Home birthing! thread

[cheekstime]

Hello Homebirthers, unsure whether this will be benefical but after seeing due date clubs/threads thought I would put this up.

A place where you can just dive in to post comment, with any of your home birthing planning issues, difficulties or joys!

I'm planning one myself, albeit a natural thing to do there's not many that do....popularity is increasing though :).

Just how many, if any at all are here as mumnetters?

Interesting, I know what you mean about being seen as an awkward patient for not just blindly doing as you're told. My consultant transferred my case to another hospital in the end last time, I've got the same consultant again, she remembers me and it was three years ago...

No clue about the sieve but the jug is to measure blood loss. Baby needs to hang fire for 5 more days then they'll be on call for me!

iam I believe the sieve is to remove any rogue poo from the pool that you might accidentally release

Sadly, I don't think I'd be able to afford a doula, how much do they cost? To be fair to them, whilst I think they were overly risk averse in my last pregnancy,
I can understand their concerns a little this time (not actually relating to original high risk status!) I feel really panicky at the thought of a hospital birth again but I don't want to be stupid either which is why I'm really interested to hear other people's opinions.

Not having a pool!

Hello signing in at 39 weeks... got the midwife bag in the hallway and covered in a pile of old sheets and shower curtains, off to pick up new tens pads today and tomorrow taking a huge bag of towels to launderette so I can tumble dry them and hopefully make them a bit softer!
It's my second - hospital first time around and a bit traumatic so hoping being at home will help me be more relaxed and able to labour better. I was lumped into 'high risk' and extra growth scans for a while simply because I'd turned 40, but last week the consultants were finally happy that all is normal and I was signed back to midwife care and home birth was booked!
Feeling big and uncomfortable so would quite like baby to make a start asap

iamdivergent - hey 5....er hang on now 4 days!! :), keep in touch !

Hi! It's all go then superwormissuperstrong wow that's great you got your wish granted :), let us know! I too had prev issues made me high risk now they've given me the low risk. Baby was always low

Right where's that jug..Ohhhoooo lurrrvley

I threw up in a jug during labour once as it happened to be on the draining board so someone just grabbed it for me. I've never come across it mentioned as something you need before.

BadlyWrittenPoem :D!

Hi Guys err girls...How is everyones plans going for homebirth?

I've got a home birth planned too, first baby and due mid-August, so not long now!

I'm also using Maggie Howell and Sophie Fletcher, I'd really recommend her book 'Mindful Hypnobirthing' if you haven't read it already. I tried with Katharine Graves' hypnobirthing CDs too, but her voice reminds me of Ann Widdecombe

Has anyone else written a list of items to have to hand? I can post mine here to share ideas if that'd be useful.

Hi,
I'm not pregnant but we are ttc #3.
How do your dh's feel about home birth?

Hi andpropersteel - I'm planning for first baby too. Interesting you are using a book as well as Cd's. I will have a look at Sophie's book.

Yes some Mn's have given lists of their fav things. Stick yours up too if you like/don't mind, you never know what gem's you could be passing on.

Good luck with it all!

Hi sparkle789 Other half has gained his confidence with me also, along the way and now set on it, just th eeasy bit of actually giving birth though right :D.
all best

cheeks I think the books are quite good to read alongside as it consolidates the physiological/hormonal aspects, which I find quite empowering (i.e. how the hormones work and how relaxation aids the process, things to consider for birth plan). I think there's a Maggie Howell book that goes with her CD too, purple cover... can't remember the name of it (and I only finished that last week, duh!).

sparkle My partner is incredibly supportive of the whole thing and is very confident about it (in fact, I think he has more faith in me than I have in myself!). I had a bit of a wobble early on about worries over being pushed into an unnecessarily medicalised birth (scary) and it was actually him who suggested home birth. Good luck with ttc!

Ooh just seen this! Due in Thursday with DC3. Planning HWB. Having some cramps and 'surges' right now so lying in bed, DD1 gone to archery and DS palmed off with my mum.
Will catch up on thread now

False alarm
Anyone else still on this thread?

I'm planning to have my first baby at home, due 1st July. My doula has dropped round her birthing pool and we're pretty sure the floor will hold! (It's a flat) I do keep feeling a bit nervous but pretty sure I'd be nervous wherever it was planned to take place!

Mimicat I'm not a home birth person at all but just was browsing this thread and I wanted to say you should seriously get someone who knows what they are doing to evaluate your structure if you are going to fill a large pool full of water on an upper floor. Water is very dense and a large quantity concentrated in one small area will exert huge pressure. Bathtubs usually have reinforced structures underneath if they are on upper floors. You probably won't be insured for any damage either. You do not want to be spending the first few weeks of your baby's life dealing with a burst ceiling, irate neighbours, slippery insurance companies and possibly an uninhabitable apartment. Get someone who knows what they are doing to do the calculations and advise you.

I'm still around, but I've been referred for a growth scan next week and have been told if the baby is small then I'll have to have a non-water hospital birth hooked up to an ECG. So that'd be pretty much every one of my coping mechanisms taken away and everything I wanted to avoid!

My gut says the baby is fine though, my bump has always been compact (I have a long torso and low/hard to locate pubic bone, so don't have much faith in the accuracy of fundal measurements either!). There's a 24hr party going on in there so I'm sure it'll all be fine.

Is this your first home birth lovelillies ?

Hi Sycamore, I realise from the way I wrote it that I sound a bit blasé but I have researched it quite thoroughly! I've spoken to a builder who advised where to put the pool, worked out the weight and therefore pressure per square feet, and basically it's the same as having 8-10 people in my living room so not anything to worry about. I also spoke to a birthing pool company who told me about 25% of their pools go into flats and they've never heard of one going through the floor. So I'm sure it'll be fine. I really appreciate your concern and taking the time to reply though :)

Yes first HB for me
Saw MW today who reckons baby will be here by the weekend, so just trying to relax/ get last bits and bobs done before life changes again!

Try not to worry about the growth scan, they're notoriously inaccurate. I had one too at 32 weeks following an RTA because my bump was small but all okay.
I think slim people always measure small

I'm still seriously considering HB, I'm going to start talking through it with my MW when I see her and maybe ask if I can have an appt with the supervisor of midwives to discuss it with her too and see what they think about the risk factors. I'm seeing my consultant again in August but I'd really like to have had a good long chat with the MWs first.