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

kittywits - thanks for the tip off, I will be aware of that. well done for sticking to your guns.
Mojomummy - wow don't think my DH would be up for that, he cant even watch holby city with out getting abit queezy, he has promised he will be ok at birth and wants to be there? think I might get mum onn hand just in case.

hollyhobbie- thamks for the advice, I will def invest in some plastic sheets for the bed/sofa/floor. like the sound of creating a nest. I was wondering about the 3rd stage like you say it's sort of glossed over in alot of books. I really am not looking forward to birthing the placenta I really dont want to see it or feel it.

I thought I wouldn't want to see the placenta either, being so squeamish normally.
DH got to see it more than me and now I wish I had looked more.

My friend also had a homebirth with the same MW, and said that once she's delivered the placenta, the MW held it up and said, "this is where your DD has lived for the last 9mths" She then showed friend and her DH how it all worked and what attached to where.

It's a really lovely way to think about it and I wish she'd done that for us too, and next time I'm definitely looking!

emmy01, it just kind if slithers out. And the pushing doesn't hurt like having the baby does. I've had 2 using the jab and one naturally in the pool. It's no big deal.

And you don't have to see it either. With DD I said to the MW "I've never seen one before" meaning "and I don't want to" and she showed me it! It wasn't that bad

I had my ds2 at home.
I knew I'd be upset by people telling me that I should have a baby in hospital so I didn't tell many people I was planning a home birth.
If anyone asked which hospital I was using I told them the name of the hospital where I'd had my sacns. This was true as this is where I'd end up if the home birth hadn't worked out.
I also wanted to avoid any 'I told you so' comments', I'd have got if the home birth hadn't worked.
It was an amazing experience - I hated my stay in hospital after having ds1.
Hope it all works out for you.

I had a home birth with no 5 - the last I hasten to add. It was brilliant I would really recommend it. In our case it meant that the other children were there to welcome their 10lb 8oz brother as soon as he was born.

The midwives were both absolutely brilliant. It was so much calmer than being in hospital.

I too hired a TENS machine and used it as soon as the contractions started. Also had a huge cylinder of gas and air too!

Good luck to you.

xx