Tips for a relaxed natural home birth please!

[littleraysofsunshine]

This is dc3, first two were fast labours. So advised for home birth!

Please share encouraging tips!

I would like a water birth if possible??

Watching this with interest as expecting DC2 and the first was a very quick birth so was also advised to have a home birth next time. Am keen on the idea and thinking of hiring a birthing pool but genuinely concerned about whether I'll even have time to inflate and fill it and whether it will be a waste of money/effort therefore.

I had a lovely home birth with ds. I hired a pools couple of weeks before my due date and kept it in the living room to use for relaxation in the last week of my pg. It was a rigid sided one with a thermostat to maintain the temp. Was more expensive to hire than an inflatable one but sooo worth it for relaxation and not to have the worry of rushing to put it up when labour started.

Other tips would be to have everything you need close at hand (baby clothes, nappies, your change of clothes, favourite food and drink etc) all in easy reach of the room you're hoping to give birth in. I bought bacon and buns for dh to make for the midwives to keep him busy until things properly kicked off. Large cheap shower curtains are ace to lay on the floor under towels and cushions to protect it. Those pampers bed mats that you use when children are toilet training are really useful to have on hand to throw under you in case you move around and need to protect the floor in your new position! Fully charged camera. Good bright lamp for any stitching afterwards.

Oh and don't forget a bottle of champagne in the fridge for afterwards Good luck!

I thought you had to go to hospital if needed stitches?

My main concerns are

• how long the midwives will take to get here.
• how long the pool takes to fill, right temp, depth etc..
• and obviously if anything does go a bit wrong. With or without midwife there. Like if baby comes without any midwife there for example.

Silly to think worst case scenario I know. Just want to feel safe and at ease.

No, if no problems then you can be stitched at home. Comparing my first birth in hospital and my second at home, I was far more relaxed and healed better after my home birth, and had to have stitches both times.

I started contracting at 4am, called the mw at about 8am and she arrived within the hour. Once you are in established labour and ready to push they will call for the second mw to deliver, in my case this was about 1.30 and ds was born just before 2.30.

I had an unintended home birth with no midwife present. It was fast and furious but we had the ambulance service on speaker phone and they were amazing. I needed stitches and felt I'd like to have the baby checked out so went into hospital afterwards. On hindsight, I should have asked for them to phone the midwife.

Clary Sage oil on a damp cloth... I was so relaxed that in was almost sent home - they went to get some cocodamol for me to take home and I delivered without midwife in triage!!!

Since you know your labours are quick, I would:

• Inflate the pool in advance. Yes, it is a big thing that gets in the way. my kids played in mine!
• Fill it as soon as you feel something that might be proper labour - don't wait til you're 100% sure, that might be too late. Just chuck in pure hot water from the hot tap. If it has to sit around for a bit it shouldn't cool too fast given the volume, and you can top up from the kettle / hot tap. If you need it in a hurry you should be able to cool it fast with pure cold water. If that's not fast enough you probably will be past caring. Stop at half full of hot water and wait to see how things pan out so you have space to put in enough water to adjust the temperature. If you're really stressing, buy a 2nd kettle so you can boil two at once to raise temperature quickly if needed.
• Midwives should be fairly quick, but make sure your partner knows what to say on the phone (in labour, first two labours very quick so advised to have home birth etc) to make sure they know they haven't got long.
• If baby comes without a midwife call 999, put phone on speakerphone, they'll talk you through it until someone arrives - paramedic or midwife or both.

Good luck! Home births are amazing....it is so lovely to shower in your own shower then snuggle up with a newborn in your own bed.

I'm also hoping for a home water birth and it's really nice hearing peoples experience! I've got 4 weeks left and am doing my partners (and mine) head in worrying about filling it and things happening too quickly! First labour was 4 hrs. My toddler is loving using it as a bouncy castle at the mo! Out of interest what would anyone advice on cleaning it after? Obviously we have Liner which will be chucked. Thanks

Ah, lucky you having this lovely pleasure ahead. Home birth for me was great for dc1 born six months ago in pool.
Just couple points to add to the wisdom here already. One of your concerns was what happens if it's so fast the midwife hasn't arrived. Ourbrilliant midwife left us to it anyway. Hands on wise they checked my blood pressure few times and the baby's heart rate. Dh got dd out of water onto my chest. They then coached him to cut cord once it had stopped pulsing. But that was a while after. And We had baby for ages before they did any checks on her. So, if it's quick, you'll be able to do it yourself til they come, and they'll help on phone in meantime.
Mess wise, have a second birth partner perhaps. Our great friend did most of the clean up. Draining pool, throwing liner, throwing shower curtains and towels in wash. Replacing furniture. Very helpful.
Good luck!

I think my concern (either way if hospital too) is that with dd1 she was 3/1.5 hours. Born within 1.5-2 hours of being at MLU. Great labour but 2 hours after I had pph of 1000mls. It was put down to a mixture of big baby, small me, fast delivery, and low iron. My placenta was "ragged" and they thought I had some left in. Which I didn't but the obs by a male doctor really upset me as it hurt!

With dd2, it was a very fast. Waters broke at home in bed at 10:53pm, immediate contractions every 5 mins, got to hospital about 11:30pm roughly. Got into nightie, on to bed and me said she didn't need to check me as she knew I was ready. I started pushing and she was born at 11:53pm. An hour exact. She was back to back (unknown) as she was in the right position at my check two days before. Placenta was normal and my blood loss was only 300mls. I still couldn't help but check down there though incase I had that sudden gush of lumps of blood

Up had a shower within an hour, and stayed in just to be sure. Home by 10am in the morning.

Both times, second more so I felt really in control. I felt it was a very positive experience even though dp missed it. I did still need stitches but not bad.

Sorry for the ramble! I think I just have the nerves at the back of my mind about haemmorage as it did happen with dd1 even though it didn't with dd2...

Thanks for the tips, keep adding if anymore

I do think it would be lovely though, especially for my two girls they will be 3 & 1.5yrs. And for dp as he missed dd2's birth!

Oh and for moi! To feel even more embraced than last time! and have my own cup of , and dp to get me some celebratory lol

Any tips for if you already have children (small) in my case almost 3, and 16m

?

All you really need to have ready is the groundsheet tbh.

I had a hb with dc3 and he caught us on the hop and we had nothing prepared but the groundsheet. It was absolutely fine. (The mws also cleaned everything up afterwards, having wrapped the baby is the first clean towel they found in the cupboard I directed them to)

Wonderful experience.

My older two slept through it all as it all happened at night but we did have a neighbour/friends primed to take them if it had been daytime.

I want a home birth but dp isn't keen. How were uour dp/dh about hb?

The other thing that bothers me is space. Once pool is set up there won't be much room. We don't have a dining room & kitchen isn't big enough for a table & chairs. I hate the idea of the midwife being in the same room as me all the time. I asked them to leave with all my other dc & only requested help when I was pushing.

What did other people do?

Dh was fine about my hb. I'd had 2 mw led births before which helped a lot. (I also only just made it to the birth centre with dc2 and we live rurally so there was a real chance I might give birth in the car - that was quite a persuasive argument too )

I didn't have a pool and it was fine. I did the whole thing in our bedroom. Mw was with me but I'm sure she'd have been happy to go downstairs if I'd asked her to.

Thanks ShoeWhore.

I've had 5 mw led births. 2 in birth centres. Dp is scored something will go wrong so its very difficult for either of us to compromise...

There is hardly any floor space in our bedroom so its not an option as if I'm not in water I move constantly.

Im beginning to rethink this maybe I'd be better off just going to MLU. It's starting to irritate me just trying to work it all out!

I had a home water birth a week ago with dc 3. Magic, I put my boys 3&4 to bed at 6.30pm (30 min early) whilst contracting, in the water and had dd at 8.30pm. On the sofa for cuddles and in bed with dh and baby. Boys came in for cuddles in the morning.

Midwives were brilliant, hands off and it was very relaxed not to have to worry about my other children.

Home birth worked for me, I'd always plan one which still allows you to change your mind and go into hospital last minute.

Good luck. X

What questions are best to ask a MW for a first timer?

I think if we do it at home I would like a water birth.

After just having one i would say another birthing partner to help prepare if it's a water birth and you know things may happen quickly! My poor chap said he has never worked so hard trying to get temperature down after filling pool to brim with very hot water (as instructed by me thinking it would take longer and cool quicker!). Amazing experience though and totally worth it having the pool for me!

little and Shelly, my mate had a homebirth and delivered fine, then had a PPH and was taken to hospital in an ambulance and was sorted out there. I spoke to her after and she said that if she did it again she would still go for the homebirth as she felt she got the best treatment she could ever have got and they were ready and waiting for her at hospital. So even in a 'worst case' scenario a home birth can be a good thing.

I had a home birth for my first, but didn't have a pool as I just used my bath when I wanted a bit of water comfort. I preferred being able to walk about and move on 'dry land'. But it was very helpful having DH and my Dmum as DM spent the whole time sorting things out, making sandwiches etc and generally freeing DH up to be my physical support.

HTH

I've got my 28 week check on Monday so will ask more then.

I love the idea of a calm home birth with water. I just am not sure how it'll pan out either way (I know you can never predict!) but my two were very fast and intense. So just wondering...

Been told to prepare for both hospital and home.

What's on your lists for home and hospital packing/sorting?

Bump