Home birth questions

[HorryIsUpduffed]

These may be very thick and obvious but I haven't found the answers yet. I am 30+3 with DC3 planning a hb after two (vaginal) hospital births.

1. Is it still worth packing a "just in case" hospital bag, eg for premature labour or other unplanned hospital admissions? If so, what difference in what you'd pack compared with a planned hospital birth bag?

1. What "place of birth" is given on the birth certificate? We live in a little village near a small town near the city where the maternity hospital is. Will the certificate say Village, Town, City, or something else?

Thanks in advance for any help!

1. Yes, I had 3 home births , two of which I ended up being transferred after for stitches.

1. It has full address of the house.

Not thick at all!

1. Yes- at any point you could possibly have to transfer into hospital for whatever reason so best to have a bag packed (and plans for other DC so DH/DP can go with you!)

2.- just checked DC2 & 3 s birth certs and it just lists out county which is actually the same as DC1's who was born in hospital Does that help?

Sorry just looked more closely at birth certs- postal address of our house used as place of birth. ie street name and number and village.

Birth certs must vary from area to area then as dc's one states town only not full address and this town has no hospital so unique to homebirths in area which is nice

Salbertina - are you looking at the short certificate or the full one?

Yes to packing a bag! I just packed everything I would have as if I were having a hospital bag, the essentials for you and baby. Even if you don't go to hospital it is all there ready in one place so saves trying to find in in labour

With the birth certs, I had two HB's and on both it has the full home address where I delivered.

Congratulations and good luck!

Hospital birth not bag!

I chucked hospitally bag things in an empty draw in the spare room, since I was going to need maternity pads, clean PJs etc anyway.

Seemed bad luck to actually pack a bag.

DD2s birth certificate just gives our address. Since the house is about 200 years old, I've always wondered how many other DCs have been born here.

(DSIS was definitely the first in my parents new build.)

Our birth certs have our address on, which I love!

I packed as if I was going to hospital each time - the mw said it would be useful if we had to transfer and also that it made stuff easier to find. I had a separate box with specific hb stuff in, then a labour bag with immediate outfit for dc in, a separate changing bag with additional baby bits for a few days in case of staying in, and a separate bag of stuff for me in case of staying in. The thinking was the latter 2 could stay in the car/at home and dh could fetch as necessary. Top tip from mw was get dh/birth partner to pack bags/go through them with you so that when they are asked to pass something etc they know where it is/what you mean.

You may actually appreciate having everything together in a bag, even if you don't get transferred to hospital. Also most women seem to pack hospital bags early, like 32 weeks. If you go into labour before 37 weeks you'll have to go to hospital anyway.

Agree lovely to give birth in older house where other babies would have bern born. Worth checking out the census. No idea which one I'm referring to (forgot there were 2!) been a few years now, passport also shows home(birth) town which is nice as wd only be possible if born at home. I sed the passport much more frwquently!

Goos luck op and agree to packing the bag too.

Thanks for your quick and thorough responses!

I have been waiting until the DC are back at school/pre-school before doing baby things, which will be approaching 32w. A bag of essentials once I've dug out the baby things from the loft sounds practical, although I like the idea of having it in a box/drawer rather than an actual bag. I have mw next week so will see what she recommends.

Full address hurrah! That makes me illogically happy.

Thanks again.

HorryIsUpduffed im planning a home birth this time with dc3 aswell anyway the midwife told me to pack the bag anyway incase of transfer or incase i dont get the home birth for what ever reason im going to have a sep oufit/vest babygrow and nappies towels and home birth things set out aswell :)

Oh and house is 1977. Only two newborns have ever lived here - our vendors' DD who was definitely born in hospital, and our DS2 who was only just born in hospital rather than a layby

had 3 home births. 1&2 have the city in passport, 3 has our little village assets had moved out ofthe city by then.

I didn't pack a bag as such, I had 2 boxes. one fir birth so towels, mirror, desk lamp, inco pads etc. one for me and baby so clothes and nappies, pjs for me, big pants, maternity pads etc. that way that box could be shoved in car if needed and everything was gathered together for the birth.