Being prepared for home birth? What do I need?

[littleraysofsunshine]

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

[littleraysofsunshine]

What about those if you who had extra super fast labours? How do you prepare? Especially if you were planning home water birth?

I have 7 weeks left.. And that of course an approximate timescale.
Going by last dd, (1hr start to baby in arms) should I even contemplate getting to MLU? 10/15mins away or just fully prepare to home birth?

[Lucylouby]

My 2nd dc, but first hb, was 90 mins, start to finish. My best advice is to phone for a mw immediately. I phoned my mum first, she lived 2.5 hours away and i wanted her to be there. i then phoned the mw, she only just made it in time as she lived just under an hour away.
I had a pool, but it only had a couple of inches of water in it and I realised it was going to be to quick, so ditched that idea.
IMO you are better of with a planned home birth than giving birth in the car by the side of the road, so you are doing the right thing. Read up about birthing and make sure your dp knows what he is doing. Have a local neighbour/friend on standby in case you need help.
Dc3 labour was 3 hours so it doesn't always follow that they get quicker, but you are wise to plan for a quick labour. The pool wasn't ready for that birth either though.

[apocketfulofposy]

The pool only took about half an hour to inflate and fill so that would be enough time for most,and dont always assume it will be even quicker this time,mine have actually got longer!not in a bad way,i just think the more oyu have the more sensitive your body is to contractions and you just know earlier,my first two were and hour and a half but my second 2 were 4 hours.Its good to be prepared though as you never know this one could be faster!

[homebirthingtotallyrocks]

Another vote for planned home birth rather than risking a road side one. When I had dd (bba) there was a lady who gave birth in the street in the snow with people walking past (according to midwife).

You don't need a pool, I had 2 HB and no birthing pool. Bath and shower worked for me.

I used the puppy pads as they were cheaper.

[littleraysofsunshine]

The past couple of days I've had more discharge and shooting pains down there. I assume it's because baby's head is low but I hope it's not too early! Still got 7 weeks!

[principalitygirl]

I reckon a well positioned baby is a must! Get on all fours lots between now and the birth and check out the spinning babies website. Good luck! x

[littleraysofsunshine]

My last girl was in perfect position two days before birth then came out back to back! I didn't realise though!

[seafoodudon]

Probably a silly question - but did people go for old towels that they would chuck away after or find that the blood and, well, you know, washed off towels ok? I am wondering about buying some white ones that I can then bleach - but seems silly to buy new towels if they won't ever get properly clean/DH will be too grossed out to use them ever anyway.

[PenguinsDontEatPancakes]

I was in the pool so not masses of blood, but our accidentally used good beige towels washed fine. Key is a cold wash first.

[ananikifo]

We washed the towels and they were fine. DH probably used an Oxy stain removing powder in the wash, along with a bio detergent.

[DeckTheHallsWithBoughsOfHorry]

My mw and many friends and MNers agree that third babies are tricksy. They stop and start and false alarm for hours/days. But once they're coming they're not slow. Fourth (etc) babies apparently behave better - I shall not be testing that part of the theory.

DC2 was 12h start to finish, but that was 11h "hmm that's uncomfortable, I'll have a lie-down" and only one hour of "ow" of which only four contractions of pushing.

DC3 false started for over a week then was five hours of "oof", an hour of "ow" and maybe twenty minutes of pushing. More civilised.

[DeckTheHallsWithBoughsOfHorry]

One of our white towels had to be binned as it got dropped in the pool shortly after delivery and wasn't retrieved until an hour or so later. Most of the, erm, staining stuff comes out after the baby.

All the others survived: you couldn't tell which had been bled on once they'd been washed (pn cool).

[apocketfulofposy]

I dont believe the third babies are tricky thing,its just one of those stupid things people say that has no actual proof!

I have 4 and am on number 5 and theyve all been exactly the same except i knew iw as in labour earlier with 3 and 4,so about 4 hours tot he first twos 2 hours.

[PenguinsDontEatPancakes]

Third babies better not be tricky, the first two were enough bother without them getting more unpredictable

[littleraysofsunshine]

I think in my case I am just anxious as dd1 was great but then pph two hours after. Dd2 was like a rocket an back to back. I didn't realise until after as I found hers easier.. And no pph. But just always got the thought at the back of my mind that it could happen again. As could the B2B scenario.. And just what if it is even faster! Or if I go the opposite and have a really long hard labour ending in instruments or something.

Positive thinking....... I try lol

[PenguinsDontEatPancakes]

I read somewhere that the odds of instrumental delivery fall a lot if you've had previous vaginal births. Can't find it right now, but I am sure i've seen it. I do know that I was at no greater risk than any other second time mother of instrumental with DD2 even though DD1 was forceps. Does that help a bit?

[Donki]

If you can soak bloodstained items in SALTY water before a cool wash. Blood comes ou much easier that way.

[seafoodudon]

Thanks for the towel tips - much appreciated!

[Lucylouby]

Dc3 was a lot bigger than the other two. My mw thought if she had been my first I would have struggled to get her out naturally due to her size, but as she was no3, everything was already stretched and able to cope. When I look back over all three births, number three was the most painful and most intense. All births are different and you won't know what kind of labour you are going to get until you are in the middle of it.
My labour with dc3 was a bit stop start for days before hand though.contractions would start, last about an hour, then stop for a couple of days, then some more, then stop. I'd be thinking everything was starting only for it all to stop as quickly as it started.
My sofa was completely covered in blood and it all came out, (machine washable covers) we are sitting on it now and you would never know.

[PedantMarina]

Errrm, patient and/or deaf neighbours?

runs and ducks<

Seriously, OP, dead jealous. Wish home birth had even been an option for me. Best of luck!

[Catsize]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for posting. This has helped boost my confidence after a pretty traumatic induction with DC1, for whom we had planned a homebirth. Has knocked my confidence for DC2 somewhat, but not long to decide, as due in Feb. Keep fearing baby will get stuck, which the rational part of me knows is a bit bonkers, given I pushed out a 10lb baby 17 days overdue and after three day induction with hardly any food.

[patagonia09]

BIRTHPOOL IN A BOX. BIRTHPOOL IN A BOX. BIRTHPOOL IN A BOX.
Also, birthpoolinabox.
Veteran of an 81.5 hour labour here, at home, all in the pool. I think I would have died without it. It was a bit gruelling but worth it - when you get to the end it's the most amazing experience ever and I would hate to do it any other way. (Having said that, s**t happens, so try to be psychologically prepared for the fact that you might end up in hosp anyway).
Also: energy / glucose sweets. And a cup with a straw. LUcozade.
Don't understand this thing about condoms and hear monitors - my MW had no trouble with hers. Maybe it was a special one.
Don't forget the birthpool in a box.
Make sure you fill it in advance as it's quite slow and fiddly.

[Lucylouby]

pedantmarina my neighbour was in my kitchen through out my third labour, ready to stay with older dc if we had to transfer. She made the mw tea I think. Her husband never heard a thing next door though, and he was the other side of the wall throughout it all.
With dc2 they didn't even know he had been born until they saw him in the garden a couple of days later, so it can't have been that noisy an experience.

[PenguinsDontEatPancakes]

Catsize - you had a vaginal delivery at the end of the induction? I had a spontaneous onset of labour with DD1, but then ended up with every intervention going - mega doses on the drip, epidural, forceps. I was told that, so long as I had a 'proven cervix', I had no more risk of any of these things second time than any other second time mother. They were right.

The only slight issue was that I had about an 8 hour intense latent phase (leaning over mooing like a cow), equivalent to the point with DD1 where I was still 36 hours away from a baby. But the active phase was well under an hour, so DD2 arrived 5 minutes before the midwife (and 30 seconds before the paramedic). This time I am under strict instructions to call them when the contractions are intense, even if they aren't regular. I want to too - I bloody love gas and air and felt really cheated last time