Being prepared for home birth? What do I need?

[littleraysofsunshine]

Also having a hospital bag just in case ... (Dc3, first potential hb)

I think you were born with all the bits you need

Someone to catch helps though!

I meant Orkney in the sense that it is remote and exotic in my limited Sassenach mind. I didn't know it actually has things like maternity unit

At my HB I had -
A pool in a box
M&S nibbles
Michael McIntyre DVD
Calming music
Birthing ball
Clean towels
Couple of shower curtains
Maternity mats
Bottle of water with Rescue Remedy
Sensible friend to tell the hospital to fuck off when they had no midwives available!!

Someone on standby to look after older dc. I never even thought of this when I had dc2 at home and everything was fine. When I had dc3, I had a list as long as my arm of people to phone if I needed emergency care and I ended up having my neighbour in the kitchen as we may have had to transfer (meconium in waters). We didn't have to go as the labour was so quick and everything was fine, but the mw called the ambulance as back up and it was on the drive way waiting should we have needed it. My mw were so supportive, I had absolute faith in them and their ability to safely deliver my baby. Lots of stuff to protect furniture, eg shower curtains/disposable bed mats etc. get someone else to attach them securely before you get going. Mine ended up moving, their was goo everywhere, meaning we had no sofa the next day as the cushion covers were all in the machine.

I used he hospital bag as somewhere to keep everything we needed in one place. Afterwards DH brought the bag down and it had clean underwear/pjs/pads/hair brush in and all the baby's stuff, nappy/vest/baby gro/nice blanket, the camera ws there ready which was handy.

Lots of towels. When I had dc2 we only used my best cream towel (by mistake, but which washed clean) but with dc3 we got through the whole pile.

Something nice for a snack afterwards.

I had a planned hb, but needed a transfer to hospital (retained placenta). Please, make sure you have all that you need for you and baby for one night. That includes meds and any necessary paperwork. Anything that you feel makes you comfortable. I had just given birth to a nine pounder and had to be carried down the stairs in my Victorian terrace house, then out in front of a traffic jam complete with bus passengers and neighbours starring as I was put in the ambulance. I looked a sweaty, blood stained wreck! But, I never regretted having a home birth even after all that!

Honestly, 1 x cheap shower curtain.

2 homebirths here, and that was the only thing I had prepared :)

A roll of bubble wrap, of the kind that is sold for insulating greenhouses, is brilliant. It covers your carpets and you don't slip on it, and if you have any left over it will wrap all your Ebay sale stuff!

I'd also stock up on old towels. You'll need at least half a dozen.

Oh yes, and paracetemol for after pains. They do some called Pameton (I think) which have an anti-overdose formulation.

After my son was born at home the midwives said he was too cold, and needed a hat.

It was a planned hb and I wasn't considering taking him outside for a while, so my poor old dh had to go up to the loft to find a baby hat. Sniggering all the time to himself about his new baby.

This was in the summer in south east England so I would say a hat.

I have never had a hb on my bed, I like my bed to be freshly made for baby and me to get into and snuggle. I gave birth in the living room and the spare bedroom. No mess, the midwives were amazing at getting rid of it, they will do that when you go for your first pee or shower or bath in your own home.

The midwives were grand. My dh sent a bouquet of flowers to them at their hospitals and one of them sent us a card back saying it had been a pleasure and a priviledge to see us have our baby.

For one of my hbs my mum spent the night in case our eldest woke up. She didn't, but my mum kept popping in to see how things were going, I completely understand that she couldn't be banished to a room in a small flat and listen without wanting to get involved, but she was putting me off my stroke. The other one I swear she sat listening to radio four in her car outside until she heard a baby cry, my eldest played with my middle one downstairs whilst I gave birth. It was so sweet when my dh took the baby downstairs and our middle one said, 'hello baby' they've been so close, and of course both my dc could visit me post natally at home in bed.

Another thing that is so...proud of where you live, snobby or proud of where you gave birth. My dc who was born in hospital has London on her passport as her place of birth, my hb dc have the exact location of their births.

Best wishes for you and your new baby

There isn't a maternity unit in our council anymore so when we went to register the birth the registrar loved it although our London hospital born DC has her borough on her passport, not just London.

I'm not sure what's going to happen with DD while I have the baby. Hopefully it will be in the middle of the night and she'll sleep through the whole thing. Family are 20/30 minutes away, we have some friends who could take her on short notice.

Although she will be coming up 4, I may watch some home birth videos with her nearer the time and gauge her reaction. I may feel comfortable with her being with us.

Play it by ear, I guess.

I didnt have a birthing pool, gave birth stood up- twice, had disposable puppy mats (the midwives here don't bring them), had very little actually.

I love my bed, so DH had strict instructions to change all the sheets etc and put new bedding on, which he did while I was slowly walking (placenta attached) to my room.

had a new fluffly towel for the baby, what else - nothing, I didn't have a hospital bag or anything just in case, also Honey statistically, home birth is far safer than another form, believe in yourself and your baby - if something is going to go wrong, it will probably happen wherever you are.

and some one for other DCs, mine wont let me do anything in peace (not even sleep), so the idea of them climbing all over me in labour was not appealling.

my kids are desperate to watch!

They are only 5, 4 and 3 though (also have a 1 yr old but i dont think that would work out very well hes into everything)last time i went into labour after a sweep at about 6pm,so we put them to bed (this was just over a year ago) and by about 8pm i was in proper labour (as in not able to do anything else but BE in labour) and my daughter who was 2 and a half at the time kept coming downstairs and talking to me in between contractions.

I think once i got into transition my husband managed to get her to watch dora in bed and she fell asleep and ds was born not long after at 10pm!

She still remembers and and keeps asking the midwife (same one i had last time and who delivered baby)if she can stay and "watch the baby pop out" the mw said she gets lots of toddlers watching and its not usually a problem,especially if the mum is quite quiet and calm in labour (which i have been with them all except the first)

ah home birth :) - totally rocks - here are my 2 meeting their baby brother post birth here Ive name changed for this obviously.

Not sure about Santa getting the credit for all your hard work totallyrocks ! But that was lovely, thank you for sharing.

Just researching for next time, I don't know whether to have a home birth or to use our fantastic local Midwife led unit. But at least I've got two great options.

Good job on the name change totallyrocks as I have met you (once) irl and we have a mutual friend

I had DD2 at home, although not really planned as labour was only 50 mins. She was born on the bathroom floor, and we didn't even have any towels in there as I had been in a tidying mood the night before and put everything in the wash. Anyway apart from a mobile with speaker phone - should you need to call anyone...midwife, emergency services etc :) I'd say not a lot. However being at home means that you've got all your things to hand if you do need anything, and in my experience other people in he house esp husbands are good at running to get things as and when needed as it's a nice practical job. I'm almost a fan of the HB thing now, but we're not planning on any more!

Awwww so sweet Totallyrocks!

You don't need much, but there's lots of things that are useful if you have them handy...

Lots of towels! Dressing gown for if you get chilly. I used a shower curtain to protect the floor and everything went right through it - it mopped up fine but be careful yours is properly waterproof! Cushions to lean / kneel on.

Incontinence mats from boots are brilliant (they're the same as maternity mats but much bigger and cheaper). The midwife will bring some but mine had nearly run out so it was lucky I had some more.

A sugary drink, like apple juice, for energy. Not orange juice as it often makes labouring women vomit.

A few snacks. A torch was useful for us so midwife could see what was going on - our lights are quite dim.

I had a birth ball and this was useful,

I would pack a hospital bag even if your husband knows where things are. I had a hospital bag but had to transfer after for a few stiches, and my normally organised husband managed to ignore the bag I'd packed and instad bring a pile of baby clothes and nappies (?!). I was the only woman there with no shower gel, underwear or toothbrush! Make sure you include snakcs eg cereal bars and a book, I was kept waiting for 12 hours just to have a few stiches and there's only so many baby photos you can take. If you don't need it great.

I hung a curtain around an area of the living room so it felt more private. And a birth pool is awesome, helps with backache, but your husband will have to clean it!

Have fun - home birth's great!

I had three shower curtains from poundland and the tarp from the birthing pool kit and I wish I had more. I didn't take up that much space but I think I would have been more comfortable to move around afterwards if it was all covered. Also it would be very hard to have too many towels.

I wish I had a tens machine, an antiemetic and codeine. I had only paracetamol on hand and wasn't prepared for the pain and nausea. (My hb was my first birth.)

Lots of good suggestions here.

I had a home water birth four weeks ago. The trickiest thing was that I had organised everything, but it was DH or the mws finding things.

Having everything easily findable is just as important as having them in the first place - so he won't bring the white Egyptian cotton towels instead of the navy ones when the mw asks for another towel...

Oh and in a similar vein, a list for DH of what you'd need if transferring, so he can go "pants, pads, pyjamas, babygro, nappies" and not have to think while he is panicking.

I had DS2 in our spare room. I put a really good mattress protector on the bed and lots of incontinence mats from our local pharmacists. I has a tens machine and a couple of really good lamps for task lighting. We had the desk in the room set up with changing mat, towels, blankets etc for the midwife to check over the baby when he was born.
My three eldest, 12, 10 and 7 came home from school while I was in labour, had a bit of a chat with me, then went downstairs to watch TV. They had pasta and sauce, made by DH in 10 minutes, for tea, and DS was born at about 5.30.
It was really lovely getting into my own, clean shower, then back into my own lovely clean bed.
I had 4 midwives there at one point when they were changing shift, three when DS was actually born because one wanted to stay. I have never had more than one there with my other there's births. And the midwife said that I had given my daughters the gift of knowing that childbirth could be a simple, unscary, natural process. How nice of her.