Homebirth: the bucket question! :-D

[TurquoiseTranquility]

Hi all,
I'm planning a homebirth with my 2nd baby. Midwives called y'day to look at the house and discuss details, etc. They did go through a checklist of essentials I'll need to have handy, but AFTER they left I had a look at it again and down the bottom it says "builders bucket with insulating foam for placental delivery"

I honestly don't remember them saying anything about a bucket! Unless "mummy brain" is setting in already It's not on the main list, it's down the very end under "points for discussion" (far as I understand, that's stuff I should consider but not necessarily implement?).

They also left a small bag of supplies (gloves, sterilising wipes, etc.) and there is a little bucket in there (I'd say about 3 litres capacity?) but no lid that I could see. I'm not too sure how big a placenta's meant to be, and also I think they try and collect as much blood as they can to assess blood loss, so it's hard for me to tell if that one's big enough.

So do I need a bucket or not? And what's the insulating foam thingy about? Will bubble wrap do?
Ideas?

I never had a bucket. They wrapped it up and took it away themselves I think.

I never had a bucket. They brought their own medical waste container and took it away (after the poor midwife had to sift through it and make sure it was all intact )

Insulating foam?! What possible purpose could that serve?! I can't imagine a scenario where you'd need to keep it warm!

We had a spare washing up bowl handy last time incase we needed a bowl/tub for anything. I remember being sick in it once or twice but I have no memory of it being used for the placenta. DH can't remember what happened to it either. We were too busy laughing at the fact that DS pood all over DH as soon as I handed him over!

Didn't have a home birth but the midwife tried to show me my placenta which was, at that point, contained in something that looked remarkably like the plastic mixing bowl I use for baking so I don't think you'll need a builders bucket for it.

oh god I had a bucket.( I had blocked that from memory) I had to sit on it! very uncomfortable, perhaps the foam is to go around the edge?
Placenta delivery was more stressful than baby. But then I chose to have the injection and I think this freaked the midwife out. (it was i plan, but the one who turned up on the day didn't seam comfortable to be out of the hospital IYSWIM)

i never had a bucket - it just went straight into an incinerator bag as i recall....

my how things change!

I birthed mine into my washing up bowl. In my defence, my home birth wasn't planned so my lovely midwife had to just improvise and make do. She did have a medical waste bag to dispose of it though so I don't know what normally happens if you have a planned home birth???

I did bin it afterwards, and I have to say I am really glad things turned out the way they did as I MUCH prefer not having a washing up bowl in the sink - I used to spend my life washing grease and food off the bloody thing, then washing the sink, but now I just squidge the cleaner around the sink itself and swirl the dirt away - much easier. I would never have a separate washing up bowl again.

Lol at emsyj!!!

I remember NCT an teachers promoting sturdy buckets as improvised birthing stools. Haven't seen one used like this for ages though?.

As a mw i like having a bucket to line with a clinical waste bag to use as a bin as i go along. and I can always whip the bag out if someone says they are going to be sick!

I bought 2 cheap washing up bowls for my homebirth as recommended by my mw. I used one to puke in at transition and the mw used the other to put the placenta in so she could check it was all there, it actually plopped out on the floor though

The insulating foam thing is a bit , maybe its so you can sit on it to deliver the placenta?

many thanks for your comments,
does make sense to have some sort of bowl or bucket I suppose. I wasn't sick in my first labour but who knows what happens this time.

No one's making me sit on a bucket for placenta delivery though, that's for sure! I've got enough disposable bed pads. I remember being so exhausted by the time DS was finally born they wouldn't be able to make me sit up again for love or money! No mind hover over a bucket! Really hoping for a quicker labour this time though.

The midwife who booked this home visit for me did ask if we wanted to keep the placenta cue DH saying he's no Inuit and there'll be no consumption of human organs but maybe the insulating foam was to keep it cool rather than warm? that's really bothering me now, I'll have to remember to ask the MWs on the day