Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[urbanbumpkin]

That is lovely news Cactusgirl!

Could you get first dibs on the pool after that nightkd? Or would that leave it all too close to your date?

Our neighbours across the road were most intrigued by our pool building last night, they could see we were constructing something and taking photos but, as it is lower than the window sill, not what it was! Lots of staring but trying not to look as if they were!

It is now sat there ready to be filled when the heater gets here, I'll post some pics in case anyone is interested in getting a rigid pool. It was very easy to put together.

 

[LolaAnn]

OH CG that is fantastic news about your friend, makes me so happy when I hear stories like that.. wishing them a happy & healthy pregnancy

Ahhh we are due so soon! I have my 38w MW appointment this afternoon as well.. my MW mentioned last time that I have to sign some form to do with HB so that should be interesting to see what it is.

I'm not getting any special food/drink for the birth, just going to be careful that our fridge is always stocked up from now with milk/juice/whatever we normally eat - MW keeps suggesting lucozade to me but it makes me feel ill I'd rather just drink some grape juice or something. I don't see the point in getting anything special if I won't eat/drink it

nightkd we just moved as well and I was really stressed that the new apartment would be so yuck but I'm quite settled now and have made the bathroom and bedroom as nice as I possibly can - lit a heap of candles in the bathroom last night and it was quite lovely so I'm feeling rather relaxed about the whole thing now - fingers crossed you can make your "own" space in your new place to feel comfy in. My MW said 37w is the deadline for home birth I would just say something like "so do you consider 37w to be full term?"

Rachie thanks so much for updating - your experience sounds just so wonderful I'm hoping I can have something similar

urbanbumpkin yay about building the pool! Would love to see pics

 

[Torz]

Hello ladies, i've only just found this thread & i'm so glad i have. I'm due on 31st July (2 days after my OH birthday) & we are on team yellow.

My name is Victoria & i requested a homebirth from the start which my MW has been totally suportive over as has my OH & actually all my family. The only people who havent been totally suportive are some of my friends.

I'm planning a home water birth, i've just bought my birth pool, an aquaborn eco pool with all acessorys for £100 off the main website, they have an offer on at the moment. My MW is happy for me to have a waterbirth but has said that they may ask me to get out for the delivery as some of the midwifes dont have experience of water births. I thought all midwifes were trained in water births now???

I'm really looking forward to the birth, its something i have been looking forward to for years, i'm not scared at all which some people think i'm totally mad for. I'm more scared about afterwards tbh, the been a family part & looking after the baby.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Welcome to the group Victoria!

There really IS nothing to be scared about! People are so conditioned by the media and years of medical professionals trying to justify their existence and pay. Birth (under most circumstances) is just a normal part of a woman's life and nothing to be scared of. We certainly arent brave. Is the owner of a dog brave for allowing her to just going into her own bed to have her babies rather than taking it to the vet to labour and birth??!! No!

As I've said before in this thread, you are in the right place with your positive outlook - everyone here regardless of the stage of their journey have that in common.

 

[carries]

Hello ladies. Havent been on in a while as my spd makes sitting at the laptop quite difficult

Really glad to hear everything is going well Rachie Well done for sticking with the feeding, I remember from personal experience how hard it can be!.

Not much to report here except back pain and hip pain etc and there is no point moaning on about that!! Am counting down now though as I have to be honest I am sick of being pregnant!

Hope everyone is doing well and will try to check in again in a few days xxx

 

[madasa]

OT but.... carries - I think you are due the day after me?!

 

[urbanbumpkin]

Hello, Torz. MM is right, this is such a lovely positive thread.

I think some midwives still haven't been through the training for actually birthing in water, or it may be that your particular hospital has a policy on them having to have attended a full water birth in a support role before they can fly solo! I guess it depends on how many women choose to labour and birth in water at a particular birth centre or hospital, as to how much of a chance at training and assisting they get?

Personally I think I would say that you will want the option to stay in the water so that they had better note that down somewhere and only send you a midwife who is comfortable with doing the whole deal. There is bound to be someone on call who is comfortable with it at all times, and you can remind them again when you ring up to request the midwives when you go into labour.

My pool heater has arrived, so a night in front of the telly sloshing around is now the plan!

 

[LolaAnn]

Welcome Torz I would do exactly as urbanbumpkin says, after all you do have the right to a waterbirth, and if they aren't comfy with it well too bad they have ample time to get trained between now and then if that really is the problem.

 

[madasa]

Haha, they can just try and MAKE me get out! Good luck with that.... I'd like to catch my baby and I'm not "trained" in waterbirth either, or any kind of birth if it comes to that, but I don't plan on letting that stop me!

 

[carries]

OT but.... carries - I think you are due the day after me?!

Am due on the 12th June but baby can come anytime after 37 weeks...I keep telling him but not sure he is listening!

 

[Torz]

Hi,

My midwife is been fully suportive of the water birth & homebirth so far, she said that they would try & get someone out who is fully trained in water birth to attend me. But it may not be posible if there are quite a few women who go in to labour at the same time. She is gona try her best to be there at the birth & that if there is a midwife fully trained in waterbirth able to attend she will let her be the lead midwife.

I have written my birth plan already tho i havent shown the midwife yet & it does state that i would rather stay in the pool.

 

[Pops]

:wave: to all the new faces in here! As always, lots of lovely new posts and stuff to catch up on!

We had our GTT this morning which was but that's it done and the good news is that Missy is head down, perfect size and perfect heartbeat and so at this stage, we are still on for our HB

It has made us all the more excited about of 4D scan on Saturday - I will of course share the pics after the appointment if anyone wants to see them!

Jane sees no reason for that to change so here's hoping!! Can't believe they will be dropping off our kit in 8 weeks time

xxx

 

[Bournefree]

Hi,

My midwife is been fully suportive of the water birth & homebirth so far, she said that they would try & get someone out who is fully trained in water birth to attend me. But it may not be posible if there are quite a few women who go in to labour at the same time. She is gona try her best to be there at the birth & that if there is a midwife fully trained in waterbirth able to attend she will let her be the lead midwife.

I have written my birth plan already tho i havent shown the midwife yet & it does state that i would rather stay in the pool.

Hi Vicki - Big welcome!

I'm so pleased your MW are really supportive.

I just want to give you a headsup - and I have been thinking about weather or not it is benificial to you to make this post or not to you.

On the one hand you would be totally unware of potential problems you might encounter, and it might make you better as a result to deal with them - but on the other hand, knowing (for me esp), was really important in the fight, if there was one.

My reasons are in noway auspicious.

I'll stop mincing my words. So my thoughts are that your nice midwifes (and I hope that they never let you down), are thinking they can disway you from having a homebirth slowly.

"We might not have the staff availible" (lots of the girls have ancountered this)
"We don't have midwives in attendance trained in homewaterbirths" This is what really started to make alarm bells with me - A water birth is NO DIFFERENT to a land birth! NO more difficult, no more challenging.

If you want a waterhomebirth, or homebirth then you can do it no matter what - as long as you feel comfortable. Plus medically is is not different - only water. Your baby doesn't need air to breath, untill they encounter the air and their reflex is activated. It is only when they encounter air for the first time, they HAVE the reflex to breath. i know few mothers who would keep there baby submereged for longer than is right for them or baby.

All I'm saying, is beware of all those who tell you they might not be able to help you because of a small reason like this. It's just not true.

I hope that I don't discolour your thoughts or your pregancy because of this post - all I wish to do is make you informed - and this will empower you.
xxx[/QUOTE]

 

[LolaAnn]

Torz thats great to hear, it's important you know that they often use the excuse of not having enough midwifes or midwifes for homebirth etc and that is not a valid excuse for them to worm out of it! For more on this you can read https://www.homebirth.org.uk/ and go to "But what about staffing shortages?" xx

wooops bournefree just summed up everything I would say to you if I could and was as eloquent

 

[Bournefree]

Torz thats great to hear, it's important you know that they often use the excuse of not having enough midwifes or midwifes for homebirth etc and that is not a valid excuse for them to worm out of it! For more on this you can read https://www.homebirth.org.uk/ and go to "But what about staffing shortages?" xx

wooops bournefree just summed up everything I would say to you if I could and was as eloquent

Much more succint and a better way of putting it! xx

 

[madasa]

OT but.... carries - I think you are due the day after me?!

Am due on the 12th June but baby can come anytime after 37 weeks...I keep telling him but not sure he is listening!

I'm due on the 11th. Impatient to meet my Peanut, but told him/her that they can stay put for now if they don't mind... we are NOT organised yet!!

As for pools... I have 4 different options at the moment, it's a case of comparing prices and dimensions and also how easy to collect/have delivered.

 

[urbanbumpkin]

Photos of the rigid pool being constructed, if anyone is interested.

'scuse the photo of me actually in it, but it was the only one that gave an accurate sense of scale. I have no shame!

The first photo is of the boxes (5 flat cardboard boxes, a plastic storage box with hoses, filter, jug, thermometer, instructions, etc, and a wooden crate with the heater in it). The long thin photo is a kind of picture book step by step of it going together. Hopefully it is not too small to see what is going on.

It was really easy to put up, the panels just slide into each other and once you have the first and second one attached together then it stands up itself. There is a foam base. Once all the sides are in then you pop the shaped liner in, which hooks over the tops of the panels. Then you just pop the handrail pieces in place to finish it.

After that it is filling (which did take a while) and then setting up the heater and filter. That was quite easy, although it did get air bubbles in it so it took two attempts (just switching the heater off, pouring the water out and then refilling it with the jug). Then a floaty foam lid goes over the water.

A capful of treatment liquid went in at first, and then we have to put an oxygen tablet in each day. After a week we put another capful of water treatment stuff in. And neither of them smells chemical-y, which I was a little worried they would.

It keeps the heat quite well, with the heater only coming on every now and again to keep it at 37°C (you can set between 35-40 I think). When the heater is on it moves the water about a bit which is quite nice. It took a while to get up to 37 (they say put in water 30-35 degrees), but I guess since it is set up all the time that doesn't matter overly. It seems good at keeping it there.

I don't think I'm going to be out of it much, I will look like a prune! It is sooooo nice to be weightless and have enough room to move around. I feel a bit hemmed in in the bath these days! And it is big enough for both of us to get in too.

Hope that is a little help to anyone who is interested in hiring a rigid pool.

<edit> Oh, and the things I am leaning on are 'noodle' swimming floats which are fab. If I have them behind me I can use them like arm rests. Not a consideration for an inflatable pool I guess but with a rigid one I would recommend them. They are only a few quid on eBay.

 

[Mervs Mum]

so you leave the water in all the time? Wow! Mine said 24hrs and it would need clean water for hygiene but obviously we werent adding treatment fluid etc.

 

[LolaAnn]

hahah I love it!! I'm kinda jealous now that I'm not having a pool lol!!!!

 

[urbanbumpkin]

so you leave the water in all the time? Wow! Mine said 24hrs and it would need clean water for hygiene but obviously we werent adding treatment fluid etc.

Yup, water in it all the time!

It has a filter attached to the heater - it sucks water up one tube through the heater and then puts it back in the pool via another tube which has the filter in it. So that deals with the longer than 24 hrs thing. The oxygen tablets seem to be the kind of thing you would use in a hot tub or spa, but I think the filter does most of the work. The tablets just seem to oxygenate the water a bit.

I want to keep it! I'm so going to be watching the election coverage whilst sat in there tonight.