What do I really need to know about a homebirth?

[voodoomunkee]

Due to various reasons I am considering a homebirth. Am now nearly 37 weeks pg so time is running out drastically. Midwife is prepared for me saying I want a homebirth so at least that takes out some of the drama. What I would love to know from people is what do I really need to know before I embark on this? Also what do I really need to have prepared? This is my 3rd dc with a large age gap between this one and the previous two so sometimes feel like I am a newbie all over again!

Thanks!

I had a home birth with DS. DD was 5 yrs old at the time. I had bought some sweet treats the day before and at around 7am, when I'd been in labour for a few hours, the midwife popped upstairs with the bag and told DD to stay upstairs for a bit and not to worry about the funny noises mummy was making! DS was born about 20 mins later and she quite happily and proudly was brought downstairs to say hello and have a cuddle.
I remember being the same age when my brother was born at home, and being present at my sister's labour last year when her 4 yr DD was in the house, playing downstairs with some new special presents she'd been bought.

It all seems very natural and lovely, having the siblings nearby and I think that treats and TV will sort it out for you, especially if they have something they haven't been allowed normally - maybe get a new DVD out and tell them that it's for them to watch while mummy has the baby.
On the subject of mopping up, we didn't make any preparations at all, the midwife had a wonderful absorbent disposable sheet which she whipped out and it covered everything up. I had DS on the floor in front of the gas fire, we had to get the cat to move over as she was luxuriating in the unprecedented heat right where DS was due to land!

These posts are really helpful! I don't have nice neighbours except for ones joined on, they have young children and have offered to help out with childcare if necessary! My 2 dc's are at home but are 13 and 10 and I wouldn't want them at home. Fortunately their father and my parents are close by.

Hoping that the weather will be kind, the roads round here are all residential/ or main roads with two main routes into the city.

Really don't think I'll have chance to get a pool which is a shame. Have a birthing ball and like the idea of a duvet I can throw away afterwards. Space is limited in here but in the front room near the fire would be my favoured place.

Do I need somewhere flat for the mw's to put baby stuff?

Thanks for all the help so far!!

The midwife just popped her stuff into a corner of our living room about 10 days before the birth. It didn't take up much room, think of a medium suitcase and an oxygen cylinder. We lived in a narrow Victorian terrace at the time, with a motorbike, 3 stepchildren, 1 DD and the aforementioned cat. (Don't worry, I've moved on now!)
The birth pool idea is lovely but from what friends have told me (and my sister who was in one in hospital, I was there for that birth as well) pools only help for the early stages of labour, lots of mums find they have to get out mid labour to help the next stage. Apparently you get too relaxed and being in a pool can can slow labour down. So don't worry too much - the vision of your baby coming coming out and swimming towards you remains the territory of Nirvana album covers! Although that is not to disregard anyone who has achieved it underwater, hats off to you!

truly thanks for the info.

I'm still keen on the pool just because I found the water ( bath) very very useful as pain relief at the start but the bath itself was very uncomfortable and not deep enough so I got cold.

Yes go for the pool if you can, who's going to deny you a little bit of comfortable floating about after all?

I had my first child in hospital, 2nd at home. I am pregnant with number 3 and definitely planning another home birth (unless there is any medical reason that comes up not to).

I LOVED my birth pool. I had gas & air and pethidine first time around and the birth pool trumped them both for pain relief for me. I wasn't allowed in it in the early stages as apparently it can slow things down, but once I got in I loved the 'ahhhhh, that's better' feeling straight away, and I delivered in the pool. That keeps a lot of the mess in the pool tbh. You can buy a kit with a pump and a sieve to empty it. One of my lovely midwives sorted out emptying mine since I was not really in a fit state, and my husband had horrendous food poisoning at the time so wasn't really in a fit state either. As an aside, given how ill he was, and the possible chances (albeit low) of transferring the bugs to another person, he really should not have gone to a labour ward. So if I'd had a hospital birth I suspect he wouldn't have been there.

My Mum came down when I was in early labour so as to stay with my elder one if I had to go to hospital. He was born in the middle of the night though, so both she and big sister were upstairs.

I agree with previous posters about having 2 bags packed - one for baby, one for you. Even if you don't have to go to hospital, it means that everything is all in one easy-to-find place rather than hunting around for stuff.

I have had 3 home water births, and delivered in the water each time, its lovely and I've never had a stitch (convinceed this is due to underwater delivery and not wizard sleeve syndrome ). Bought an inflatable pool from ebay! It is so nice curling up in your own bed afterwards, and drinking whatever you like - not 'random brown liquid which may or may not have been tea from a machine!' as my friend described after her hospital delivery
As long as your MW is happy then good luck to you, on a practical note I'm not sure I can think of many tips that others haven't already mentioned - maybe check how long the pool takes to fill and if your hot water tank (if you have one) can manage it at one go? Definitely 2 bags ready for hospital, just to make easier to find baby's first things.
Lots of towels, old is useful but DH spent a lot of 1st pg away with work so collected a great stack of white towels which made the midwife a bit nervus I think! I couldn't have cared less!
MW waited till I had had a wee before leaving (think she had to check I was still working?

Just had second Homebirth on Saturday with DS2. Used Tens/pool/gas and air.

Delivered in pool this time although last time I laboured in it for 4 hrs then got out to deliver. To be honest the birth ball, tens and gas and air would have seen me through, but there us an enormous sense of relief when you get in the pool. Giving birth in it this time was great if slightly surreal! And def helps with mess

I bought an inflatable mini birth pool in a box which is about 100 quid & worth it. Doesn't take up too much space-dimensions on their website.

In terms of mental prep I said both times I would try for home birth, try to stay at home as long as possible, rather than getting too set on the idea. You just never know what will happen before/after birth and I feel that it's luck as much as anything that I haven't had to transfer.

My births really have both been great - if painful! - and as others have said being at home afterwards with own bed/bathroom/fridge etc is really wonderful

Good luck!

Thanks ladies! It's sounding such a good idea even if only for my OWN bed and fridge! Only thing is I have little faith in the 2 community midwives I have met and had appointments with so far. Which is a down side although i realise it's unlikely I would have either of them in the event!
I just don't think am going to get a pool, room dimensions and finances! Pretty much everything else seems common sense or stuff you would be able to get relatively easily, good tip re the shower curtains not being waterproof!!

I have to give you this one top tip which the midwife told me about home births.

Don't get changed out of your dressing gown too soon after the birth

Everyone will think you're back to normal and expect you to start back into the housework etc like before. I managed to keep mine on for a fortnight after DS, got a few funny looks from DP but it was well worth it, it really worked! Spent lots of cuddle/sleep time with baby and put off the multitasking I've been doing for the rest of his life for a few precious weeks.

OP, I didn't manage to have a home birth but I'd planned to have one and my midwife was extremely helpful in suggesting things to have in the house. Most have already been mentioned (large bucket, 2 waterproof sheets/shower curtains, lots of old towels, an old duvet cover).

I did have a homebirth kit delivered which I think had g&a and a large pad thing in...not sure what else.

The other things were torch in case of a power cut and a plug in heater so that if the baby arrives quickly the heater can be put on to warm the room quickly and not have to wait for the central heating to crank up.

I also had several bags packed (laboiur, baby, ward, food) to make it easier to find where everything was.

Because I love food so much and it was freezing I made sure there was lots of biscuits, soup, bread, tea, coffee, milk etc. I didn't know how long I was going to be in labour for and wanted to be able to munch my way through. I was also planning to bake a cake on the day, it felt nice and nesty!

The biggest challenge for me was arranging for someone to look after DS1, the thought of my mil coming to us was not an appealing one so getting DS1 to gps at the right time was the trickiest.

Oh this might sound a bit sad but I'd also dug out two balloons, one pink and one blue. I thought that once the baby had arrived and we knoew whether it was a boy or girl, dp would inflate the appropriate colour and stick it on the gate outside our house so that the neighbours knew.

All the best!