Home birth help

[emmy01]

Dear all

Please help I have chosen a home birth as I feel this is right for me and my baby (this is my first). However I have found it hard to find information about what I will need etc all the pratical stuff. I would really like to hear from ladies who have had home births and any tips and advice they have, i am 23 and every time I tell people my plans I'm met with disaproving looks and people telling me I should go to hospital with my first baby etc. its really making me feel bad I hate hospitals and so does my husband I dont see myself a sick so feel I dont need to go. Of course I am prepared to go if anything changes leading up to or during the labour, the safety of my baby is the most important thing. so any advice would be welcome on how I can make the most of my home birth and be fully prepared.

Thank you em x

homebirth.org is good

if you google home birth there are TONS of websites

round here the midwives come out to your house to see you from 34 weeks and discuss everything fully with you and your dh if he is interested, they giove you a list of things you will need plus arrange deliverly of entonox (gas and air)

i had a homebirth 2 weeks ago after 2 c-sections and it was amazing. my sis was there and she said that when she has children shewants a homebirth as mine had inspired her.Our midwife gave us a list of usefull things and we had an old duvet and pillows to cuddle up in on floor, plenty of towells to get in and out of birth pool, inco pads,energy drinks and celebratory food for after. i also used my birth ball/yoga ball to rock on through contractions. if you can go for a homebirth then i really recomend it as mine was fantastic.

Emmy - good for you for choosing a home birth. I'm having one for my second (hopefully) in 4 weeks time. The only thing I would say is have you checked with your mw as in some areas, they don't like to have home births with your first child. I had a hospital water birth with my first and recommend it as an alternative option

What area are you in, Emmy? In some areas there are special midwife teams (NHS) for women planning homebirths - in S London, anyway.

Emmy the midwives will help you with what you need - its really not that much and a great deal of it you will have already.

Be prepared for people to make tactless, uninformed and downright stupid comments to you. The day I had my ds at home an aquaintance and, and health visitor friend told me I was being irrisponsible, putting baby's life in danger all sorts of rubbish. You will have to be strong, and prepared to allow these things to go over your head. I am convinced the midwives are fairly cautious and if they are worried they wont let you do it!. For my third I had to go to hospital because my iron count was so low they decided it wouldn't be safe for me.

Good luck - I hope you get your home birth, I think it is the most wonderful experience - I have had 2 hospital, 1 birth centre and 1 home birth - I take the home birht every time!

I had a homebirth for my second. Midwife delivered a box with all the stuff she would need when i was thirtysomething weeks pregnant. All i supplied was an old nightie to give birth in, some clean towels and a hot water bottle to warm the towels up. I gave birth on my bed so had a pile of clean bedding ready and the midwife changed the sheets while i had a bath.
Was a lovely experience.

emmy - you may also find that NCT ante-natal classes will give you lots of confidence for a homebirth - and lots of helpful statistics and facts with which to repel those who try to put you off.

hi Emmy01

I am due on Sunday 23rd so will pop soon hopefully.I am all set for my homebirth.

I have bought a La Bassine pool for labouring/delivering in. Large plastic sheeting and old duvet in case i deliver out of the pool.I also bought maternity mats to put beside pool and for dry land delivery.
Mw brought 2 medium sized crates with all the necessary equipment eg amnihooks,pads,suction tubing,delivery/suture packs.She also got me a script for pethidine in case i need it,arranged for entinox and oxygen to be delivered.

cant think of anything else atm but if theres anything you want to ask feel free!!

Hi emmy,

Check out this site

I had a La Bassine pool too

it was great (and cheap!)

Did you deliver in it Enid? Do you use it as a paddling pool/ball pool now? I was planning to but don't know if it would be a bit yukky if i give birth in it first.Obv i would disinfect it but,well seems a bit odd?

I did deliver in it and it wasnt yukky until I stood up to get out

but dh cleaned it thoroughly and its fine although we already HAVE a paddling pool so...yes it would seem a bit weird to use it

Thank you all so much for your comments,
I have wanted a home birth from the beginning but I was nervous I wouldn?t be able to cope with the pain, when I told my midwife she said it was a wonderful idea and filled me with confidence about the whole thing. So at least my midwife is on board. I have decided the whole thing would be more relaxed at home and my husband can stay with us, therefore I would be in a better frame of mind to cope. I was scared to go to hospital because I want things to happen at there own pace and naturally and I wanted support I have heard so many stories of new mums just being left on the ward to ?get on with it? and in a panic, rushed along because things aren?t progressing quickly enough for the hospitals liking. I am aware first time births can take longer so being at home I would have more control. Plus we can eat drink at our leisure it will be quite no screaming ladies to terrify me and I can watch TV if I want. The disruption for baby will be minimal no glaring lights or being taken away and they can spend their first night in their own cot, all being well of course. My cousin had her first at home and said she was watching eastenders on the Sunday afternoon then gave birth with a couple of pushes after, I laughed! I?m sure it wasn?t as easy as that! I am really looking forward to the birth now; I want it to be as special as possible.

Good luck Emmy!
I went for a homebirth for my first (and only!) baby for many of the reasons you talk about. I hired a tens machine and a pool, and started using the TENS machine as soon as contractions started. That got my endorphins up to a high level, I think. I was sitting outside reading the paper, on the phone to friends, moving around a lot, and very relaxed. I got into the pool quite late on and it was fantastic. It did take hours, but even after a couple of hours of pushing I was quite happy without even G&A.

I did have to transfer in the end because DS was OP and not moving down. But by then I knew we did need intervention, felt confident that it was as much my decision as anyone's, and we went in for a ventouse delivery (for which I did demand an epidural). The obstetrician said that had I been labouring in hospital 'this baby would have been out by section a couple of hours agao' - so I was pleased that I had stayed at home during labour!

Well done Blu ! like you say the intervention was needed but it was done with your full consent and you had time to make the choice. congratulations. I'm quite ok about going in to hosp if it is required. dont blame you choosing an epi for the v delivery ouch ! if i'm in in a situation like that I will be demanding everything they have! hee hee hee. glad to hear tense worked as I keep getting mixed reviews it's def somthing I'm considering using in the very first stages, I've got myself a 'birth pool in a box' inflatable pool recommended by my midwife not to expensive either, not sure if i'm going to give birth in it yet I will take it as it comes. that was my other reason for home birth our hosp could not confirm I would def be able to use pool as others may already be in there when I go in to labour.

Hi ya Emmy and everyone.
I hope it all goes well and it has been really helpful for me to read your thread as I am in the same situation as you, everyone keeps saying I am crazy and so on cause it's my first, just like you!
I am 27 weeks now and also know that if I need to go to hospital the most important thing is the baby after all and will wait and see what happens!
Thanks again ans please let us know how it goes!
P

hi emmy can't give personal experience but if you are into books can I recommend 'spiritual midwifery' by ina may gaskin (often recommended on here) as despite truly groovy psychedelia type writing, there is a lot of good stuff in there and quite inspiring about home birth. also IMO it is quite practical about sometimes needing to go to hospital. Only thing I would say is that if anything it is quite negative about women making noise in labour - i reckon, if you want to, make that noise.

paow so nice to hear from someone in the same situation, people do act quite alarmed dont they? and say 'if you want the truth go to hospital with your first'. and they think we are that stupid that we wouldnt go to hospital or we are chosing to put our babies in 'danger'. like you I am sensible and nothing will stop me getting to that hosp if it is required. however i've also been told by a midwife HB is just as safe even safer than hosp birth due to all the nasty infections going around hosp's and because you are more relaxed things happen alot easier and less stressfuly for mum and baby. plus you get 2 midwifes at the birth and one with you all the way through so your not left alone like in hosp. if you get any other info please share good luck with it all. lets hope we dont annoy our neighbours to much with the noise ! hee hee hee

ALERT ALERT!!!! PLease be aware of this when you go into labour and tell the hospital that you are booked for a home birth. It is a very strong possibility that they will say they are short staffed and can you come in instead.
I was warned of this and it did indeed happen to me. I just politely said no I was staying at home. THey HAVE to send someone out to you IT IS THE LAW, so don't let them tell you they haven't got enough staff. They WIIL find someone, so don't panic!

hmm, my friend's DH delivered their son on the bathroom floor - no midwives available. This wasn't supposed to be a homebirth, she just had a VERY fast labour.

Hi Emmy, I had a homebirth for my first and got the same 'putting the baby in danger' comments... just ignore them and get on with doing what YOU want to do.

I gave birth abroad, so I'm not sure what British midwives provide, but my practical advise would be:
Get some plastic sheets. I gave birth on the floor and we had a plastic sheet on the floor then a 'nest' of old towels, bedding and cushions.
The 2nd plastic sheet we put on the bed: we made the bed, then put a plastic sheet down, then made it again. Once DD was born, we got into bed to keep warm, then once she was cleaned and changed and I got dressed, we took the dirty bedclothes and the plastic sheet off and could get straight back into a clean fresh bed again.
Maybe your midwife will supply these, but we had to buy industrial strength bin bags for all the medical waste (and the placenta!) We also had to buy the super big pads that I had to wear after the birth [yuk! emoticon].

One other thing I've been thinking about that my midwife didn't prepare me for in the preparation course is that you will have to push the placenta out! All the books I'd read kind of skipped over that bit, saying, 'you'll hardly notice it, you'll be so wrapped up in your baby' and I got the impression that in hospitals they quite often give medication to help with the afterbirth, so no one had told me that I would have to push again, therefore I was dismayed and horrified to suddenly realise that I was expected to have to do some MORE pushing!!! Don't worry, it's not half as full-on as giving birth to the baby, but don't be suprised by it, like I was!

Good luck to you, enjoy it and make sure you get lots of tasty food in - I could have eaten a horse the day after.

They will offer you syntocinon here to help separate the plancenta quickly, so it's no different to in hospital

Statistically a homebirth is safer for mother and baby in a straightforward pregnancy. I can't remember what the research was off hand.

I had DS1 & 2 in hospital and DD at home in a pool. It was much calmer at home,

And I got my home address on her birth certificate as "place of birth"

Fantastic - go for it! I had my two at home, and both were great. Most important thing is for you to be as relaxed as possible. BTW - cheap shower curtains will do for plastic sheets.

They will only give you syntometrine to help deliver the placenta if you give birth on dry land.If you deliver in the pool then it will be a natural 3rd stage(according to my mw)