Considering a home birth

[lj2245]

I am pregnant with my 3rd child and had my previous 2 in hospital. Both vaginal deliveries with no complications. The first was 27 hours active labour with 38 mins pushing and the 2nd was around 30 mins active labour (I went from 2cm to baby in arms in 45 mins) with about 5 mins pushing.

I gave birth to my 2nd at 9pm and was kept in overnight and discharged first thing. I was in a ward alone and barely saw a midwife the whole time I was there. Even when I was in labour, one came rushing into the room just as I was in the middle of pushing alex out and caught him. I hadn't realised I was pushing (umm... I was apparently convinced i just needed to Poo and id feel better).

Anyway. We live 45 mins from the hospital and for various reasons I'd like a home birth. I'm worried about having my baby in the car. I want to have my home comforts. I don't want my husband to have to leave us if I have another evening birth. I love my own bed. I don't see the point in going to hospital to do what I can do here. If I have the baby in the middle of the night I don't have to wake the kids to take them to my MILs. I'm due 9th jan and it may be snowing. I live in the countryside and would rather not risk driving in dangerous conditions.

What's holding me back... And I know this might seem stupid... Is I'm worried about the mess. I have a fairly large house. I feel I'd be happy in the main room with my birthing ball and huge corner sofa. I may even get a birthing pool. But Ive given birth twice already. I know how much mess is involved. I do not want to poo on my sofa or rug :/ I don't want my shower to look like a massacre has occurred and have to clean it all up right after having a baby. I don't want to birth on my back with a pad under me all neat and tidy. I know I'll likely be standing or squatting somewhere. With my first my waters were broken by the midwife and gushed everywhere. With my 2nd they went on their own (with a gush) in bed hours before labour began and I had to get a new mattress. I know my waters are going to make a huge mess.

How did you contain (?) the mess?

 

[Hoping4Four]

I understand your concerns about the mess. NHS midwives provide quite a few absorbent pads in the birth kit (and I ordered a few extra from a home birth supplies website) and I have a large piece of plastic sheeting to go under the pool, as well as a £2 shower curtain that I'm going to use in the main living room area. I bought some new towels to replace any that get ruined; the midwives take them away to be incinerated if you don't want to wash them.

Honestly I don't think it'd be as bad as you think it would be! It's the midwife's job to clean up any mess just like it is in hospital, and as long as you have adequate sheeting/towels to protect your sofa and floor you should be fine. Plus if you do have a pool most of the blood and possibly your waters will go in there anyway.. You can get a submersible pump that you attach a hose to, stick the other end down the drain and it drains all the water away (most birth pool kits come with one).

Good luck with whatever you decide

Edit: if you're worried about ruining your mattress again buy a waterproof mattress protector and maybe put a couple of towels under your bed sheet in the last couple of weeks. That's what I've done!

 

[lj2245]

Thanks so much for your reply. I've enquired about a pool that comes with a massive tarpaulin so that should be handy. It also has the pump you mention.

I did have a mattress protector on the bed last time but I have a super kingsize bed and the waters just flooded everywhere lol I guess that will happen regardless of where I give birth if they do go in bed again so it's not really an issue.

Shower curtains are a fab idea and we have just put in a new bathroom and I have a whole stack of new towels so can keep my old ones for the birth

I'm excited now! Talked it over with my husband and he agrees it's for the best. He hated having to leave us at the hospital so I know he's as excited as I am about having the baby at home. Just need to tell my midwife and hope she's supportive

 

[bumphope]

We had a mattress protector waterproof sheet thing on the sofa, towels and old bed sheets underneath it... I had a couple of shower curtains to put on the floor too but we didn't use those.

I decided I wanted to be in the bathroom, and that's where she was born in the end, where it's a slate floor, just lots of towels everywhere. They all washed out afterwards - which was a shame as I was looking forward to binning all our old towels!!

I don't think it was as bad as we thought it might be. That said, my husband did do the tidying up!

X

 

[Feronia]

The mess really isn't that big of a deal, especially if you're prepared! Usually midwives will help clean up and you won't even be aware of it. I even lost 1 litre of blood and by the next morning you wouldn't have known. We had a bunch of cheap shower curtains from the dollar store on the floor and I had a water birth so the mess was contained, but I had the placenta on dry land on a bowl over the sheet. My DH and midwives cleaned everything so I had no idea.

 

[lj2245]

I've done a lot of reading up on it over the past few days and I do feel a little silly for being so concerned about it! I'm over it now though and have confirmed my choice for a home birth with my midwife and have even purchased a birthing pool today

 

[Feronia]

Sweet! Which one did you get? I'm still deciding.

 

[lj2245]

Birth pool in a box Eco regular

 

[bumphope]

Yippee! Great - hope it all goes well for you. Do let us know won't you x