Homebirths: Where did you give birth - bedroom, front room, kitchen floor?

[wem]

I'm 12 weeks pregnant with my first. I like the idea of a home birth, but I can't actually picture it happening in my home. Our bedroom's not the biggest, with me, dh and a midwife (or two?) we'd be tripping over each other. There's more space downstairs but it seems less cosy or right, or something, I don't know.

Perhaps I just can't get my head around the idea of giving birth at all...

Don't worry about the size of the room. I've had two home births in two very small houses. The second one - just after New Year - was in the box room upstairs, which is where we'd set up the pool. So, we had a very small room, with the pool taking up most of the floorspace, me, dh, dd1 for some of the labour, and one midwife and managed just fine. I gave birth kneeling on the floor and leaning onto the pool - it was wonderful, although dd managed to 'shoot out' on the carpet in the only space not covered by plastic sheeting (it was very hurriedly set up) and there's now a lovely rust-coloured stain. Duct tape anyone?

In the sitting room on a groundsheet leaning against the sofa.

In the kitchen with a birthing pool and a couple of rubber duckies! DD aged 9 watched a video in the next room and got some headphones because it was a bit loud.

wem, the MW at our didn;'t stay that long- arrived at 20 past 12 (first one did anyhow), and left just before two, but they did check baby was feeding well, and amde sure my doula was happy to help with anything (it was only a week ago so I guess this is current info LOL). they cleaned up everything and didn't leave a single trace of what had happened, and then just left quietly. I actually felt bad because I never even got round to offering them any of the food I'd put in or anything but it was amazing how unobtrusive everything was really.

Both of them in our bath and our bathroom is small

Bedroom x3

Nos 3 & 4 in our bedroom. Small room - I liked that - didn't want huge space around me. Kneeling on the floor and leaning onto bed for support.
[sigh] was beautiful - with no 4 other 3 children trotted in very soon afterwards. Midwives there for just over an hour.... bit faster than I'd expected!

Dining room. I laboured mostly in the cloakroom though.

Will take a piccie of both before we move, and show them to DD at suitably embarrassing times...

I fully expected it would be my bedroom
BUT when the time came I would not be taken from the living room!

i managed to go upstairs put plastic sheet on our bed, fell on it and then about 15 mins later pushed out dd4

In the bedroom on the bed in the exact spot I sleep. Boring eh? However, if anyone asks I say "oh, right there where you're sitting, it was seriously messy" just to watch their face

Aw, nice thread I turn into a soppy fool when I read about homebirths (okay, all births TBH )
DD2 was born on our bedroom floor; DD3 in a pool in the front room. I feel the front room is a really sacred space now (the bedroom has always been sacred )

Pool, living room. So great to tell all the visitors that he was born a few feet from where they were sitting.

I did that to the HV when she came round when DS was around 6 weeks old. We were chatting about the birth, she said something like where was he born and I said "pretty much where you're sitting". Cue uncomfortable look.

Of course the homebirth was just the final tick on the list for her assessment of me as a hippy loon

Ah yes- the hippy loon thing! get a lot of that.... fortunately most people i have spoken to so far are things like teachers of indian philosophy etc so i'd have a way to go to outstrip them

unexpected homebirth ended up in the lounge room.
i now love the idea of homebirths.

DC1-3 hosp
dc4 BBA in Feb Out in the utility room next to the wellies! Not planned but the concrete floor was easy to clean! third stage in the lounge where it was a bit warmer. Ambulance men when they arrived were lovely , cut the cord. MW when she arrived stayed for ages and gently got us all checked out and settled. Makes me smile when I'm putting my wellies on now to go out!

my bedroom, but we do live in a flat

hi Im considering a home birth with birthing pool for dc2, as dc1 was born in pool at hosp and was brilliant but only 1 pool at hospital so worried someone may already be in, but how do you keep the pool warm as i was in for 5 hours 1st time round, do you just keep taking out and topping up with hot water? do you have to keep getting out?

hi Im considering a home birth with birthing pool for dc2, as dc1 was born in pool at hosp and was brilliant but only 1 pool at hospital so worried someone may already be in, but how do you keep the pool warm as i was in for 5 hours 1st time round, do you just keep taking out and topping up with hot water? do you have to keep getting out?

In the nursery. Surrounded by baby things. Worked nicely. Pads on floor, slight spillage in one spot, can't see it now.

Motivation is good. Try staring at the moses basket when pushing, works well

Haven't read whole thread...

i had dd in the living room, on a single bed mattress on the wooden floor - mainly because our only bathroom was downstairs, and because i wanted the possibility of leaving ds asleep and undisturbed.

if was having again, would plan the bedroom - but now in a house with an upstairs bathroom!