Home birth - midwife visiting, what to expect?

[splendide]

I have an appointment this week (36 week) and it's at my home. I understand it's partly so the home birth team can have a look and check my house is suitable.

Can anyone who has had a home birth let me know what they'll be looking at? I am a bit worried that the parking situation is quite difficult - will that be a factor do you think?

I'm hoping to have a home birth (but only 31 weeks at the mo) and interested to hear about this...

I have awful parking on my street. They day we moved in some nearby friends marked out a space with wheely bins and signs etc. I know you can't predict when it'll be but I'd say if you have cars, park yours outside your house, and if you have an OH when your contractions start then get them to move the car or put bins/cones out for the midwife?
Good luck, if I'm in my new house by that stage I'd like to have a home birth so I'm interested to see what they say.

When my midwife did our homebirth check it was looking at basics like availability of running water. Se did check the parking situation - they like their car to be fairly close. They also make sure there is access for an ambulance, just in case. They left a pack of stuff.
Good luck with your homebirth. Mine was great.

They just asked me where I wanted to give borth. Checked there was space for them to move around. Asked about heating the room for the birth. It wasn't a lot aboit the house really. Although my last home birth was 3 years ago.

Btw, the only reason my midwife left me to go to her car was to get some gas and air. After the birth she got weighing scales etc from her car.
A second midwife comes just before baby arrives (although in my case it she arrived 5 minutes afterwards) so they need parking too.

We have no parking at all on our road except on Sundays and late (single yellow line). There are parking bays about 2 minutes round the corner that I can give them vouchers for. Ambulance would be no bother and they can load/unload for 20 minutes.

I'm suddenly really nervous!

They also wanted somewhere safe to store the home birth kit. In mycase safely away from my DC. And Also space in the fridge for the drugs, that was also away from where my dc could reach.

Don't be nervous, it will be fine.

Splendide, parking 2 minutes around the corner sounds absolutely fine to me. The midwives are used to homebirths in all kinds of places.

Thanks all, that's encouraging.

We have running water and a fridge and the house is not too bad generally. I don't quite know where in the house I'll actually give birth but I can discuss that with them I suppose.

They look at your rooms and might advise you which rooms would be preferable for you to give birth in. For instance if you had steep, narrow stairs they might prefer you not to give birth upstairs incase they needed you to get into an ambulance quickly.

Make sure you have electricity and water.

Not that a lack of those would stop it. I've been to home births in tents before. But its good to know so you can plan for stuff beforehand.

I think I probably will labour and give birth downstairs. Our stairs are narrow and our only bathroom is downstairs.

That'll mean no bed though, although I can do a mattress on the floor and a sofa bed or just the big sofa. I quite like the idea of a nest on the floor and giving birth upright but I'm worried about their backs if I'm too low.

I guess this sort of thing is the point of the home visit!

I gave birth on my living room floor and the mw was happy with that.
I had narrow steep stairs and they decided it wasn't safe upstairs in case they needed to get me downstairs quickly.
I put a cheap plastic sheet on the floor and then lots of old towels on top, the mw also brought lots of those incontinence pads to put down. I had my birthing ball too.

I had a nest type thing on the floor. We had large floor cushions and plastic decorating sheets over them. I leant over the sofa. The mw just sat on the floor to check on me, and to deliver DS2.

Oh that's good to know! So hopefully they should be fine with me on the floor. I was thinking I'd bring a mattress down and then protect it.

I've got my appointment tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes.

We didn't get a home birth pack at all.

They are checking for accessible hot water, space to deliver, space to park, a space for the resuscitation equipment for the baby. How easy it is to find your house in the dark? What are you doing with your children if you have some already?

It is just that sort of thing and is all very low key.

Crumbs, when I had my first homebirth one of my NCT group did the same... in the wreck of a house she and DP were very slowly renovating. It was utter chaos there. Running water, but that's about it.
When the MW came to see us it was really just to leave the kit. Wasn't much of a look round.

They're checking what is available - parking, hot water, house layout - so that they can plan accordingly. Never forget that there is no 'you can't do x' about this - they don't get to say whether your house is suitable, there is no such thing, it's where YOU are so it's where you choose to give birth. And they are visiting so that they know what they might have to arrange specific things for, e.g. parking issues.

You also don't have to plan anything in advance. On the day, you may feel like being upstairs, downstairs - it's up to you, and they work around it. So it's fine to say, no plan, I might want to be upstairs, downstairs, I think x but will go with the flow on the day. And if they they start saying, well, you need to do x or be here - you smile and say, that's why I'm having a home birth, so I can make the choices I feel are best for me on the day, in my own home, and as I understand it, you will be there to help and support me in that.

Everyone else seems to have told you what you need to know, with much up to date info than I could provide - my home births were years ago

Just wanted to wish you all the best with yours. And remind you to get lots of plastic sheeting from your local builders' merchant for the floor and the bed, and make sure you have a good supply of washing powder ready for the sheets!

castlemilk, part of the MW's support for any labouring woman is to advise her as well. Most baths at home are too small to deliver in, say. If the bedroom doesn't give enough space for the MWs and space to resuscitate the baby, then the MWs might advise not going in there.

I've had my visit all went well! Midwife was really lovely and very encouraging so fingers crossed we are on!

As long as I can get the little bugger's head engage though. He's head down but quite high. I better get I that ball :(

Ellen, please don't get pregnant unless you AND your boyfriend are really sure that it's what you want, and that you could cope with all the consequences - financial, emotional, the limits having a baby to think about will place on your lives. Babies cost far more than you think you will, because they go on growing, they are very tiring to look after, and it's hard to have a small child and a job as well.

You're only 16: give yourself a chance to finish school, get some experience of the world and then find someone who wants a child with you.

Hi Ellenrebecca,
It's probably best if you started your own thread on this forum as then you will get more replies to your question, but I didn't want to leave you unanswered.
I would seriously advise you to not try and get pregnant right now! 6 months is no time at all to have been in a relationship. Raising a baby is very hard even with a fully committed and dedicated boyfriend or husband, and if yours doesn't want a baby, you are going to end up a single mum.
you say you have been looking into the finances, what have you figured out? Remember that it is not just the things you need for a little baby, but you will be financially responsible for the next 18 years or more of that child's life! I have a 2 1/2 year old, and nursery fees cost me £900 per month. How would you be able to get a job that will pay for that if you only have GCSE qualifications?