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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Nightmares on having baby on kitchen floor!

21 replies

BabyMadwithBump · 30/03/2007 14:01

I keep having nightmares on having my baby on the kitchen floor by the sink , I know it sounds silly but Just in case I do what will I need at hand lets say! I'm only 22 week but this is my 3rd and my DC, one born in less than 4 hours and other in less than 3 hours, people keep saying that this one will just fall out I know they cant just fall out but just to make me feel better what do I need at hand!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NorksBride · 30/03/2007 17:48

My third DC was born in less than an hour in my bath. It was all fine. The midwife arrived about 5 minutes before the actual birth but I was happy enough with her.

Some midwives bring everything, some don't bring anything except the medical kit.

You'll need some plastic sheeting (builders merchants) to keep your kitchen floor clean or perhaps your carpets if elsewhere AND under your bedlinen. You'll need some dark coloured towels to lie on whilst still leaking everywhere (or Pampers Bed Mats). If you really are on your own you'll need a plastic bucket to catch the placenta in so that a midwife can check it later. DO NOT CUT THE CORD yourself - sit on the floor with your baby and put the bucket of placenta slightly higher up than the baby - on a chair or childs step. And keep your phone/phone book handy.

I'm sure you're just having standard pregnancy nightmares and not premonitions but you're quite right to be prepared!

Good luck!

NorksBride · 30/03/2007 17:50

Oh blimey - now I'm dithering about whether the placenta should be lower than the baby.

Bumping for LULU.............

Original poster

BabyMadwithBump · 30/03/2007 17:56

Could I ask MW about the cord thing IE how you cut it and to resure me do you think she give me them clips?

OP posts:

lulumama · 30/03/2007 17:57

ok ! if you have a precipitous labour ( posh word for quick!) don;t worry about needing or doing anything.....put your hands down onto your perineum as the head crowns, you will instinctively then deliver the baby slower , if you have someone with you get them to call 999 and then labour ward ! once the baby is out, do not do anything to the cord , put the baby under what you are wearing for skin to skin, and put baby to the breast, which will release oxytocin which will help encourage the placenta to detach without any help.....

if you have time, get someone to lay out some towels or inco pads if the midwife has left them to absorb fluid and blood.....get prepared in advance with waterproof sheets and old towels and keep your phone on you at all times !!

i would say once you start contractions, call the midwife without any delay

pelvicfloornomore delivered without midwife!

lulumama · 30/03/2007 17:57

DO NOT CUT THE CORD OR CLAMP IT OR PULL IT OR ANYTHING !!

NorksBride · 30/03/2007 18:53

Meant to say 'I was happy enough withOUT the midwife'. It was so like my previous births that I just knew what I was doing. Didn't have much of a slow birth though - DD2 shot out after just 3 pushes. (It's brilliant at home, I absolutely loved it!).

kittywaitsfornumber6 · 30/03/2007 19:10

I am now overdue, my midwiffe said that should the baby come very quickly there is no need to do anything but keep the baby warm and phone for help.

sohappyicouldcry · 30/03/2007 19:17

Make sure you ring an ambulance as well as the labour ward or your midwife. Only ambulances have blue lights... midwives get stuck in traffic !!!! If you do end up having to deliver, don't panic (easy to say !!), try to slow the delivery down as lulu says, this will help prevent tearing etc. Again, as lulu says, don't cut the cord. You really don't have to touch it at all, even when the placenta is delivered. Most important thing is to ensure you dry baby and keep it warm (preferably skin-to-skin) and bf if poss (this will help with placenta and if there is any bleeding).

Sure you'll be just fine. You've got a while to go yet, enjoy your pregnancy !! xx

Original poster

BabyMadwithBump · 30/03/2007 19:32

Thanks to all, maybe now the nightmares will stop!

OP posts:

Klaw · 30/03/2007 22:17

Have you thought about planning a HB then? Having my baby at home would be my dream, not a nightmare so I encourage you to seriously think about it. That way you will have a HB kit delivered shortly before EDD and midwives on call for you.

Sounds sensible to me, especially if you have quick births.

Check out Homebirth Reference site for more info

ChasingRabbits · 30/03/2007 22:37

After delivery I just sat on the floor (I THOUGHT I was on a pampers change mat - but the stain on the floor proved otherwise ;)) with ds2 wrapped in a towel and cuddled up to me until the ambulance that dh called turned up - I thought he was being a bit daft calling them, after all the mw WAS on her way. TBH they didn't do anything but did hang around until the mw got there (an hour after the birth), they just looked at ds2 and I carried on sitting there!

If it's quick then very likely everything is ok.

I did tear slightly with ds2 (no tears with ds1) and agree that this was cos I didn't slow it down - just put my hand down to make sure nothing was there yet and delivered his head.

PelvicfloornomoreChocolate · 30/03/2007 22:42

DD2 was born on the bathroom floor(nearly down the loo),no one but dp and i and not even a sheet on the floor.
My body knew what to do and i just pushed through the pain so to speak,dp just caught her with instruction's from the emergency services.
When the paramedics arrived a couple of minutes later they wrapped her in towels and requested permission from the control to cut the cord,although when the midwives arrived they were annoyed that the cord was cut and had a go at paramedics.

LaidbackinEngland · 30/03/2007 22:43

I had my DS3 at home on Monday and it was a very quick labour - less than an hour from waking up. From my recent expereince the only thing you need is a towel to stand over whilst delivering ! ! My midwife arrived 10 minutes before the baby did and didn't have time to bring her equipment. As someone else said - have you thought about having this one at home - if you plan it it might make you feel more relaxed should it actually happen at home IYSWIM ?

juuule · 30/03/2007 23:00

Anyone remember this one?
baby born in a tree
I found this story so inspiring and it gave me a lot of confidence. Along with reading the birth stories on sites like this: unassisted childbirth
I would have loved to have had my last baby on the kitchen floor.

Klaw · 30/03/2007 23:31

Oh yes, I remember that well! Was in Cape town then visiting family at the time and on flight back to UK we got to bid to get to join cockpit for take off, missed out on that so bid to go in cockpit for landing!!!!! What a thrill, and the money raised went to Mozambique relief fund. But I did it for Rosita!

specialmagiclady · 02/04/2007 11:56

I did have this worry too (and with some justification as it turns out) which is why I went for a home birth. Also, because my Dh works almost 2 hours away, I was doubly worried.

So I hired a doula - I can really recommend it, if you can afford it. It gave me such peace of mind. In the end, she delivered my baby in the middle of the sitting room 10 minutes before the MW arrived. Luckily my dh was there too, but if doula lady hadn't been there, we'd have both been in a state of panic, she calmed us right down.

There's no way he'd have got home from work in time btw as labour was 90 minutes from first contraction to baby out...

zubb · 02/04/2007 12:08

ds2 was born in almost the exact same way as pelvicfloors dd2 - on the bathroom floor as I jumped off the loo quick, with dh on the phone to the ambulance control. Dh just had to 'catch' him as he came out as it was all very easy. We wrapped him in towels and waited for the ambulance to arrive. They were about to cut the cord but then the midwife came in and she did that.
For ds3 I had a planned homebirth and all we had in the house were a couple of plastic sheets and a pile of old towels - and we didn't use the sheets as I had him in the bath - but with a midwife present!
But mine were very quick ds1 was 2.5 hours, down to less than an hour with ds3 and I have 'silent' contractions so assuming that you know you are in labour then I would make sure you phone the midwife straight away, and if you are planning a hospital birth go there as soon as you start.

Original poster

BabyMadwithBump · 04/04/2007 15:31

I told MW that I would very much like a home birth, she put that down for me, got to go and speak to my doctor about letting me have pethidine for HB and make sure placenta has moved then that's it, "home birth" will be booked. Thanks for all your help, nightmares have stoped but still there at the back of my mind, WE'll see LOL, you never know in the summer there might be a tread saying "just had LO on kitchen floor" lol!

Found I great WS unplanned HB

OP posts:

ChasingRabbits · 04/04/2007 17:21

I read that link a few weeks before my planned homebirth, was quite glad that I had when it turned into an unassisted. I do feel that because I planned a hb I was more relaxed about it being unassisted than if I hadn't planned to have it at home.

FioFio · 04/04/2007 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Uki · 05/04/2007 04:00

I don't know if this helps, but I'm utterly jealous of your quick births.

I had a horrid induced painful labour 17 hours plus the rest!!!

My SIL's sister had one quick birth but then the second was longer. so maybe it won't be quicker, no one can tell us can they?

Maybe you could have a roster of friends, family and dh to check on you throughout the day closer to the time.

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