What do I need to get/have for a homebirth

[CADS]

Hi

Just wondering if anyone had a list of things that are required for a home birth.

Have been waiting for a home assessment since 28 weeks but midwife wouldn't do it because baby was breech.

Scan today confirmed baby is heads down and I want to get things organised as am now 36+4 and am worried that baby might decide it wants out before the midwife has had a chance to do the assessment.

Thanks

I was so pleased to hear about baby not being breech. What a relief!
Have you been to the website homebirth.org - maybe someone else could put a link in here? that has lots of details of things you might like to get. Good luck.

nice fluffy towels for baby and you

lots of different fruit juice in ice cubes (mango especially nice)

a pool!

HI CADS,

I have a homebirth booked and just had my assesment thi afternoon. Basically you'll need plenty of towels & sheets, and some plastic sheeting, I've bought a couple of 99p shower curtains from asda to keep carpet/furniture clean.
The midwife should provide everything else in their delivery pack which they should drop off when you're 38 weeks.
I'd just make sure you have evrything to hand inc fav snacks to keep you going.
The only other thing I've done is sewn a shower curtain onto an old duvet and put that in an old duvet cover as well so that I can sit on the sofa following the birth without fear of soiling my new sofa.
If anyone else has other tips I'd appreciate some as well

alicemama
36+2

looks as tho we're in this together Cads only a day or so between our dates!

CADS and Alicemama - I had an unplanned home birth 6 weeks ago - decided in the morning and we managed just fine!! sent DH out to get hagan daz ice cream for me & midwife when I was 7cm dilated!!! Sounds like you have thought of everything Alicemama - great idea about the sofa - we used DDs bedmats from pampers but they weren't great if you know what I mean!!!

Good luck - I wouldn't change a thing & am really glad I stayed at home! A real pro home birth now!!

SL x

You don't have to do anything other than tell them that's what you're going to do!

Thanks ladies

Midwife just rang to say she is coming tomorrow morning . Now I'm panicking because the house is a mess. Can't keep a pregnant woman happy.

Alicemama - Fantastic suggestion, wish I had a sewing machine. Actually remember you from an early "Due Nov" thread. Do you know what you having this time? Lets hope neither of us has too long a wait.

I was told to have -

plastic sheeting (got some in homebase)
towels
torch

and that was all, anything else is just things that you feel you'd like to have there. In the end I didn't use the plastic sheeting as I had ds3 in the bath, and the torch wasn't needed as it was during the day and the midwife could see all she needed to!,but the towels did come in handy!

CADS there was a fantatic thread on this about 3 or 4 weeks ago but I can't seem to find it for you.
Anyone remember????

It was so lovely and emotional, with all sorts of people remembering their homebirths.

My top tip is to have some straws because you get thirsty and it's much easier to drink if someone holds a straw to your mouth.

Have food in for the midwives, in case they're in for a long haul.

Plastic sheeting to cover stuff up and throws to put over the plastic sheeting for aesthetics as well as comfort.

Arnica, for after.

Something which is a good height to lean on during contractions.

Oh! I wish I could find that other thread. It was pretty comprehensive.

Good luck by the way. x

was it this?

Right I've got:

Straws, towels, arnica and touch.

Need:
Plastic sheeting and birthing pool.

I'm more prepared for this than I thought.

Thanks for the link, will have a look when I have more time.

Kind of going off the point here i guess, but does anyone know what happens if you have to go in to be induced? Not that i'm planning another baby yet as ds is only 4 months old, but when i do, i would like a home birth, but ds was induced. So what would they do? Would they let you go home pretty much straight away??

I wouldn't want to go to hospital again as one of the midwives was a total cow and they made me stop in for 2 nights and i hated it.

Sorry in advance

I got my birthing pool from the active birth centre and it came with plastic sheeting, tarp for under, thermometer for the pool etc etc. So I'd just say a load of towels and some straws. God knows what they would use a torch for!

Apart from that.... bottle of champagne for afterwards?!

this happened to me: was at home for 3 days in labour, planning for home birth in pool, had massive problems dilating (scar tissue after a cone biopsy) and so ended up in hospital: mobile epidural, then home, was there for 4 hours total. they wanted to keep me in for 4 days!

bottom line, they can't make you stay in full stop.

Good! I'm a bit of a whimp though, and find myself easily bullied into things. Anyway, thanks for answering me, and i shall go away now, and stop hijacking poor CADS' thread!!

Good luck by the way

The torch is so the midwife can get a good look at your bits to assess the damage afterwards, and do stitches as required. A lamp will do just as well, although in my case the midwife wore a head torch DH used when he went hiking

Definitely lots of towels, and have baby clothes to hand in the room you are giving birth in (or make sure your DH knows where they are). Oh and bin bags (we chucked the plastic sheeting out afterwards). Sorry I might seem like I'm stating the obvious here, but I didn't think about all these things and it was a bit of a panic after the baby was born!

All the very best of luck with everything, hope you get the birth you want.

Well done Zubb. That's the thread. I found it really heart warming and it took me right back to all the things which I loved about home birthing.

Message withdrawn

Hi CADS

My midwife didn't do a home birth assessment, just asked me to make sure I had plastic sheeting, plenty of warm towels and an angle poise lamp - this for any stitches that might be needed... Oh and a good supply of hot water

She will bring entonox canisters, mine brought two and I used both!!

If you want Pethidine as a standby you have to ask your doctor to prescribe it in advance and pick it up from your pharmacist - do do this in plenty of time as this has to be ordered in... tell your midwife as she will have to bring necessary hypodermic.

If you want baby to have oral vitamin K this also has to be prescribed and then the pharmacy have to order it.

It really does give you a sense of being in control if you're at home, even when things don't go exactly to plan.

I spent 21hours in labour at home and failed to progress during the last 10 hours of that - I did have to be admitted to hospital but got the very best of care (the ambulance was so quick!!!)

Even though I really had my heart set on having a home birth,I didn't feel as though I'd been diddled out of it by overly cautious midwives.

There was no intervention when I got to hospital, once labour re-established itself the staff just gave brilliant support and advice, and let me deliver placenta without syntometrine injection... my midwives loved this as they'd never experienced the natural delivery of a placenta before!

Hope you have a wonderful experience x

...i was told to have an angle-poise lamp at the ready too (also where the torch comes in!).
other than that, just big plastic sheets (B & Q), loads of towels and food for the midwives. everything else, they brought.
also used active birth centre-brilliant pools, lovely and reassuringly substantial when you need it!

Are you definitely going for the pool, decide which room you are planning on giving birth in and what preparations you will need. Also consider the bathroom as you will probably want a bath before/after. I bought a sheet from Smartprice at Asda for about £2 to have on the bed (with plastic underneath)and then throw away afterwards. I actually gave birth stood at the side of the bed but was on the bed for delivering the placenta and being tidied up so it did get messed up. But everything was tidied up so well and efficiently by the midwives it was brilliant.

Very little is really needed - the midwife should bring a homebirth kit round when you are 36 weeks - ring her up and get it early as mine didn't arrive (she was on holiday) and then baby arrived at 37 weeks!

All we needed from our house was towels and an old sleeping bag for me to kneel on. There was very little mess really and I had an incredibly fast labour all over in 4 hours from the first twinges.

Stuff you WANT is different, the advantage of a home birth is you can have food/drink/DVDs etc - I had them all ready but didn't have any time for them.

A supply of freezer meals and a bottle of bubbly for after the birth is good.

This is what I was given by my midwives last year:

Equipment checklist for home delivery

The following is a compilation of several lists available in books and leaflets. It is by no means exhaustive or compulsory but you should consider the items marked with * as essential.

*Plastic sheeting thick not thin and slippery. Waterproof groundsheets, or shower curtain (supermarkets for £1 each) - to protect mattresses, floor and furniture
*Sanitary towels at least 4 packets
*Plenty of clean old towels or pieces of old sheets (it's often easier to change a small sheet than the whole bed!)
Newspapers in a layer under the plastic on the floor
*Swing bin with black bin liner or large cardboard box (for MWs rubbish)
*Easily digestible food in small portions eg bananas, yoghurt, and crackers, non-creamy soups
*Chilled drinking water
Ice lollies/ice cubes
Drinks
*Food for birth partner/midwife (eg toast, biscuits cup a soups)
Bendy straws
Lip moisturiser
Large loose knickers and loose clothing for mother
Homeopathic preparations - advised by qualified practitioner
Aromatherapy - please check with midwife before using
Massage oils and any massage implements
Scented candles
'Rice sock' - sock filled with uncooked rice/wheat grain/lavender sealed with a rubber band that can be warmed in the microwave and applied wherever mother wants
*Paracetemol for afterpains
*Big cushions and plenty of bed pillows (wrap in bin liners to keep waterproof)
Birthing ball/rocking chair
Hairbands
Flannels or sponge for face
Bucket with old towel for rim
Meptid script (discuss with midwife)
Water pool
Cover for bath overfill (to allow deep bath)
Fan (electric or handheld)
Hand mirror
Camera and film
NappiesBaby clothes and blankets
*Car seat
Moses basket/carrycot
Music
Car park money
*Telephone
Hot water bottle (to warm baby's cot and clothes)
*Torch and spare batteries

Don't know why nappies came out bold - it only had one star next to it.

This website is good too.

Thanks everyone.

hewlettsdaughter - Fantastic idea re 'rice sock' Was frantically searching for a wheat bag yesterday, without any success. Now, I don't need to bother.

I loved my wheat bag. I had a culpepers one - though I'm sure the rice sock will do just as well