Home Birth: How and Where did you give birth?

[Erised]

I'm so unimaginative it's silly, apart from in the pool I just can't figure out where you'd give birth as I really don't feel like being stuck on the bed or walking up the stairs while about to give birth.

So the question is, where in the house / room did you give birth and what position where you in? Also, what did you use to 'protect' the area, if anything, to make it easier to clean after?

 

[fides]

living room, in a birth pool, squatting position; used cheap shower liners for the ground; got out and recovered on the couch for an hour or so, then was assisted upstairs to my bedroom for shower and bed.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Pool in the kitchen and gave birth in the dining room on a birth stool. I didnt use anything to protect anything. I have never seen a messy homebirth yet. Pool was in the kitchen as its cozy, private even during the day and convenient for taps and he dining room for the birth stool as the floors are laminate and wipe easily. I don't think you can really say for sure where you'll be drawn to. Plan where your pool goes for sure. It needs to be dark, even during the day ie good curtains / blinds and ideally not somewhere people are going to keep passing through to get to other places in the house. Set mws up in another room or area ideally so you're not like a watched pot!

 

[Tacey]

I was in the pool squatting, and would have birthed there, but his shoulders were stuck, so I got out, and lay back on the sofa. I'd already considered I might birth on 'dry land,' so the sofa was covered with a shower curtain and a big towel.

 

[Arcanegirl]

In the pool in my living room and leaning over the side of the pool whilst in it I had limited space so the living room was the only place a pool could go really.

 

[amerikiwi]

Bathroom floor on all fours. Close to the toilet which I kept thinking I needed and easy to clean! Mine was unplanned and unassisted, but MIL did yell at DH to get lots of towels (just like you see in the movies).

 

[madasa]

I set up the birth pool in my kitchen and I birthed in there. I had a couple of cheap shower curtains that I would have used to protect the sofa/floor if I got out of the water.

 

[NaturalMomma]

I gave birth standing in my living room.

 

[loobylou29]

i am planning to stay in my front room till the end and hopefully deliver in my bedroom x

 

[beetroot]

Birthing pools in front lounge. Used tarps to protect floor. First birth was semi recumbent in pool, second birth was on my knees leaning over the pool edge (much better position for me!) Both times I was the first person to touch my baby

 

[tinytabby]

I'm going to labour in the bath and make myself a little birth 'nest' in the dining room with cushions and beanbags and my birth ball.

 

[LolaAnn]

I didn't have a birth pool, laboured in and out of our bedroom and down the hallway that I'd lined with cheap showercurtains from ebay, and on our bed where baby was born with the standard sheets, waterproof sheets arrangement x

 

[ttc bubby no2]

We had the birth pool in the family room which is a large open plan room with tiled floors. The midwife brought towels and sheets with her that went on the couch when I got out from the pool.

 

[ljo1984]

i had a pool set up in living room, and was planning to cover sofa in shower curtains in case i wasnted to lean over on all 4's, altohugh i ended up on my knees leaning over the head of a hospital bed (almost in an ambulance lol!) ive read stories of bedroom, even bathroom. just see where you feel most comfortable at the time, even if you plan for a certain room you may find yourself drawn to move somewhere else as labour progresses. x

 

[Erised]

Thanks ladies =)

Will see where I feel most comfortable at the time. We'll have the pool in the living room, which unfortunatly will be right next to the door to the kitchen. Not great, but the only place we have apart from actually in the kitchen where I'd rather not be. Think we'll set up the midwives in the kitchen on the table. I'm more worried about the fact I'm due on Halloween and if I go on my due date I'll have lots of kiddies at the door. Ah what a lovely halloween that will make for them

Will try the pool to see if I feel comfortable in it. Will make sure we've got some old sheets / towels and shower curtains as well though so I can move to the sofa if I want to.

 

[ljo1984]

Oh no! Trick or treaters won't be fun lol, just pop a note on the door asking not to disturb home birth in progress. Hopefully that'll stop all or at least most knocks (you'll always have one won't you ha ha) xx

 

[Rebaby]

Kneeling on the sofa, leaning over the back of it. We'd put a plastic sheet over it and then an old comfy throw over the top of the plastic sheet so it wasn't all rustly/sticky.

I actually planned to give birth in the pool (which was right next to me) but Rudy made his appearance sooner than i'd expected so i was glad we'd prepared the sofa for the possibility.

There really was basically next to no mess though. The midwives slipped an inco pad under me as he was born as his waters broke as his head was born and then put some clean ones down for us to sit on and have skin to skin etc but generally speaking, it was a pretty clean and tidy affair!