What essential things do you need for a home birth?

[electra]

I don't have any old towels! Should I buy cheap ones?

On a scale of 1-10, how useful is a birthing ball?

How do you decide about whether to use a pool or not?

Other essentials?

TIA

I've had all mine in a pool, wouldn't like to do without, but depends how you feel. Some people prefer to feel solid earth apparently! But it does contain the mess, and new/old towels not necessary. Towels wash after all. You don't need a lot of space for a pool.

Essential - biscuits for midwives - and I always make millionaire's shortbread in labour for celebration purposes after the birth.

Birthing ball - useful during contractions, but also invaluable in last weeks of pregnancy to help get baby in good position.

And the heel of my dh's hand - fab for massaging lower back during contraction. Wouldn't have been without it.

Actually the other good things I ahd were a Doula and some good books tor eassure me beforehand- proper homebirthing books, not random childcare books.

The Doula was handya s my labour was so quick (birth pool wouldn't have filled), the only MW that amde it in time almost missed the delivery, it was the Doula pointing out the head was arriving that amde a big difference LOL (not MW's fault I know, she arrives when I was 10cm, slightly hectic for ehr)

I used a huge piece of that waterproof table cloth stuff (you know; vinyl on one side, sorta flocked and fabric on the other) to cover the sofa and floor, it was about 2metres by 4 metres and cost about £4 from the remnant box of a fabric shop. You put it fabric side up, so it's soft to sit/walk/kneel on and doesn't get slippery when it's wet. The MW's should bring a load of absorbant disposable pads/sheets (about the size of a terry nappy) with them, so you shouldn't really need many towels.

I sat on my birth ball to begin with, then leant against it and rocked through my contractions whilst I actually gave birth. It was fab.

The ball sounds like a very good idea...

Peachy - which home birthing books did you read if you don't mind me asking?

tea, biscuits and hot cross buns
every one has mentioned anything I can think of. good luck though. homebirths are wonderful.

Homebirth by Nicky wesson was the practical one; spiritual midwifery by Shelia kitzinger the one that gave me the beleif I could do it (esp. once I went badly overdue)

for towels and old sheets get to a charity shop or onto freecycle - people are clearing things like that out all the time.

I got a load from one of my Mum's friends and she was so moved at the idea that her scratty old towels would help me have a homebirth

wine gums to suck for energy.

Thanks again for all your help