If you had a homebirth, what were your essential items?

[Mij]

I'm hoping for a home birth with DC 2 (had an intervention-free birth with DD, only got to hospital at stage 2 so did most of it at home anyway) and just wondering what things you were either very glad you had/did, or wished you hadn't bothered with (or bothered worrying about in advance) when you birthed at home? Apart from having the right people around, of course .

I'm also wanting to hire a pool (NHS one is booked but we have an immersion tank and I'm told most people don't get theirs filled up in time having to wait for the thing to reheat!) so any recommendations there also gratefully received.

Thanks

a birthing ball was essential imo.

i had a la bassine which is the smallest birthing pool available. If I had an immersion tank then I would also get a huge pot of water boiling too, just in case.

other than that, nothing else. my labour was so fast, the only reason I managed to get in the pool was because dh jumped straight out of bed and started to inflate and fill it.

I have had three homebirths.

I can't really think of needing anything very significant - just stuff to protect your bed (if that is where you are giving birth) and your carpets.

I used a mattress protector, and this was topped up with Inco pads provided by the midwives. I used brown paper for the floors (much better than plastic).

You need to stock up on tea/coffee and biscuits for the midwives.

Lots of coloured towels, make sure you have a labour bag packed so that DH/MW can find clothes etc for you and baby afterwards. I had a Birthpool in a box both times

I bought myself a La Bassine pool, but I did not have time to inflate it, yet alone fill it. In the end I just used TENS for pain relief. (Reallytired must get her act together and sell her unused birthing pool)

The midwives will give you a list of things to get. The mess of my homebirth was very well contained.

I suggest you get some lansinoh, and pack a bag for any children as well as yourself.

The midwives will give you a list of things to have to hand that they find useful (e.g. a plastic bowl, etc.), but the only "special" thing we bought and used were those soft, foam-like interlocking letters (like a giant alphabet jigsaw) which we put on the ground by the bed and covered with an old sheet: this was great for when, towards the end of labour, I was kneeling on the floor, bending over the bottom of the bed (IYSWIM). Even with carpet, this would've been quite sore on my knees without the foam letters.

Otherwise, the most important things are yummy food and drink - both for you and the midwives. They'll be (hopefully) sitting around not doing much except encouraging you through your labour, so some nice biscuits and cake (and possibly sandwich stuff) goes down a treat.

Have some nice food (and possibly bubbly) ready for when everything's cleared up, and the midwives have gone, and you and your family are all together, at home.

I was amazed how little is needed for an uncomplicated birth. And there was no mess at all afterwards. The midwives cleared it all up.

Feeling all warm and fuzzy now about my homebirth. Might send a card to my lovely midwives.

Actually, one other thing. My sister popped out while I was labouring and picked up some tea-tree and lavender oils for my bath (antiseptic and anti-inflammatory). These were nice to have.

Thanks everyone.

I'm expecting to be downstairs, but that's mainly because DD sleeps in our room (and our bed on and off) but if it's daytime and she's elsewhere I guess its an option. We have a bed protector already as DD does occasionally have accidents.

I know I've got Lansinoh somewhere - at least two tubes of it (got paranoid about being more than 3 feet from a tube first time around ) and I'd thought about baby clothes but not clothes for me. I guess DP may well be too knackered to find our wardrobe! At least if I pack for me I will have an outfit that fits/doesn't make me look like a bag lady. Good tip!

We're not sure yet what we're doing with DD, but I had thought about having a bag for her half packed and a list of what needs to go in at the last minute (that days bear, for example).

So - who does the cheapest coloured towels? Matalan, do you think?

Brown paper for the floor sounds like a great tip. I was thinking that plastic would be a bit, well, slippy.

Hi Penthesileia! Warm and fuzzy here too remembering back to December time.

Second all the advice above, homebirth is very uncomplicated by its nature. Have whatever you think will make you comfortable and princess like.

Tea, coffee and milk. Midwives drink these fairly constantly

sofa cushions, something non slippy for covering sofa cushions - the plastic sheeting was waaaaaaaay too slippy for the position I was in and knees kept sliding.

Drinking straws
Ice pops
Flexible heating arrangements, so fan/heater or very easy to control central heating
Snacks

I made my bed with a sheet, then a protective layer, then a top sheet. When I was in shower, the midwives stripped the top two layers and put them in the washing machine, along with whatever I was wearing to labour in.

When I came out of the shower, the bed was made up with the baby lying in the middle of it

Another tip: make sure your washing machine is empty.

You could also get a couple of hot water bottles to warm the baby's clothes and bed, assuming you won't have the central heating very much now.

Oh, keep 'em coming, ladies. I'm due in July so hoping heating won't be an issue, but hadn't even thought about a fan .

The knee-cushioning thing is a great thought. I had a very active birth in hospital and did a lot of squatting supported by (long-suffering) DP over various bits of furniture so need to think about what might be required for a repeat performance!

Treedelivery - the thing is, I have no idea what will make me feel comfortable and princess like! My experience last time was that all the things I thought I might want/like/do bore almost no relationship to what I actually felt on the day.

Already planning a major banquet of top snacks

Hi tree! Hope you are all ok chez vous!

Sorry OP!

Nice things to drink/sip too, while you labour. And maybe some energy tablets (those glucose things) - I didn't feel like eating at all whilst in labour, but my lovely midwives were worried about my energy dropping, so again, my sister popped out and picked up some of those to sustain me. Ate afterwards though!

i had a homebirth by accident as went from 1st contraction to holding him in half an hour
vital to me was a nice cup of tea straight after.
it was worth it to see DP face when the guy he spoke to when rang for an ambulance told him he would have to deliver ds himself..priceless
put it this way, the ambulance crew spent more time with him than me when they arrived

Mij - I think we all had that experience

I found music the way forward, but sing along music. Oasis c'mon feel the noise great to push to.

Fan - yes. Curtains/good blinds - yes. Choice of lighting levels.

Kitchen work top great height for bending over btw.

Loadsa hot water for hopping in and out of baths.

Sweets, chilled water, non-chilled water [who knows what fancy will take you].

I think EVERYONE should wear cashmere socks in labour. They are the busines. Feet get so cold when you stand/kneel for hours.

Pillow you can trash for kneeling on.

scienceteacher - sounds like you had top MWs!

pmsl gardeningmum. I'm imagining similar look on my own DPs face.

mij...was the funniest ever
he had to go outside and be sick on the drive, priceless

AW bless him!! Bet it was adrenaline overload. Aww. He'll be gutted 40 000 mn now know

what a fab thread, I am still trying to talk dh into agreeing to a homebirth so will watch this closely.
Is it worth getting a pool (we dont have much space tbh) or will the bath do?
I read somewhere about the bed layers and even using a cheap showe curtain from asda to protect the matress if needs be.

Ikea shower curtains £1. Fab, but slippy and sweaty if sat on. Heavier table protector plastic better, from fabric shops or Dunelm, on the roll.

Brown paper - protects well and is non slip.

get your dh/dp to what The Business of Being Born if they need something to focus his mind/support you in your decision on a HB.

Quite by accident this is what it did for DH who was quietly worried about my planning a HWB. Now he is a big fan and advocate of HBs. He told our neighbour who is due in Sept that he would happily do our second birth again where the midwives turned up late and it never even crossed our minds to call for paramedics. We just 'got on with it', in his words.

do you mean brown paper for the floor? Does it not slip on carpet?