gas and air and two of oxygen. I had to get a prescription from the GP for diamorphine (not used) stemitil (anti sickness) and cocodamol for afterpains.

I haven't had a waterbirth so can't comment. I used cheap plastic shower curtains (x3) on the bed then covered then with a value fitted sheet, afterwards the MWs peeled everything off and put it in a bag to take away. I had about 6 old towels and some maternity pads I bought in Boots, MWs bring some inco pads but IME not enough so about 2-3 packs of maternity pads would be good. Apart from that nothing else was needed, we kept the bedside lamp on the whole time so it was quite dim but MWs had a torch for examining fanjo. First homebirth I had no tear, the one just gone a second degree one that wasn't stitched. I laboured in a foetal position on my v shaped pillow with the gas and air.

[sweetkitty]

Oh my first labour was 4 hours too, second was 2 1/2 and third was only 1 1/2 hours, going upstairs much nicer than having to get to hospital. First time DD1 slept through, second time DD1 woke up just after DD3 was born, DD2 slept through, you need to have an adult there just for your other DC too.

My DP has never been totally keen on homebirths either I think he would prefer me to be in hospital but respected my wishes.

[goodasgold]

I've had two hbs, neither in water. We had cheap IKEA shower curtain with towels on top. The mws brought mats with them, but the best ones are the Pampers bed mats designed for children who might wet the bed, they are much bigger. We got through about four towels, an old soft washed towel is best for the baby, and baby clothes on a hot water bottle or radiator for when you want to dress the baby. My dh had to go in the loft to find a hat for our last baby because the mws digital thermometer wasn't working properly.
I think it is better not to use the room you want to snuggle down with your new baby in afterwards, but the midwives tidy up a lot, and then all your dh/mum has to do is throw away the shower curtain and towels (or wash them and take them home like my hoarder mum did!)

[mad4mybaby]

those of you who had water births or pool how much money were they? Getting one that stays same temp with liners etc..?

[bohemianbint]

I bought a birth pool in a box for less than £100 I think. You can sometimes get them on Ebay for less, I think. I'd love to tell you whether it was good or not but I didn't have time to get in it last time - fingers crossed for this time!

[mad4mybaby]

how long was labour? That worrys me too as i said below i had quick labour with ds and mw thinks this will be even quicker and dont reeeealy have a spare £100.

[bohemianbint]

My labour was about 4 hours, but because it was my first, I assumed it would take days, so I didn't tell anyone. By the time it was obvious that things were happening DH and my mum scrambled to get the pool set up, but by the time it was ready I couldn't have got downstairs, so it all went to waste! Am hoping if we start getting it up at the first sign we might do alright this time.

[mad4mybaby]

hmm. Anybody know about hiring them?

[bohemianbint]

I'm not sure it works out any cheaper, I think that's why we bought!

[SoupDragon]

I think it costs more to hire them TBH.

[HappyNewMum2Be]

I have been told that our pct provides a pool if you book in advance...