Mild Panic - please can I have your top 3 tips / items for homebirth!!!

[ilovealgreen]

It's going to happen ANY day now and every night I have a mild panic that I don't have enough/right stuff!!!

What are your top 3 tips/items for homebirth.

Thanks!!

Lots of towels for mopping up water, cleaning you, cleaning baby... a million reasons for them, I asked family members and friends if they had any old towels they no longer wanted.

Beware that because you are not in hospital people are more likely to turn up quicker (my gran arrived about 20 minutes after baby!!) so make it clear that you don't want visitors until xxx o'clock when you are making the birth announcements!

Have bread, tea bags ect in for you AND the midwives after! They will be hungry too, but get your DH to make it! lol

Good luck, my homebirth was the most special thing ever!

those bed mats to cover the carpet with, more comfy than sitting on plastic sheeting ime

put all the food for mw's on a tray and stash, then its only 3 seconds and you have a wonderfully prepared table for them!

buckets lined with bags for use as bins

recordings of very funny tv, i swear the reason i didnt cotton that it was 'it' until very late on was that i was pee'ing myself over headcases on the dvd thingy.

bowl by bed in case youre sick later in night (experience!)

lots of isotonic drinks, both where you are intending to deliver, and by bed

Put all the baby's first clothes, bedding and nappy in a pillowcase, ready to go.

Have a change of your own bedding handy too.

Agree about the visitors thing.

Good luck. Hope it all goes well.

I was told to put the first clothes on a radiator to warm once you got started?

hugely agree with having them all ready.

Lots of ice in the freezer and a flannel - ice in a bowl of water to soak the flannel to cool face and neck.
Everything for baby in a bag put where you are going to deliver - we only used a hat, nappy and towel immediately but needed 2 hats and towels for baby as we had water birth so they got damp. The priority is to keep baby warm - and you of course! Hot water bottle on pile of babies things to have them warm was a good idea but we didn't get time to boil the kettle!
Pile of CD's by the music player - we only used one relaxation one on repeat though.

We didn't use half the stuff we prepared - just towels, sheets and lots of cold drinks. Don't forget bag for you and baby in case you have to be transfered - is a good 'safety blanket' and everything you need is in one place to be carried around house to where ever you end up delivering.

Brilliant.
Thanks ladies.
ALL great tips, esp about visitors, don't really want a house full while I'm in labour!!

I have everything in one place in my "just in case" bag, when I go into labour DP has instructions to open it.

In my en-suite toilet right now I have 2 plastic shower curtains 2 for bed and one for floor, cheap fitted sheet to go over bed over the shower curtains on top of bed, 4 old towels (may get more though), some really posh kitchen towels for mopping up, some maternity pads.

Homebirth kit is arriving Monday will go in en-suite too (this is the only place the DDs aren't allowed).

This will be my second homebirth didn't need anything else last time.

Put everything you have gathered together for the labour in the cot with a list of contents on top!! Sounds silly, but then everyone knows where to go to get things as they are needed.
I'd also second having a hospital bag ready as newborn DD and I were transferred after the birth and I had nothing ready.
Good Luck! Knowing you're prepared for all eventualities means a more relaxed labour IME.