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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

If you had a homebirth, where in your house did you deliver?

45 replies

GColdtimer · 06/11/2009 21:00

I am thinking of a homebirth (am 23 weeks) if my placenta moves out of the way.

Where did you deliver and how much mess was there (have cream carpets ? i live in a 3 story house with my living room and bathroom on the first floor and my bedroom on the top floor. the bottom floor is DH's teaching studio and my kitchen/diner.

Just interested to know where in your house you all delivered.

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GunpowderTreasonAndDragons · 06/11/2009 21:01

Playroom (dining room) in a pool. No mess whatsoever.

thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 21:03

i've had 2 and delivered in the sitting room both times, but that was because i had the birth pool in there.

would suit you quite well if you have the bathroom on the same floor too.

i did find after my first HB (second child) that i wanted to go upstairs to the toilet and by the time i got there i was leaking blood all over the place, dp came in and said "good god it's like reservoir dogs in here"

i managed not to make so much mess with ds3 though lol

thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 21:04

oh yes and no mess at all. we told the midwives not to be too careful as we wnated to replace the carpets anyway! lol

but no, nothing on the carpets, midwives cleared everything away

nigglewiggle · 06/11/2009 21:05

In our dining room. Our layout sounds similar to yours. I wanted to be on the ground floor as I literally couldn't walk when in labour with DD1 and I didn't want to be stranded. The dining room was well away from DD1's bedroom and has a solid floor. Having said this, there was very little mess. I put an old futon mattress on the floor which made it moor comfortable.

Being downstairs was handy for making the 4 midwives cups of tea!

Go for it - it is fab .

PiggyPenguin · 06/11/2009 21:06

I delivered in the kitchen. We had a pool and that's were the taps were!, there was no mess. After the birth I hobbled to the downstairs loo to deliver the placenta and then went upstairs to bed and cuddle lo. It was lovely, would very much recommend it

nigglewiggle · 06/11/2009 21:07

more comfortable .

BeehiveBaby · 06/11/2009 21:07

Sitting room and it was very messy for us...we had laminate though.

daisyj · 06/11/2009 21:08

Sitting room floor (floorboards), but no mess as midwives are amazing at putting sheets down to protect and then clearing up afterwards. Started off in pool in kitchen, but felt the need to push on dry land. Agree it's very good to have bathroom on same floor.

Have a home birth if you can - they're great

roquefortlover · 06/11/2009 21:09

On living room sofa (ds3) - no mess, midwife covered everything up I think although it is all a bit hazy!! I think we did ruin a few old towels but really nothing else. Twas fab and i also love telling people ds3 was born on the sofa they are sitting on...that's probably just me though...

jennylindinha · 06/11/2009 21:12

Ooh, another homebirth thread! I had DD in the lounge on an old duvet spread over a futon mattress (with a plastic sheet underneath). There was a fair amount of stuff going on as my waters were broken on there and I had a PPH, but the midwives cleared it all up afterwards and you would never have known...

We live in a first and second floor flat and the lounge is on the first floor. I had to transfer to hospital after the PPH and it was quite funny to be carried down the stairs in one of those special chairs by the ambulance men. I was worried that the stairs were too narrow/rickety, but they managed no problem.

Oh yes and I second the fact that the midwives are super quick to get the inco mats under you when they need to! Amazing.

Original poster

GColdtimer · 06/11/2009 21:14

Am amazed at how many of you had no mess (and lol at the resevior dogs comment, i overhead my DH telling his friends after DD was born that it was like the opening scenes of Saving private Ryan .

Am thinking of the living room so I can potter between bathroom and sofa. Just a bit worried about the stairs if I have to be moved but I suppose we will cross that bridge if it comes to it.

niggle - 4 midwives?? And you made the tea!?

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Original poster

GColdtimer · 06/11/2009 21:16

jenny, well it seems you answered my question about the stairs!

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thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 21:20

i think if you're sofa is big enough that you can lie on it if necessary you woul;dn't need to go back upstairs- unless you particularly wanted to be in your bed

we just had 2 99p shower curtains from asda spread out, i think there was a towel for me to stand on when i got out of the pool, so i didn';t slip

and yes, the midwives kind of hover with the inco pads, ready to pop one under you wherever you go!
i ahve a lovely picture of ds3 having his first feed, unfortunately i am sat on a chair which dp has covered with a shpower curtain lol

nigglewiggle · 06/11/2009 21:21

Oh no. DH made the tea - and toast at about 5am!

We had the two on-call HB midwives who arrived with a student MW. They then stayed when early turn MW arrived at 7am ish for the last few mins of labour. Hence 4 MW's - it beats the hospital ratio of one MW to 10 birthing mothers hands down!

sweetkitty · 06/11/2009 21:22

Two HBs delivered on my bed both times, not a drop of blood anywhere.

I had some plastic shower curtains on the bed kept in place with a fitted sheet, fitted sheet on the floor between the bedroom floor and the en-suite, waddles to the en-suite for a shower afterwards, shower was pretty gruesome though.

MWs cleared everything away whilst I was having a shower and remade my bed then I got in with LO - heaven

ChasingSquirrels · 06/11/2009 21:22

the side of the bed, got off the bed to allow dh to put plastic sheeting on. put hand ontochest of drawers to steady myself and thought better just check, reached down with other hand and delivered ds2's head .

big blood stain on floor - as a result of sitting there awaiting arrival of midwife, thinking I was sitting on a disposable change mat, which was obviously in the wrong place! no mess from the actual birth.

Bellebelle · 06/11/2009 21:23

In our bedroom and I didn't see any mess although I clearly remember the sensation of my waters bursting everywhere as I pushed. Midwives were very quick with my stack of old towels and their mats, we also had plastic sheeting from B&Q with old sheets on them.

Everyone always wants to know about 'the mess' when they hear about my HB but it all seemed so much 'tidier' than when I had hospital birth with DD1, the labour room at the hospital looked as if someone had be murdered by the time I was done!

Original poster

GColdtimer · 06/11/2009 21:25

So relieved you didn't make the tea!

See, its the thought of tea and toast whilst lying your own bed afterwards that is swinging it for me. I really hope my placenta moves.

My sofa isn't huge but our spare room is also on the same floor as the living room so pretty much all the bases covered.

OP posts:

jennylindinha · 06/11/2009 21:31

Yep - the stairs were no problem (and believe me, they are narrow and rickety). You'll be fine, it's lovely to give birth at home. I just know I would not have felt the same in the hospital.

Mind you, do be prepared in case you have to transfer. We had thought of every possible reason it might happen except for the one which did!

AnnieLobeseder · 06/11/2009 21:47

All in our living room since we only have one room downstairs.... started bouncing on my birth (gym) ball, then into the pool to give birth (mmmm, was lovely in there!) then transferred to the sofa to cuddle and let her feed while I watched everyone cleaning up. After that, upstairs to meet her big sister and off to bed. Couldn't ask for more....

bumpybecky · 06/11/2009 21:52

was in 1880s terrace, but worried about birth pool falling through the floor, but decided to be brave!

dd1 - attempted hb in lounge (dark carpet!) ended up as a transfer after a couple of hours in pool

dd2 - front room, not decorated at the time, so no carpet, room was pretty much empty apart from birthing stuff and chairs for everyone but me

then moved house to 3 storey town house...

dd3 - downstairs room (previously had been study) that had been emptied for the birth

ds - same downstairs room, only now after huge building work, it's the kitchen! was very inconvinent as pool took up most of space in the kitchen, but was the only space big enough on the ground floor!

Grendle · 06/11/2009 21:54

Birth pool (in spare bedroom)

bumpybecky · 06/11/2009 21:55

meant to say, there was no mess for any of them as all yuckky stuff either stayed in the pool or collected in bucket!

DingALongCow · 06/11/2009 22:09

Sofa in the lounge in our rented house (with cream carpets!) as the bathroom is downstairs. DH got busy with three shower curtains (one spread out on and stuck to the floor, two for the large sofa), a roll of gaffa tape and a bin bag full of old sheets. Not a single stain and an hour after the birth it was all back to normal-midwives took the sheets away with them and DH pulled up all the shower curtains.

ThatVikRinA22 · 06/11/2009 22:15

i delivered in my own bed in my own bedroom. midwife was fantastic, lots of plastic sheeting!! no mess really. after delivering my DD i got a bath while DH changed the bed....it was lovely to climb into my own fresh bedding in my own fresh bed and rest with DD next to me in a basket. bliss!

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