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Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

Mervs Mum

Doula & Mum of 3!
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We also have a homebirthers and hopefuls reference site with LOTS of useful information here.

Hello!! My name is Mervs Mum AKA Lisa :)

I thought I'd start a group for people hoping for a home birth, thinking about home birth or who have had a home birth and want to tell the world about it!! :D If you would like to add your due date to the list drop me a PM :)

At the time of starting this group I was hoping for a home birth with my 3rd baby!

I've had a hospital induction and a wonderful and very successful 'birth centre' birth and think home birth is the next obvious step for me. I am currently taking a hypnobirthing course with my OH. Up until starting the hypno course, he wasnt really up for a home birth. Since starting the course and talking to his best friend over Christmas, he has become much more open to the idea. His best friend and wife are 12 weeks pregnant with their first and hoping for a home birth also.

His main reservation is that we have a wonderful birth centre which is on the same site as the hospital and so this seems like the best of both worlds - the relaxed atmosphere we want but with the back up right there to hand if needed.

I am hopeful that he will want to plan for a home birth after our next appointment with the MW. She is very pro home birth and has set aside extra time to answer his questions and help us to come to a decision. I've been sending him birth stories and other resources to read - this website seems quite objective about the pros and cons of home birth https://www.homebirth.org.uk/

In the meantime I have bought a birth pool :blush: and cant stop thinking about it!!

I found this home hypno birth video on youtube and this is EXACTLY how I see my birth and I just know if I can get him on side it will be just as serene and wonderful :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qriqhDFo088

Helpful Links and Reading Recommendations

Books
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Birthing The Easy Way - Sheila Stubbs - CLICK HERE FOR A BOOKLET VERSION OF THE BOOK! OR PM me to buy your copy (UK only)
Hypnobirthing The Mongan Method - Marie Mongan
Juju Sundin's Birth Skills

Useful Links

https://www.homebirth.org.uk/
https://bringbirthhome.com/
https://www.birthingtheeasyway.com/
https://www.gentlebirth.org/index.html
https://www.spinningbabies.com/ - for optimal fetal positioning
https://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebirthUK/
https://www.airedalemums.co.uk/
https://www.motherbabymidwifery.com/motherbabymidwifery/Homebirth.html
Some HB statistics

Birth Pools
https://madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html
https://www.birthworks.co.uk/
https://www.birthpoolinabox.co.uk/


Home/Hypno/Water Birth and other Videos

Rikki Lake's The Business of Being Born - https://isohunt.com/torrent_details/91991913/the+business+of+being+born?tab=summary
(you will need this free torrent software too - https://topdrawerdownloads.com/download/104773 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSsaJ0Zno9s

https://www.mybirth.tv/video-diary.cfm?id=13


Links for Home Birth Dads.

https://www.homebirth.org.uk/blokesven.htm
https://www.homebirth.org.uk/blokes.htm
https://natality.co.uk/content/view/30/9/
https://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/papatoto.asp
https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/06/27/kurt_dads_childbirth_feature.shtml
https://www.choicemidwives.org/?page_id=22
https://www.homebirthbook.com/1.html

Having difficulty getting your care providers to support your home birth?

Contact here if you have issues with the email address quoted in the post this is an alternative [email protected]

Useful advice from a member on this thread

To see how your hospital compares to others in supporting HB Google 'Healthcare Commission's Survey Results' and the name of your hospital....you can see how they compare against other hospitals in the UK and the national averages.

Have a blinkie!! :D

https://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/SiggyStoreUK/bnbhomebithacheiver.png

CODE: https://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/SiggyStoreUK/bnbhomebithacheiver.png[/IMG and add a ] on the end ;)

[IMG]https://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/SiggyStoreUK/BNBHOMEBIRTHHOPEFUL.png

CODE: https://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/SiggyStoreUK/BNBHOMEBIRTHHOPEFUL.png[/IMG and add a ] on the end ;)
 
Can i join...i am a home labourer but unfortunately never made it all the way to the birth :-(
i spent 30 hours at home before i had to transfer 4 a c-section (due to Kian passing meconium) Kian was laying back to back and it caused a lot of problems...Apparently he was pretty stuck! if only my MW or someone had told b how important good fetal positioning was!!!...Now i know more abt it i shall b spending next labour crawling around on my hands and knees as much as pos! lol

i really liked labouring at home and i hope to have a full homebirth next time. i had a birthing pool as well which i spent quite a bit of time in.

being at home is great and i found time seemed to go much quicker coz i had so many things to keep me occupied (OH and i baked a cake at 1am after being in labour for 19 hours! lol)

I think OH had a hard time towards the end tho...He said he felt really alone and freaked out when things started to get tough (i got quite upset coz i was so tired!) I don't think he was prepared for feeling so powerless. Next time i would def have another birthing partner there along with OH so he doesn't feel so alone.

i'd b really interested to hear abt ur hypno birthing classes. i did it home study style this time but i'd like to do the full course next time.
 
YES! :happydance: Especially as it's YOUR book and CD that was the catalyst for my OH considering a home birth!! :D

Re your OH. I think he'd find the course really useful. My OH said after just one class that he would feel less powerless this time. They really are key to the whole hypno part. They need to understand how your body is working and watch for certain signs etc.
 
that video is amazing, brought tears to my eyes

i think if ross and i take the plunge for another a home birth it would be, as my labours last under an hour it probably would make much more sense. Ive never thought about nor really heard of hypnobirthing but omg it looks fabulous, good luck convincing dh MM not that he probs needs it just show him the vid

ps i cant believe youre only 10 weeks away
 
Here's another home/hypno birth.....and the baby is called Sid! :D

https://www.mybirth.tv/video-diary.cfm?id=13
 
sooooooo show me the pool ?:) did you get it online ?
 
Here it is.....https://madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html

I bought it from another BnBer :)
 
I really like the idea of a home birth. My sister had one with her 4th and said it was so much better than her hospital experiences.

I am not sure whether I will be allowed as Poppy was so prem, but I am going to ask - they can only say no I guess!
 
I had a home birth and it was great :) My midwives were awesome, we had trouble with his positioning and the gas and air and bleeding after but they took care of everything. I would recommend it to anyone!
 
I wonder what the essential items are for a home birth......with all things baby related, bet there are plenty of gimmicky things you dont really need....

Question to mum's that have already home birthed:

Exactly how much mess was there? I think my hubby is imagining we will need re carpeting throughout the whole house......:lol:
 
I wonder what the essential items are for a home birth......with all things baby related, bet there are plenty of gimmicky things you dont really need....

Question to mum's that have already home birthed:

Exactly how much mess was there? I think my hubby is imagining we will need re carpeting throughout the whole house......:lol:
 
I wonder what the essential items are for a home birth......with all things baby related, bet there are plenty of gimmicky things you dont really need....

Question to mum's that have already home birthed:

Exactly how much mess was there? I think my hubby is imagining we will need re carpeting throughout the whole house......:lol:

Hello ladies :)

I had the most incredible experience with my home birth (i wrote about it in the birth announcements recently) and i would definitely 100% recommend it to anyone who feels that having one might be for them! I look back on my labour and it just makes me grin, i must be so annoying because i'm always raving on about it to anyone that will listen!

With regards to the mess- within ten minutes of giving birth to Poppy in my pool in the kitchen and delivering the placenta on my sofa there was literally no evidence to suggest i'd given birth- it was remarkable! When they say the midwives are good at containing the mess they really mean it because the house was spotless! Maybe it would be worse for those who don't give birth in the water- but i'm sure they'd just put some sheets down!

As for what i found useful-
Lots of towels, especially if you're having a water birth because they like to place them everywhere so as not to ruin your floor. Also a nice soft towel for your baby to be wrapped in.
I had a torch handy which the midwife said was very useful when i was in the pushing stage.
A birthing ball was lovely to rock back and forth on during the early stages of labour.
I put one of those microwaveable lavender bean bag things on the bottom of my back during contractions before i got into the pool and i felt like it really helped to keep me relaxed, not necessarily make it less painful.
To be honest i think you need very little for a homebirth, i don't even think you need loads of sheets because the incontinence pads the midwives provide soak up to a litre of fluid on each one and they put them EVERYWHERE.
I think the most important thing is being comfortable and relaxed in your own home- i had all the lights off while i was in the pool and just lit loads of candles and vanilla incense, played some Bon Iver and just completely disappeared into my own little world to deal with each contraction (the gas and air helped a treat with this :) ).
So just have whatever you believe will make being in labour a more enjoyable experience for you!

Hope this helps :)
 
Thank you Rosie! I read your birth story and I am hoping mine is just as good! :D
 
Thanks for starting this (and letting me know about it), MM!

I'd wanted a home birth (my first baby) from the beginning, but DH was adamant it was the hospital for us. However, over Christmas he started to come around to the idea (I got him reading the homebirth.org website), so we decided I'd discuss it with my midwife. I saw her today (33+5), and we discussed it at length. So, we're happy to go ahead at this point.

I see her again at 35+3, and she'll book a growth scan, mainly to make sure the bean is indeed head down (he's been noted as cephalic presentation since around 22 weeks). After the scan, she'll bring round their home birth stuff that I'll keep here. As long as there's no problems leading up to the birth, they're happy to deliver me at home between 37-41.5 weeks.

She said all I really needed was something to protect the furniture/carpets, although they do provide a stack of inco pads. I'd read one of the other girls post on B&B that dust sheets with a plastic backing from B&Q were quite good, so I'm going to have a look at those. I'll also get a torch in, as I've heard that suggested a few times, as above. I may buy some big cushions (so if anyone has any tips on where to get some, cheaply, I'm all ears), and I already have a birthing ball. I'm wondering if a birthing stool would be useful? I'm not going to go with a pool this time (although I'd love to), as we're in a second floor flat. I've already bought a TENS machine, but I need to get a battery (and m/w suggested extra batteries). She said they can bring about 30min (!) of Entonox, although they can go out 1-2 times to get more canisters. I'd decided against Pethidine, and I was happy to find today that she agreed with my thinking on it.

I'm so glad I discussed it with her today - she never pushed it on me but never discouraged it either. I really felt that I was allowed to come to that (informed) decision all on my own. And, it seemed, once she was satisfied that I'd researched it thoroughly, that she was actually quite excited and approving of the idea herself. She even said she hopes that she gets to be here for the delivery! I'm not doing hypnobirthing (although I'll look into it for next time) but my own thing, perhaps based on similar thoughts - I read Birth Skills by Juju Sundin early on and will give it another quick read soon. I really recommend it to anyone wanting to do things naturally, not just those wanting a home birth.
 
Excellent Manda! You sound to be like us only a little further along with the plans. :D

I'd like to use a birth stool with this birth too. I used one last time and I really rated it. I'm wondering if the MW might be able to borrow one from the birth centre? That's something I need to ask.....they might have a good home alternative though.....
 
Have u been on homebirth.org? they have a list of things u might/will want.

i got people to donate me old towels (u need quite a few coz u tend to get in and out of the pool a bit) also a few nice soft ones for the baby (but bear in mind they'll pos get bloody so don't plan on keeping them)
i also got a few asda smart price plastic shower curtains 4 the floor
a torch is good 4 letting the mW see whats going on in the water.
u might want a small plastic stool for OH to sit next to the pool if he's not getting in (or if ur short like me u might need it to get in and out the pool!)
i was told to get a couple of buckets (apparently one was to throw up in and one for the afterbirth- i never actually used either of these tho)
the extras we got were a birthing ball (well actually it was an exercise ball but it did the trick)- i spent alot of time bouncing in the early stages of labour
i got some clary sage and lavender and had an oil burner set up in the room with my pool
tea, coffee and biscuits 4 the MWs (and rasberry leaf tea 4 me)

you don't need a lot at all really.

the MW came with those pads, G&A and all the stuff they needed. They said they would clean everything up afterwards, help me have a bath or shower and they wont leave until they've tucked me into bed (they even asked me to get some clean sheets out so they could make me a fresh bed for after!)
apparently they just scoop all the used towels up into a bin bag after so u might wanna make sure u've got some of those at hand.
 
I totally agree that there is practically no mess with a homebirth. Although I transferred with both of mine, I was at home until the pushing stage and my waters went etc. The true essentials that I found was asda/tesco value shower curtains (max of two), the absorbent maternity pads from Mothercare (max of 2 packs) and old towels. That's it. Anything else is just added extras. Ask your MW what they would suggest as different areas have different requirements (my MWs provided their own torches for example).

Extras that can be good include-
birth pool
birth/gym ball
TENS
food and drink for you/OH/MWs (energy drinks like Lucosade are great if you start getting tired and can't eat)
Camera etc.

Make sure you pack a hospital bag just in case. I didn't bother the first time and had to rely on my OH finding clothes etc for me and Kaya the next day. Make sure that you keep your mobile/camera etc near (but not in) your hospital bag so your OH can find them quickly.
 
Excellent Manda! You sound to be like us only a little further along with the plans. :D

I'd like to use a birth stool with this birth too. I used one last time and I really rated it. I'm wondering if the MW might be able to borrow one from the birth centre? That's something I need to ask.....they might have a good home alternative though.....

Apparently (from birth stories i've read) sitting on the toilet for pushing is often a favourite at HBs...altho obviously u'd need to move b4 actually giving birth.

when i was in thrid tri some people talked abt borrowing things like tens machines and birthing balls from either MWs or sure start centres...u might b able to do the same with a birthing stool.

oow i'm really excited 4 u guys...can't wait to read ur birth stories!
 
Marley - can you tell us about how your transfers came about? This is a part my hubby is understandably anxious about. :)
 

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