Home Birth...what did you find useful?

[PregnantGrrrl]

I've made a list of things for my planned home birth...can anyone see / think of anything else that might be handy?

Waterproof mattress cover
Large plastic sheet for floor
Bin liner for the debris afterwards
Paracetamol
Candles
Mix CD
Basin
Big towel
Old sheet

ibruprofen for those awful after contractions.

Chocolate biscuits and bacon sarnies for midwives! Strong tea too... and maybe a box of chocs for them to say thankyou afterwards...I sent one to them about a week later so not urgent.
Torch in case of bulb going/power cut.
Light (anglepoise type) for stitching etc.
Sign for the door, answering machine.

Good luck...enjoy!!!

Video camera to show a live birth on mumsnet......??????

Photo camera!

I found those disposable matress protectors very useful.

Good luck!

feedmenow- i have no desire for me (or anyone else) to see my expanding do-dah on film. Blurgh!

Some incontinence pads (the MWs didn't have enough) or more old towels to put underneath you.

In my case instructions for the gas and air/oxygen cylinders. MWs spent half the time trying to hook the extra G&A cylinder up to the oxygen mask for the baby. Luckily we didn't need it. I had 2 G&A cyclinders one big one small both blue and one small black oxygen cyclinder marked O2 why they were trying to hook the G&A up I have no idea. Next time I will make sure ALL MWs on the rota know exactly how the G&A works.

Clean fluffy towel to wrap baby in. If your giving birth in your living room and you have wooden floor put a double quilt down doubled up iyswim under the waterproof stuff. Saves your knees if your on all fours.

bottle of champagne
Music
Bach rescue remedy

the midwife brought everything we needed for my homebirth i just provided the home

Straws for sipping water. Ice chips.

Hot water bottle (nice on back or tummy in early labour).

Good luck, enjoy!!

Arnica tablets (started taking them when labour started)
Good music, or dvd that can take your mind off contractions (I had Love Actually on repeat)
Birthing/exercise ball - to sit on, lean over etc. Sat on mine til I was about 7/8cms dilated.

Did pack a "me" bag and a "baby" bag, so it was easy for dh to find things like nappy, sleepsuit etc, and was there just in case we ended up in hospital.

I can highly recommend homebirth - Good Luck!

You cant have candles if you have gas and air, I used fairy lights to keep lighting low.
Also how about Tens machine?
Clothes/hat/blanket for baby plus a few old towels. Old long loose/comfy T shirt for you after the baby is born.
Nice grub for afterwards.
Hope all goes well. I loved both my home births, esp the last where I gave birth in a pool.

Stain remover (Vanish or similar) for soaking towels/dressing gown afterwards, and for removing the odd spot that might be on the carpet.

Good luck - hope it goes well

As well as the things mentioned above, I found a sports bottle invaluable for drinking water between contractions as I was very thirsty. I can also recommend pampers bed mats to protect the bed afterwards.

Food!!! I was soooo hungry after the birth and had cravings for fruit and cheese sandwiches!!! Other than that as many cushions/towels and duvets as you can get you hands on to lean on/lie on and sink in when holding your precious newborn. Good luck!! I had a home birth- the most amazing thing in the world

I could not have done without my fan! although the midwife made me turn it off towards the end as it was too cold for the baby to be born in to!

Lots of plastic to protect your carpet as if you are anything like me you will miss the carefully laid out towels and plastic protector sheets and break your waters all over the lounge carpet. Other than that something for your DH to do!
Home births are fabulous. I have had one of each. Hospital horrible.

Ronshar! I laid out the sheets and plastic on the living room floor only to go into second stage upstairs, kneeling on heels by bed. They couldn't get anything under me before waters went, blood everywhere, it was a disaster according to the Monica element of my personality...the other bits of me thought it was great!

I put an old duvet over the sofa too so I could lie on it afterwards without fear of soaking through.

We used old shower curtains for the floor. Think about the trail from where you are planning to have the baby and the path to the shower/bath!

I found a birth pool very good! And something to wee in if you don't want to go all the way to the toilet, in my case as I didn't want to get out of the pool and I didn't want to wee in it. I would give candles a miss due to g&a and oxygen (which will be there just in case the baby needs a wiff of it after birth) Definately some food for the mw's (speaks the voice of experience as I have been a mw at many homebirths and you feel a bit miserable if they don't even offer you a cuppa) If dp does not want to leave your side she could make it herself. Oh and that is another thing it could be useful to have someone else around for things like answering phone, making tea & odd jobs. My sister was there and very useful she was too.

A doula. Seriously - mine was worth her weight in diamonds!

hello pregnantgrrl, i've got the NCT booklet on home births and i think some other info as well, as i attended their antenatal class on it. they are yrs if you would like them. just CAT me.

i'd planned a home birth but baby had other plans!!

Second a doula!
Also loved having lavendar oil for massage - the smell calmed me completely.
I also had a bowl handy in case I needed to throw up - which I did
Also prepare a place to rest in after giving birth while waiting for placenta to arrive - somewhere snug and warm (and protected from blood) for you and your baby to gaze at each other and feed. Enjoy!

I third a doula, had one for my second birth (not my first though) and it made a HUGE difference, money very well spent IMO!
She was great, really reassuruing and much more comforting/encouraging then the rather brittle midwives.

for the midwives, i thought i'd just put out some tea and biscuits and let them help themselves to whatever they want.

and how do you CAT someone?!