First time home birthers and their support squad

[jollyjoanne]

Not a homebirther personally but wanting to offer support to Boobz and others who are going for a home birth . . .

so quick update (I now seem to be on 3 threads about this!)

waters went at 3.30 am. Contractions started around 7am about every 5 minutes. DD went to Grandma's, everything was going nicely. Then everything died down around 9ish and contractions have been on and off all day wih long periods of nothing. Have until 8am tomorrow morning when they will want to induce me so please everyone send happy homebirth contraction vibes!

Go go goooooo Twofalls - sounds like you are well on your way. Rest as much as you can, eat and drink loads, and burn some lavender oil!

Will be checking in on you... looking forward to announcement (at home!) soon...

Hi Twofalls - didn't realise you were on the March thread too!

Really hoping you get your homebirth and dying to hear about it.

Hi everyone. Quick update. Polly born 6.05 this morning at home! It was lovely. The shower afterwards and getting tucked up in my own bed was amazing. And thanks for the tip about the lavender. I put it on a flannel and sniffed it. Very calming. Will post more later.

Congratulations twofalls - I'm crying! Fabulous. Rest and enjoy!

Congratulations twofalls well done! Can't wait to hear more .
I have my midwife visit on Tuesday to discuss the homebirth, she seems quite happy with everything so fingers crossed we'll be fine. I seem to be dreaming about giving birth every night, I have to pat my tummy every morning to make sure the baby's still in there! Less than six weeks to go now...I'm convinced he's going to come early (but then I thought that with DD and she was 10 days late, ha.)

Congratulations Twofalls - looking forward to hearing the full story.

Well, am due today and no sign of LO putting in an appearance. Was really hoping not to go overdue this time so feeling a bit fed up. Which is silly really cos I'm only just due so it's not as if I've been waiting ages but that's the way it is. Am really ready to get this baby out now! Hope everyone else is well.

Caitni - any news? No one has sounded more prepared than you for this LO to make an appearance..
Anyone heard from Fizi?
Thinking of you today coffee - hope something starts off soon for you.
I?ve updated the list! Please come back and fill in names where they are missing...

Due

Fiziwizzle, DC#1, due 8 Feb, Planned homebirth
Sunnybump DC#1 due 18 Feb planned home water birth, NE Scotland
intravenouscoffee, DC#2 due 26 Feb, planned home birth, E Mids
Caitni, DC#1 due 2 March, planned home waterbirth, North London
Donttrythisathome, DC#1, due 2 March, planned home birth, Brighton
Heth1980, DD#2, due 4 March, planned home birth, Birmingham
Mad4mainecoons, DC#2 due 4 March, planned homebirth, Cornwall
Opalfruity, DC#1, due 28 March, planned hypo-waterbirth, Newcastle
PrincessTweetz, DC#2 due 28 March, planned home birth, Coventry
Bettymum, DC#2 due 7 April, planned home birth, Berkshire
Toady, DC#4 due 17 April, home birth, Torquay
Flybynight, DC#4 due 24 April, planned home birth, Leeds
Morethemerrier, DC#3 due 14 May, planned homebirth
Boobz, DC#2 due June 9, planned home waterbirth, South London
Wheredidmyfeetgo, DC#3 due 28 June, planned homebirth, Wiltshire
Heather1980, DC#3 due September, planned homebirth

Arrived

Happyfaces, DC#1 arrived 12 January, induction at 39 weeks due to Cholestasis, Cambridgeshire Name??
Motherofsnortpigs, Humphrey Peter David arrived 20 January at home (very quick labour!)
MamaLazarou, DC#1 arrived 20 January, transfer due to transverse lie. Name?
Bellaballoon, DC#1 arrived 24 January at home. Name??
SouthWestWhippet, Francesca arrived 30 January, transfer due to established labour not kicking in
Raindroprhyme, Seth Cooper arrived 1 Feb, transfer due to lack of midwives (nice hospital birth)
Comeonbishbosh, Iris Anna arrived 3 Feb at home
Verylittlecarrot, Boy arrived 6 Feb at home
Twofalls, Polly arrived 26 Feb at home

Congratulations Twofalls
so glad to hear you got your homebirth and all is well.

Hi

Thanks for adding me. I've amended the list as my due date is actually 1 March (is wrong on my antenatal thread too but I'm such a lazy arse I didn't change it!).

Ooh lots of births imminent - is exciting! There's a full moon on Sunday - maybe we'll all go into spontaneous labour then (practises baying at the moon...)

Whoops, sorry, pasted the list now.

Due

Fiziwizzle, DC#1, due 8 Feb, Planned homebirth
Sunnybump DC#1 due 18 Feb planned home water birth, NE Scotland
intravenouscoffee, DC#2 due 26 Feb, planned home birth, E Mids
Donttrythisathome, DC#1, due 1 March, planned home birth, Brighton
Caitni, DC#1 due 2 March, planned home waterbirth, North London
Heth1980, DD#2, due 4 March, planned home birth, Birmingham
Mad4mainecoons, DC#2 due 4 March, planned homebirth, Cornwall
Opalfruity, DC#1, due 28 March, planned hypo-waterbirth, Newcastle
PrincessTweetz, DC#2 due 28 March, planned home birth, Coventry
Bettymum, DC#2 due 7 April, planned home birth, Berkshire
Toady, DC#4 due 17 April, home birth, Torquay
Flybynight, DC#4 due 24 April, planned home birth, Leeds
Morethemerrier, DC#3 due 14 May, planned homebirth
Boobz, DC#2 due June 9, planned home waterbirth, South London
Wheredidmyfeetgo, DC#3 due 28 June, planned homebirth, Wiltshire
Heather1980, DC#3 due September, planned homebirth

Arrived

Happyfaces, DC#1 arrived 12 January, induction at 39 weeks due to Cholestasis, Cambridgeshire Name??
Motherofsnortpigs, Humphrey Peter David arrived 20 January at home (very quick labour!)
MamaLazarou, DC#1 arrived 20 January, transfer due to transverse lie. Name?
Bellaballoon, DC#1 arrived 24 January at home. Name??
SouthWestWhippet, Francesca arrived 30 January, transfer due to established labour not kicking in
Raindroprhyme, Seth Cooper arrived 1 Feb, transfer due to lack of midwives (nice hospital birth)
Comeonbishbosh, Iris Anna arrived 3 Feb at home
Verylittlecarrot, Boy arrived 6 Feb at home
Twofalls, Polly arrived 26 Feb at home

Thanks Boobz. Getting lots of BH and some are quite sore but it never turns into anything! This happened with DD so I'm trying to look at the positives - had a good, fairly short labour last time which MW said was partly due to all the twinges beforehand. Hopefully I'll be back here in a few days with some exciting news! V exciting that there are so many births imminent. Donttrythisathome I like the idea that the full moon will kick everything off. Might try some baying tomorrow evening if nothing has happened!

good luck ic! My day of on off labour did do something so hopefully yours did too.

thanks for your messages everyone - full birth story here if anyone is interested!

Lovely story twofalls. Love the inclusion of the food details! I hope all is going well for you. x

That's lovely twofalls I have a little tear in my eye now .

Sounds like a dream birth twofalls well done you and congratulations.

Hi All! Just showing my face as Betty sent me a link. Am due late April and planning homebirth.

twofalls, I loved your story! So moving and encouraging. Also - great tip re rug; we don't have a rug so I'll just lay down a pile of towels next to my bedside!

Being brave and joining too! First baby due 23rd April, planning home birth although midwives don't officially agree yet..(loooong story...)
Anyway, being positive and planning will begin soon...hubby on tinternet as we speak being all 'me man take care of gadgets' and ooking up tens machines and virthing pools...getting a little carried away though, seems to think it will be like having an indoor spa for a few weeks! Ha! more fool him...

holytoast and speedy welcome .

Intravenouscoffee really hope things have gone well for you - does silence mean babyIVcoffee is here ?

Donttry hope things are good with you

holytoast I've already mentioned my pool on here (because I'm hearting it so much already!) but it is a bit like having a temporary indoor spa as it's been set up & filled with water for a wee while now. We went with the gold option on this pool from Birth Works - it's not cheap, but i used my HIP grant towards the cost, which made it much more affordable. And both myself and my DH have lounged about in it already, as well as knowing it's all ready to go once I'm labouring, so feel like we're getting our money's worth . OK, I'll now stop sounding like a birth pool sales rep

So I'm due tomorrow and finally wrote my birth plan today. It was actually speedy's thread that finally got me arsed to do one...that and a conversation with DH that revealed that he really wouldn't have remembered things I'd want in the event of a transfer/EMCS. Just hope baby decides to come soon [impatient emoticon]

Am waiting for Tesco to deliver our order - late! - as I'm hoping it includes my order of rhubarb. My mum swears by stewed rhubarb to bring on labour...I reckon that's because there was no curry to be had in 60s & 70s Ireland when she was having her babies! Still, am ready to try anything...

I haven't had chance to read this thread yet but am marking it to come back to. I am due 24th April and booked for a home waterbirth if possible. My DD was born in hospital at 42 weeks after having the pessaries aimed at inducing labour, but then being told they would try with a drip in the morning as nothing happened. My water's broke at midnight and she was born 8.50am with no further intervention except the use of gas and air.

Hi there Speedy, holytoast and rlp
Ooh, Caitni, that pool looks lovely.
I've got the midwife coming this afternoon to do home visit, there may be a spanner in the works though as my parents have just sold their house and have to be out by the end of the month, and they have nowhere to go to! So they may end up staying with us - and I can't see myself giving birth to a baby at home if as well as myself and DH I've got DD, my mum and my dad all there! Original plan was for DD to go to granny's when labour started. So...will have to see if they can find a flat to rent in time, if not it looks like I'll be going to hospital after all. Anyway in the meantime we're going to continue planning for a hb, fingers crossed.

bettymum good luck with the midwife and really hope your parents can get sorted in time!

rip hello and welcome

twofalls meant to say how much I love your birth story! Just lovely and inspiring and hope you're enjoying the first days of being a family of four

Caitni - thanks - so maybe an indoor spa after all - the pool you have is the one he was looking at last night - and Birth works seem to be the best - one of the reasons being able to get it delivered at 37 weeks so when I cant sleep I can use it and for when I am really feeling uncomfortable - only thing that helps is water. I suppose then if I don't get to use it for whatever reason, at least I will feel it wasn't a complete waste.
question though - does it have a seat? one of the reasons I am struggling to get my homebirth booked in is because I had seizures a few years ago, and need a seat in the water just in case they happen during labour, so I can support myself out of the water. Or looking for one with a spearate liner so we can put a bean bag under the liner, to create a seat.

Getting exciting now - although still feel I have soooo long to go...However I have a feeling this baby will be really awkward or very stubborn, everything has gone too well up till now...might just pack a bag soon just in case!

Hi Holytoast your ideas about using it to relax are similar to mine - it's been v good for that. Feeling weightless...bliss! It does take up a fair bit of room though - our whole spare room (it'll eventually be baby's room) is pretty much pool at the moment, with a bit of space for DH and midwives to move around (we've had to set up the flat surface for their resus equipment right outside the door)...It doesn't have a seat, but you could definitely put a stool or a home-made bench type seat in there. You could try putting the bean bag under the liner, but not too sure if it would work (would make the liner a lot less smooth I'm guessing). Or you could just weigh down a bean bag and put it in the water. My yoga teacher used pillows under her knees in the pool, so reckon you could use a bean bag as a seat in a similar way (although it would be adios to the beanbag!). They provided a little step (similar to what you'd give a toddler to get up to the toilet) which you can use as a little seat but it sounds like it wouldn't be tall enough for your needs. The woman in London we rented from seemed super nice, so am sure you can contact them with any questions.

Am in the midst of a hand washing frenzy but have just managed to jam the sink in the plug hole . Time to call my DH and moan about it me thinks

Waves to the fellow newbies.

Loving the sound of Caitnis pool - I just got a blow up Made in Water one myself, for £75 from the Friday ads (unused still sealed in box). It's lovely though and well cushioned.

I'm a day overdue now but trying not to stress as I know due dates are not set in stone. Just once the baby arrives by 42 weeks so I can have my homebirth I'll be happy.

Might get some rhubarb tomorrow...