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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

midwives have OK'd a home birth for me...now come and reassure me and tell me where in your house you gave birth!

87 replies

CatIsSleepy · 14/01/2009 11:37

reassurance required as I am a bit of a scaredy-cat and dd's birth was a bit long-winded...
but am hoping this one will be quicker!
and we are v. near hospital if anything goes wrong so rationally i know it'll be OK
but still...

and am wondering where people generally have their babies at home-in bed? on the floor? does it get horrendously messy ? tell me your stories!

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BlueCowBackToWondering · 14/01/2009 13:07

kitchen! in birth pool so all mess contained. and mw could make selves cups of tea!

Other children asleep upstairs and didn't know anything about it.

neolara · 14/01/2009 13:14

In the kitchen. Floor covered with bubble-wrap and towels. Midwives cleaned up all the mess before they left.

Was wonderful and I became very evangelical about home births afterwards.

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/01/2009 13:22

bubble wrap! that's a new one...

OP posts:

BCLass · 14/01/2009 13:24

Mess is such a myth!! Had & have cream carpets. Hardly remember any blood at all.

Had dd in pool in living room was best thing ever, all getting into bed afterwards was so special.

Agree with plastic down, old sheets, pillows, duvet.

DD 13 weeks - would do it all again tomorrow!!

jennylindinha · 14/01/2009 13:44

I had DD (now 3 months old) in the living room leaning back against loads of cushions. We used plastic sheeting over a futon mattress plus an old duvet on top - worked a treat! The inco pads the midwives used are brilliant. There was a lot of blood as I had PPH (later had to transfer to hosp but that's another story) but our cream carpet did not get one drop on it.

I would definitely do it again, it was so good to be at home. Oh and I'd recommend the Tens machine too. Although DD was so quick I only had it on level 3 and also had no time for G&A so can't comment on that!

Good luck!

duchesse · 14/01/2009 13:52

Bedroom x2. (exactly same spot both times, bizarrely. Just felt..right somehow). First time we'd collected old newspapers in case of drips on carpet between bedroom and bathroom. Hardly used any, although the midwife did find something very interesting to read in a 3 month old copy of the Times... The Mw brings a whole panoply of tarps anyway, and takes it away again with her. Cannot remember any mess at all.

honeybunmum · 14/01/2009 14:19

Hi, I had DD2 in the bedroom leaning over a baby changing unit. Did it in complete silence as I was worried about waking DD1 (2.5) had gas&air. There wasn't much mess, we just had a plastic sheet down with a blanket over the top so it wasn't slippery.
I had DS in the kitchen with the cool granite worktop as my only form of pain relief (no MW), DD1 (4) and DD2 (20mths) asleep upstairs. I have no experience of DC waking up and seeing it but we did have a bit of trouble with over interested greyhound second time round!

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/01/2009 14:27

wow you gave birth in complete silence honeybunmum? now that's will power!

OP posts:

jen992 · 14/01/2009 15:17

You lucky thing being able to have baby at home. Wish i could have this one at home, but i can't! Had my son at home 2 yrs ago and it was amazing!!

Most of the labour was spent watching Lee Evans on TV in the lounge as a distraction, eating mini chociolate bars and toast and drinking water! ... midwife joined in too, it was so relaxing!
then when the real pain kicked in i starting using gas and air (still in lounge infront of TV) but that made me really sick so gave up on that after 20mins. Other than the TENS I used no pain relief as i was so relaxed, being in my own surroundings and knowing i had 2 midwives all to myself! Ended up giving birth to DS on our bed on all fours. It is a little messy. We bought one of the plastic dust sheets from B&Q and covered it with an old bed sheet... did the job and protected the carpet during the pushing stage. Then moved to the bed (on old bedding) to deliver DS.
Would LOVE to have this DS at home but can't and so so upset about it (GBS carrier).

Good Luck!

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/01/2009 15:22

aw jen-i'm sorry you can't have another home birth
hope it goes well for you anyway...

am definitely looking forward to a different experience to first time around (assuming i do get to actually have a homebirth....can't help worrying there'll be a spanner in the works somewhere...fingers crossed!)

OP posts:

mylifemykids · 14/01/2009 17:34

Clinging on to the side of the bath! I only had 2 contractions before DD was born so didn't really have much time to think about it!

mylifemykids · 14/01/2009 17:35

Oh and the mw and my mum cleaned up the mess while DH and I cooed over DD on our bed

mololoko · 14/01/2009 17:40

in a pool in the kitchen extension after tramping up and down the stairs a million times to try and speed it up!

i am sooo glad i was at home.

good luck

weblette · 14/01/2009 18:03

Both on the floor in a cream-carpeted bedroom. Cheapo shower curtains and old duvet covers were more substantial than those plastic dustsheets you can get.

leamac · 14/01/2009 21:38

I had a planned home birth last february, fourth and last child, I gave birth in the bedroom, just my husband present, midwife running a bit late, arrived just after my daughter was born. leaning back against the bed, jut put an old shower curtain with a cover on top on the floor and put it straight in the bin afterwards, my three other kids were down stairs watching telly, it was the most wonderful and natural experience and I now regret not having all my kids like this.

EdwardCullenCanBiteMe · 14/01/2009 23:55

I had my other 3 children in bed as there wasn't time to wake them (this had been the original plan). They were 9yo, 7yo and 5yo at the time.
They were out within minutes of him being born, and stayed up doing newborn checks, placenta checka and drinking hot chocolate until about 2am.
A wonderful wonderful night.....

GrimbleTheResourceful · 15/01/2009 11:31

DD was an unplanned homebirth so we weren't prepared. She was born on the living room floor. I vividly recall the midwife asking DP to pass sofa cushions for me to lie on and I protested vehemently, it was a new sofa. They ignored my protests and I spent the afternoon cuddling my perfect DD looking at my stained and bloodied cushions.

It all washed out, we still have the sofa and in the end none of it really mattered once I had my beauty in my arms.

Oh, and I also recall mw looking out of the window and saying; "What a beautiful day to have a baby". That was nice.

Sorry, went off in a bit of a reverie there

skay · 15/01/2009 11:38

In our Bedroom, on the bed.

Bed covered with plastic sheeting. Plus old sheet on top to make it more comfortable.

We'd just moved house, and we'd taken down the old curtains the owners had left. Used a couple of them too.

No mess. MW took it all with them to be incinerated(sp?). Must admit my mum was surprised!!! (At the no mess bit.)

Bodkin · 15/01/2009 12:10

Had DD2 on the floor in the living room, bent over the birthing ball. The only mess was 3 small spots of blood on the bathroom carpet (from after I got out of a lovely hot bath) which we "Vanished" the next day. It's a very light coloured carpet, so I can still see them a bit. Call me weird, but I quite like that though - a nice daily reminder of a fantastic birth

NormaJeanBaker · 15/01/2009 12:24

HAd two home births both times planned to be in the bedroom but delivered in the bathroom. First time after being in the bath and then getting out too late to go anywhere - hung onto the radiator towel rail and gave birth to my son standing up. DD2 born with me on all fours in the bathroom just as the midwives arrived. I thought I needed the loo but, very neatly, as I sat down my waters broke into the toilet bowl and I realised her head was crowning so dropped to all fours and controlled the pushing so I didn't tear until the midwives turned up although had just decided to go ahead whether they were there of not. DH was ready with hot towels! Yoga teacher taught us to blow on our fists to control pushing and it worked a treat!

During labouring with DS DH, DD1 and I all went for a walk round the block and I hung onto gate posts when I had a contraction - sped it up a bit I think and kept me active until I got in the bath during the transition bit. With my third think I kind of went straight into transition and birth - all over in under four hours. Not messy at all - never used any of the plastic sheeting we bought. And the midwives cleared it all up. With DD2 DH had done the washing of towels, I had a bath and we were all drinking champagne by the time our new one was two hours old. IF all goes well a home birth is fantastic and would like to have a fourth just to be able to to it again! Well...not just that... but you get my enthusiasm for home I think.

ismellofbabysick · 15/01/2009 13:23

I had DD3 at home. My waters broke as I was on the loo- handy. It was actually the first time my waters broke naturally, with the other 2the midwife had to break them.
She was born in the living room, me bent over the footstool. We covered the floor in the mats the midwife gave us and towels we bought at the charity shop.

It realy was the best experience ever. I have a photo of all 3 girls when dd3 was only about 1hr old.I only regret not doing it for all of them.

nellyup · 15/01/2009 13:48

Downstairs in the living room, it was wonderful. Lots of plastic sheeting and old sheets/ towels. We shifted my almost two year old dd out to a hotel with her nana because I was worried about how she would react to all the yelling and me not being able to attend to her. Think for this one I'll probably just have them (dd 7 and ds 5) around.

Neighbours claim not to have heard a thing.

Just make sure your DH understands the difference between old towels and brand new still-with-the-tags on towels. Midwife asked for more towels and he (in a panic, bless him, but still) went to the airing cupboard instead of my carefully prepared box. He's never lived down ruining those towels - all in a good cause though.

TheProvincialLady · 15/01/2009 13:51

Had DS2 (4 weeks today) in a birth pool in a box in the middle of our sitting room. There was a tarpaulin down but there was no mess whatsoever. I only lost 100ml of blood and even the pool water was clean. Whereas with DS1 I had a rough, long labour in hospital and there was a lot of blood and gore.

It was a great experience....but I wouldn't do it again

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 15/01/2009 13:55

oh you say that now TPL

ooh am so loving this thread...so many lovely stories, it's fab

OP posts:

mersmam · 15/01/2009 14:03

Have had two on the sofa in the living room No mess, a shower curtain or two is all you need!

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