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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Home birth - which room should I do it in...? Plus cat issue...?

26 replies

specialmagiclady · 05/02/2007 21:52

I'm hoping for a home birth (currently 34 weeks) and have booked my home visit with midwife.

The question is, which room to do it in ??

Choices are: baby's room - small-ish but warm enough and full of sunlight, right next to bathroom but also right next to toddler's bedroom. On the off chance that I go into labour neatly after I've put him to bed and give birth before he wakes up, I might feel inhibited about making a noise.

My bedroom - favourite room in the house, and across the hall from toddler's room. But would quite like to keep it as post-natal sanctuary!

Spare bedroom - nice big room but may need to have people (eg. in-laws) to stay to look after toddler.

Also, someone on another thread mentioned that they couldn't have a home birth because they have indoor cats. What does this mean? We have a cat. Does this mean I can't give birth at home? Sudden sense of panic...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cheritongirl · 05/02/2007 22:29

no idea about the cat thing sorry but I gave birth in our dining room coz it was a waterbirth and nearest the kitchen for the hose! But i ambled around the house a lot of the day and i think a lot of HB-ers end up giving birth in unexpected places - i remember reading about someone pushing their baby out while hanging onto the mantelpiece..
of course its nice to have a place that is covered in plastic and is comfy but you never know where your labour may take you! Sorry thats prob not that helpful.. all the best anyway!

tortoise · 05/02/2007 22:33

I agree with cheritongirl. It could happen anyway. 3 of mine were born in my room but probably only because i lived in a flat and it was just a walk down the hall.

And no idea about cats either.

WestCountryLass · 05/02/2007 22:42

I have a cat and have had a homebirth, never heard about that eand would argue that even with a cat my house is cleaner than a hospital ward!

I gave birth in my bedroom. Laboured from 3am, DS woke up at 7am, DD was born at 9am. Don't think much wakes sleeping toddlers

Anyway, you don't have to set it in stone, I would advise seeing where you feel comfortable once labour starts.

Piffle · 05/02/2007 22:45

I'm planning mine in our bedroom, we have en suite and I will be aiming that way
Then hop to nice non action side of bed for post partum relaxation and first feed.
Am getting plenty of coverings and sheets from midwives.
I'm nearly 34 wks and very excited!
Our cat is not an inside cat so no worries there but have not even been asked by my midwife?

CocoLoco · 05/02/2007 23:05

If I remember correctly, Angela who runs the Homebirth site had one of her cats fall in the birth pool, but other than that I don't think cats at a home birth are generally a problem! My cats stayed out of the way when I had my last homebirth.

I've had 3 homebirths - I had one baby on my bed, the next on the living room floor, and the last in a pool in my bathroom. I don't think you need to plan in advance where to have it (unless you have a pool), see where you end up feeling most comfortable.

hatwoman · 05/02/2007 23:11

I had a home birth and wandered round the house for the contractions and then the last bit was in our bedroom - afterwards the midwife ran me a bath, and ushered me and dd in there. by the time I got out they had changed the bedclothes and tidied up completely. ie having thet baby in your room doesn;t mean it can't be your post natal sanctuary. imo it's the most natural, familiar place. and don;t worry about the cats. yes locking them in the kitchen might be a good idea but if they're like our cats they'll make themselve pretty scarce anyway.

Aero · 06/02/2007 09:53

I gave birth in our bedroom - only place that felt right tbh for me. We have an en-suite shower room too, so just popped in there afterwards and returned to fresh sheets and clean bed for first feed. Was wonderful.

Bozza · 06/02/2007 10:02

I gave birth in our bedroom. We had the bed covered in plastic and with a smartprice sheet on top that could be thrown away. In the end I was actually stood at the side of the bed so it wasn't too messy although I went onto the bed for first feed with DD and I think to deliver placenta.

I understand what you are saying about sanctuary for afterwards but it was all sorted by the time I got out of the bath and DH and I just got back in bed with DD.

Original poster

specialmagiclady · 06/02/2007 14:13

That's all brilliantly helpful. I do feel that I just want to wander around the house and go wherever I feel comfy (I've always said I want to give birth like a dog in the cupboard under the stairs but in fact would be rather cramped...)

Glad to hear the cats thing was just someone being slightly hysterical. Our skittish girl will probably hide somewhere really odd for the duration anyway.

And my bedroom is where I really want to be. Hoorah. Decision made!

OP posts:

Bozza · 06/02/2007 14:17

They really will clean it up for you. They were fantastic for me. Honest!

monkeymonkeymoomoo · 06/02/2007 14:18

We've got cats, they were too scared of the noise to be an issue Make sure you have somewhere quiet to put 'em.

I gave birth in the dining room I'd say go with the flow and see what happens on the day.

Original poster

specialmagiclady · 06/02/2007 14:28

Good idea about a "cat sanctuary" for the old girl.

Monkeymonkeymoomoo - tell me why that name? My dh has written a story for my ds called MonkeyMoo!

OP posts:

mckenzie · 06/02/2007 14:36

our cat was certainly in the house somewhere when i gave birth (in the dining end of the kicthen in a birthing pool) but he was absolutely nowhere to be seen during any of it. I was told that cats have one fo the best senses re female hormones (our tom bought me 5 birds and mice in the 3 days leading up to my first birth and he had never ever done that before. Vet reckons the cat knew there was going to be another mouth to feed very shortly).
So maybe your cat will have the sense to disappear too.
Good luck whatever you decide. I've had one hospital birth and one home birth and the home birth was better on all counts by a million zillion miles.

monkeymonkeymoomoo · 06/02/2007 18:47

Monkeymoo is the pet name for DD

rachelhill · 07/02/2007 22:16

I can see one reason why cats could be a problem. Ours drink out the loo - yes it's gross but have your TRIED training a husband to put the seat down. I don't think I'd fancy labouring away and looking over to find the cat lapping at the water....or worse, fishing suspicious lumps out and eating them

Original poster

specialmagiclady · 07/02/2007 22:19

Rachel, are your cats part labrador? That sounds like very labrador-ish behaviour to me...

My cat is like Greta Garbo - a beautiful recluse. Although today she did come and curl up with me and the Dreaded Toddler on the sofa, which has never happened. It was beeeautiful!

OP posts:

PinkTulips · 07/02/2007 22:22

didn't have a homebirth but in relation to cats one of my most abiding memories of dd's labour was being on the couch in the middle of the night having contractions and the crazy stray queen who was in the process of adopting us lying on my chest randomly batting me in the face with her paw..... not paticularly relaxing!

she was nuts though and a month later had a kitten on the couch while lying between me feeding dd and a huge tom cat

my other cat was fine and kept out of my way during both labours (stayed at home for as long as possible both times)

suzi2 · 07/02/2007 22:53

I'm planning a hb and mw has never mentioned any potential cat trouble.

Interesting what your vet said about 6th sense MacKenzie - my cat was ALL OVER me the few days before I went into labour with DS. Sitting on bump, wanting on lap, wanting constant attention etc etc. We joked at the time that he knew something we didn't! This time around he's had the odd really cuddly moment but has pretty much ignored me so far so I think I'm a while off (38+6 jsut now)

wummin · 07/02/2007 23:04

I had the same wonder about which room.. I choose my fav bedroom to have the pool in and made it my "cave" We painted a huge goddess on the wall and I made it a birthing den! I had midwifes give issue about the cats but this turned out to be because some of them "didnt like cats" and thats the truth. Big hooha about toxoplasmosis which isnt even relevant, ask why, but dont let them tell you its a prob! I would have rather my cats there than some of the midwifes!!

jamboree · 10/02/2007 15:14

do you have to be near a bathroom for a H/B?
My bedroom is a basement room and my bathroom on the ground floor?

rachelhill · 10/02/2007 17:13

Hi Specialmagiclady.....well.....he does tend to follow you to the pub and sit outside yowling till you come out and then follow you home again. Mind you he's the sane one. The other one is so well bred she thinks she's a saucepan and regularly tries to sit on the (hot) hob!!!!

PrettyCandles · 10/02/2007 17:21

I'm not sure why, but I have spent most of each of my 3 labours labouring in the kitchen. Perhaps the counters were exactly the right height for me lean on. Sometimes I roamed the house/flat, but always ended up back in the kitchen.

For my homebirth (which didn't happen in the end) we chose to put the birthing pool in the children's playroom: an easy space to clear, strong floor to support the pool, space for the midwives to move around the pool and for me to have a mattress made up on the floor in case I wanted or needed to leave the pool, near the kitchen and downstairs loo for convenience, near the garden door for emptying the pool. I didn't want to be upstairs, and felt that anyone else in the house would have to accommodate me.

sweetkitty · 10/02/2007 17:21

I have 3 indoor cats and had a homebirth with DD2, they were never an issue.

I laboured downstairs to start with (started at 1.30am DD2 born at 4am) then ran upstairs and stayed on the bed. I ended up on my knees holding onto the headboard (which I pulled off!) I had cheap shower curtains covering the bed and a cheap fitted sheet. Also had plastic on the floor between the bedroom and the en-suite.

After I delivered the placenta I had a shower whilst the MWs tidied up and remade the bed. In about 10 minutes you wouldn't have thought anything had happened in the room. I got back into bed with DD2, utter bliss.

DD1 who was 18 month at the time slept through the whole thing in the room next door and I was far from quiet. She came in at 6.30am and got into bed with us all, it was lovely go for it.

maewest · 10/02/2007 17:23

I gave birth in the living room, cat was hiding under the table at the other end of the room. Earlier she had been pacing the floor, but soon cleared out when the room became full of people (2 mws, my mum and DH). Our bathroom is upstairs, was encouraged to climb up there to move labour along at one point (although am embarrassed to admit that I also had a wee at one point in our washing up bowl which was on the living room floor for sickness purposes ).

maewest · 10/02/2007 17:24

Oh and I also 'roamed' a lot... especially earlier on.

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