The thread for first time home birthers (or thinking about it) - over here!

[Boobz]

I only just found out I was pregnant 10 days ago, and it is of course early days, but I have been doing a lot of research and am seriously thinking of having a home birth.

I'm a member of my Due March '09 ante natal club thread, but I don't want to go on about home birthing there where the majority will be planning a hospital birth (don't want to bore them!) I'd like to start this thread for all those people who'd like to talk about the pros and cons, planning, expectations and realities of home births, especially if it is your first baby, or first home birth.

Has everyone else's other halves been fine at the thought of a first baby HB? Or did you have to do some convincing?

A

hey boobz - sorry disappeared last night, went to bed early in the end - ds1 gets me up at dawncrack so i need sleep!

i found it worse tbh to try and sleep btw ctx as when one came i wasn't 'ready'.

how are things now?
don't worry about your dh - sure he wants to help as much as poss.

and they never believe how much help they are (well mine was and yours sounds like he is) so keep telling him!

chin up and don't forget to eat!

Just checking in Boobz- hope you are hanging in there!!!

Morning Boobz,
hope you are doing ok, sorry I couldn't come back last night, will keep dropping in through the day to see how things are going.

I'll post some (hopefully) useful stuff about home births over the weekend and let you all know about my experiences with planning my home birth to date.

Love to everone. xx

keep going boobz, hope you are managing to get a bit of dozing in between them, and food. It sounds like my labour with DS, which all ended up fine, it just takes a while for your body to tune up (ha ha)...
keep us posted today...

hey boobz - sounds like you're doing all the right things, we watched princess bride and battlestar galactica during labour - always good for homebirths, something that requires concentration but not too muhc brain power. Importantnthing is to rest between contractions - but you don't neccessarily need to sleep, just lie down and relax if you can. Sounds like DH is doing a stirring job hun...hope the last 3 hours of silence is a good sign!

xxxxxxxxx

Keep going Boobz - we're all rooting for you and you're also doing the rest of us first timers a real service by giving us some idea of what it's like "in real life".

Hey everyone -- thanks for all the lovely messages of support! I still think we are a long way off and I'm probably only about 1cm dilated but BOY am I KNACKERED! Am so envious of those women that have 5 hour labours from start to finish!

DH taking dog for walk and I walked around the block with him. Had a CTX have way around and moo-ed like a cow in front of the bin men (recycling day here in sunny Streatham). I must have been a sight, in DH's shirt, some tracky bottoms, a tens machine hanging around my neck and gripping onto DH and dog for dear life! Oh the glamour.

Everyone keeps saying rest between the CTX, and I get that, but I really want to ramp them up so I can get my MW here and get in the pool! Have been bouncing on ball and hoovering and generally pottering around, but should I try something else? I feel like I need a tipping point to get me over the 8-9 minute hump.

See you soon xxx

Hear hear, Bumpsadaisie. You're dead right.

have you tried the stairs yet?

oh and with my first - which went for hours too, whenever i ate/drank something, more ctx would come. when i dropped energy levels, the tx would drop off.

so eat/drink what you can face - you will the need the energy, something like porridge maybe?

poor boobz I really feel for you. if you can't rest then I think you are doing the right thing by keeping active, that might speed things along.

You will find the energy when you really need it....

go!!! go!!! go!!!

Keep it up Boobz you really are doing so well!! I agree with the other you need to keep your energy levels up, if ever there was an excuse to stuff your face on Haribo!! This is it!!

As regards to getting things going, of corse i would recommend as drive down a bumpy dirt track !! but i feel this my be a bit difficult for you to do in London.

Another thing to try would be a breast pump, if you express for around 15 mins each boob to start with and see how you go.

(((((((hugs))))))))))))) it wont be long now till you meet your new baby keep your spirits up!!

Just whizzing through to offer my support! Well done Boobz! I'm so excited! Keep up the good work - soon that LO will be with you in the outside world

Eating and stairs sounds cool but I'm not sure I could face sitting down in a car and not being able to get onto all fours when I needed to...

DH just shouted out to me that "it's an omen" and showed me the Google Home Page today -- Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is our theme for our nursery (see pic on profile). So it must be a sign!

Going to watch last night's final installment of Red Riding and then maybe see if I can brave a walk somewhere as it's such a lovely day. All my Streatham Mums are meeting for lunch today and I would love to go and see them too, but I don't think I could handle keeping my voice down during CTX as I am moo-ing through them like, well, a cow. I keep trying to just breathe and not make a sound with it, but it doesn't work...

Oh and CTX down to 1 every 15 mins - boo

Oh just saw your post 2cute -- do you really think the breast pump thing might work? Will give it a go...

Defo works IMO Boobz, i started my labour with DD2 with this method (i believe anyhow) it sets off certain hormones i believe. I have seen lulu recommend it here on lots too.

Hey if nothing else it will give you something else to focus on for a while

And expressing now isn't using up my colostrum that the baby needs?

in theory pumping will stimulate the colostrum production anyway, and you'll refill soon enough - if you're worried though get tweaking your nipples, that used to make my BH storm through the night!

We totally understand if you can't make it to us hun - let me know if you want scampi brought to you, or if you and ed want a baby in tow on your jackson walk this avo as inspiration (hmmmmm, ethan is in a good mood at the mo!)

xxxxxxxxx

boobz just arrived on this thread so apologies if out on synch. I had three days of labour at home with my first daughter (now eleven). The midwife actually fell asleep at one point (can't blame her, I would've too if could!). It was hard work, but bloody fantastic - still can't figure out where all my waters went when they burst over the only uncovered bit of floorboards

Christ - that was a bit of a comedic moment! There I am expressing (having never done it before, so DH and I are in awe of what we're looking at, when the MW calls... so I put pump down to answer the phone, but a bit too quickly and it spills over on sofa and onto dog! You can guess the rest. Then I had a CTX on the phone whilst speaking to MW so had to hang up on her as DH was trying to rescue colostrum bottle from dog.

Geez. The things we do to get a baby out!

Not sure about walk yet this afternoon GWTMH - will let you know.

And 3 days Tattifer! Sounds like I am on for at least a 3 day-er - although am not technically in labour yet. God knows what it will be like when these mother-of-god CTX start coming every 3 mins.

boobz isn't unfair the way the categorise what is labour and what isn't? I started on the saturday and finished on the wednesday but no that's only Monday to wednesday by their figures!!!! Aargh TENS machine never had to work so hard!!

how's it going?

I started having moan-ey contractions since about 7pm on Weds evening, and haven't had proper sleep since then (most has been about 15 min naps between contractions) so God knows what I will be like when this all comes to a head! Am really hoping baby is out by Sunday evening though - that's my aim!

Have had 2 not-so-bad contractions since expressing about half an hour ago... and baby is moving around a bit more - so fingers crossed!

Tattifer - was there any one event that tipped you over from non-labour into labour from the Sunday to Monday with your DD?