Homebirth - what the frig is the shower curtain and bucket for?

[StarlightMaJesty]

Sorry but i'm very confused. Also about the lots of clean sheets .

I thought I knew quite a bit about birth.

I thought the bucket was to throw up into. That's what I used it for, anyway. Was it for the placenta?

Ah! I got a curtain today. It just stuck me I don't know what it is FOR and wondered if it was like 'cot sheets' just on the list coz it is, with no reason.

If I give birth on the sofa, then I'd prefer to do it without sitting on a plastic sheet. Woukdn't anyone?

they don't know about laminate floors when they make the list, it's for everyone, some people might have stuff they want to protect, just in case things are messier than expected. It's just a one off list for everyone for a guide, no one will care if you don't feel you need one

I dunno Lynette. I guess there's not been a consensus , except that it has multiple useful purposes so should probably get one or at least clean the one I have.

That's okay then Pink. I thought it might be some kind of essential safety equipment.0, but coukdn't quite figure out what.

I dutifully bought my shower curtains ended up with two as they were on offer, and it's still in its packet a year later - DS decided to turn up early, so no home birth for me. However, even in Hosp I was stood on those bed mat things as I was leaking bloody goo throughout labour. I can see why you might suddenly have a need for it, births aren't exactly famed for going exactly to plan, are they?

I'm keeping my 99p shower curtains for a while in case we get to have a future dc2 at home!

Thanks all.

I was planning on giving birth in the water pool, but things weren't progressing so we went upstairs to my bed. They laid one of the new shower curtains over the duvet and that managed to catch all the blood and fluid without making any mark at all on the sheets. Another one went on the floor between the water pool and the sofa and then was covered with towels so I could walk about without worrying about making the carpet dirty. Next time, shower curtain will definitely be on the list.

I got a big taurpaulin. Just to cover the carpet so it won't get wet or mucky. My MW has never mentioned buckets though.

decorators sheet was to protect mattress (went under my sheet, which washed fine)

this time i have decorators sheet to go under vet bed (which is porous) to protect carpet (sometimes blood spots go on carpet)

actually gave birth with inco pads taking the main hit, but as ooziness after can be more than maternity pads can take it is worth not getting gak on my mattress.

oh. My mattress is already gaky! . Too many bed wetting kiddies climbing in, not to mention sicky ones.

We're getting a new one shortly after baby arrives.

agree it wouldn't be nice giving birth on plastic sheet which could trip you up, but lots of post-natal washing isn't great either...

I agree with flisspaps - I wanted to give birth in the pool,deliver the placenta in the pool...ended up on the bed, on my back. Things change, and better to be prepared for the unexpected!!

I also guess the shower curtain would be handy after delivery of both baby and placenta - I had to walk from the bed to the shower, and left a trail of blood as I went.

You won't need to give birth directly on to plastic either. They covered mine with inco pads so that soaked up the blood and made it more comfortable (not that I cared or remember, I was rather taken with trying to push DS's massive head out to notice!)

Starlight - I remember your thread about arguing for a homebirth - glad you are going for it!

Bucket - in my homebirth home visit the MW said this was needed for the delivery of the placenta. She even suggested padding the rim with the kind of moulded polystrene you get to lag pipes with, so that it was more comfortable to sit on! Even if you are planning on delivering it in the pool, it might take an hour - do you really want to be in there (bloody, poo-y water?) for potentially an hour, getting cold?

Shower curtain - even though you have laminate floors, and are planning a water birth, can I add to the chorus saying that: you might not deliver in the water for all sorts of reasons (you change your mind for all manner of reasons, the midwives want you to get out because there is some concern about you / the baby). And even laminate floors are not completely water tight, so you won't want to be dripping water / blood all over your floor. There are bound to be little scratches in it, which would get blood-stained - yuk! Blood and water would get between all the joins in the laminate floor boards. What if you bleed quite a bit afterwards?

You can put sheets / old duvet / old towels / the MW's inco pads on top of the shower curtain so that you aren't actually sitting on a plastic shower curtain too.

Considering both a bucket and a shower curtain are v cheap (I got my homebirth curtain from Asda for £3 I think) you might as well have them on standby. And you can say Told You So if you don't end up using them!

LOL. I have the shower curtain, and bucket, on standby.

The pool, the TENS and some towels.

Not so convinced about the cot sheets as we don't have a cot and will cosleep.

Baby clothes in washing machine currently.

Bag identified for any potential transfering although has nothing in it. Completely forgot WHAT goes in it.

Starlight, I am due same time as you (I think?). I also was puzzled by the bucket/shower curtain thing, but to be honest have gotten them anyway. I am giving birth either in the pool or on an old futon which will be covered in inco sheets which I am buying a box of. I am the only person I know who doesn't own "old" towels or sheets which I am happy to throw away, so inco sheets it is. How can so many people have so many old towels lying around??!
Bucket in my case is for delivery of placenta, so midwife can check it is in one piece. I know you are planning on doing that in the pool, however to be fair the midwife will need something to transfer the placenta from the pool to where ever so she can examine it for completeness. I don't think placentas travel well in 2 hands .
Best of luck, I think we had dc1 around the same time (2006?) with similar story so hopefully this will be the smoothest birth in history.
I question everything now, to the point of silliness, due to first experience, but won't apologise for it.

I don't have reams of old towels either, so I asked on Freecycle and got several offers! Then freecycled them onwards after the birth (cos they didn't get used because I had to deliver in a midwife led unit, not at home, due to "staff shortages").

Also got a anglepoise light from Freecycle as that was another request by the homebirth MW, in order to give good light should I need stiching up afterwards (a normal table lamp isn't easy to hold, pointing to nether regions, whilst stitching). Nice. Freecycled that onwards after the birth too.

Hey dontlaugh - whoever you are/were

This is no. 3 for me.

2nd birth was nothing short of a dream likely due to obsessive over-planning. Hope you get that!

Midwife last time stitched me up holding a torch with her teeth

Me too! no 2 was also a dream, also due to over obsession. Paid off!
Here's to us.

star I dont want to gross you out BUT ds2's birth was like something out of a horror flick! ds1's was quite grungy but with ds2 amniotic fluid, blood, mucous, wee everywhere!!!! (inc all over the MW who broke my waters)

dh said later it was the like the opening scences of Saving privte ryan but without the amphibious craft, nazis and machine guns!

Get that shower curtain down woman!