Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[chuck]

LOL @ the the kiddos in the birth pools...bless em!

 

[Shiv]

Chuck - i had Sophia at Dover Birth Centre and planned to have this one there too until we moved. Last I heard at my last midwife appt downin Kent was that they were going to keep Dover open but shut Canterbury birth centre. Are they shutting them both now? It would be such a shame if they were to close them.

 

[FlowerFairy]

I feel this might be a really silly question but I dont want to labour in a pool, we have no room for one. Does a HB have to involve a pool? I feel really silly asking this

 

[sun]

Love the pics of the kiddos in the birth pools! Really considering renting one but not 100% sure. Do you fill the pools as soon as labour starts? Because my last labour was pretty fast so not sure how much time I would have or how long they take to fill.

Anyone have any advice? They rent "la bassine" pools here!

 

[sun]

I feel this might be a really silly question but I dont want to labour in a pool, we have no room for one. Does a HB have to involve a pool? I feel really silly asking this

Not at all! My MW said most HBs she does don't involve pools at all. And some women who plan the pool birth don't use it either - but lots of her clients will go in and out of the shower in early labour. I am on the fence about renting a pool - not sure if I'll use it! xx

 

[Shiv]

Sun - It took us about 45 mins to inflate and fill our la bassine on our trial run. I had a quick labout first time round as well so will fill up the pool as soon as I startgetting contractions. They hold the heat well apparently (lose 1 degree an hour) and you can always just take out a bucket full of water and replace with a kettle full of hot!

I had SOphia in the water and it was amazing!

 

[cranberry987]

I think some ppl just don't feel comfortable in water. If our boiler broke down or something I could really see me transferring a lot faster. Unless we can use a hose attached to neighbours tap or something ^^

 

[chuck]

Nic I had to compromise with hubby about a pool and didnt have one, no I didnt quite birth at home but I did great without.

Lots of people choose to birth at home to avoid the unknowns with using a hospital pool like will it busy/dirty etc.

 

[sun]

Sun - It took us about 45 mins to inflate and fill our la bassine on our trial run. I had a quick labout first time round as well so will fill up the pool as soon as I startgetting contractions. They hold the heat well apparently (lose 1 degree an hour) and you can always just take out a bucket full of water and replace with a kettle full of hot!

I had SOphia in the water and it was amazing!

Oh 45 minutes! That's not long at all - much less than I thought. I do really like the idea of birthing in a pool - especially as they're so deep.

When I was in labour with Bun I kept alternating between hot/cold. Did you keep the pool hot - or more of a warm temp? LOL weird question as everyone is different I know - but just wondering if you got too hot. x

 

[chuck]

Shiv - at the moment I think Dover is open adn Canterbury suspended for births...theres a HUGE inquiry/public inquiry type thing going on to ascertain whats best by the public and budget etc.

 

[Shiv]

Sun - It took us about 45 mins to inflate and fill our la bassine on our trial run. I had a quick labout first time round as well so will fill up the pool as soon as I startgetting contractions. They hold the heat well apparently (lose 1 degree an hour) and you can always just take out a bucket full of water and replace with a kettle full of hot!

I had SOphia in the water and it was amazing!

Oh 45 minutes! That's not long at all - much less than I thought. I do really like the idea of birthing in a pool - especially as they're so deep.

When I was in labour with Bun I kept alternating between hot/cold. Did you keep the pool hot - or more of a warm temp? LOL weird question as everyone is different I know - but just wondering if you got too hot. x

Well it was at a birth centre so they controlled teh temperature. But my labour was so quick that by the time I got to the centre and they got the pool filled I was ready to push and the water has or be at 37degrees to deliver baby in. Under normal circumstances that would be way to cold for me (as a bath) but I was boiling, die to the exerction of pushing i guess. They kept wacking cold cloths on my head!

 

[FlowerFairy]

I feel this might be a really silly question but I dont want to labour in a pool, we have no room for one. Does a HB have to involve a pool? I feel really silly asking this

Not at all! My MW said most HBs she does don't involve pools at all. And some women who plan the pool birth don't use it either - but lots of her clients will go in and out of the shower in early labour. I am on the fence about renting a pool - not sure if I'll use it! xx

Thanks! We have a big bathroom so I was hoping to maybe use the bath a bit and maybe labour up there as the dog would be crated downstairs. I know it's ages away but I am so excited about researching everything xx

 

[chuck]

Sun - as far as I know the recommendation for pools is to keep them around body temp...which feels warmer than it is!

 

[sun]

FlowerFairy - It seems like a long way away but time goes so fast. I can't believe I'm already only about 6 weeks until I'm considered full term!!

Shiv and Chuck - Thanks! I bet it will feel warm. When I was in labour with Bun I kept getting so hot I took all my clothes off (and I am normally ridiculously modest lol) and gave birth in just socks and a hat in front of 20 people!

 

[Rebaby]

I wasn't sure about a pool either, from a practical point of view, and also because i wondered if it might make me feel a bit queasy being in warm water during labour but then one of my best friends had her little boy in a birth pool (at a birth centre) and 2 years later has just had her second, again in water at the birth centre.

For the second birth she planned a homebirth but didn't get a pool, but she had a long early stage of labour, with stop/start contractions and really struggled to get comfortable at home, so ended up going in to the birth centre just so she could get in the pool and relax basically. She says she can't recommend using the water enough, so that convinced me

The way i looked at it, it was just an option...like if we fill it on the day, and i get in and don't like it, i can get back out, and we haven't lost anything (although OH might not be pleased if he's just spent ages filling it ) But if we hadn't got one, then i wouldn't have the option....

It's true, you could always use your bath/shower for relief though I just didn't like the idea of finding the water really helpful but then being confined to the smallest most impractical room in our house for the birth- our bathroom is teeny tiny and doesn't even have a window or anything

 

[Rebaby]

P.S. It's funny though- most people seem to say they were warm/hot during labour but i was bloody freezing, to the extent i was practically shivering at some points!

The delivery room did have air con though and when i asked if the room could be made warmer they said no, because it didn't have individual controls, it was all done centrally, so every room would get warmer

 

[sun]

Rebaby - I agree I do love the sound of a water birth! Just I have never been one of those people who can sit in a bath for hours - as soon as my fingers get wrinkly I want out! But I'm pretty sure I'll have other concerns once I'm labouring.

I do like the idea of having a tub available if I want to use it. And I agree about the bathroom - mine is tiny with an apartment sized tub. So not a great birthing spot I don't think! That said, my MW said lots of women end up giving birth in really enclosed spaces in their houses - like in the tub (no water) with the shower curtain drawn, in the tiniest rooms, and behind doors! So we'll see what happens - just going with the flow! xx

Edit - My hospital was the same regarding all the rooms being the same temp - except ours was so hot we opened the window in November!! x

 

[Shiv]

Rebaby - I agree I do love the sound of a water birth! Just I have never been one of those people who can sit in a bath for hours - as soon as my fingers get wrinkly I want out! But I'm pretty sure I'll have other concerns once I'm labouring.

I do like the idea of having a tub available if I want to use it. And I agree about the bathroom - mine is tiny with an apartment sized tub. So not a great birthing spot I don't think! That said, my MW said lots of women end up giving birth in really enclosed spaces in their houses - like in the tub (no water) with the shower curtain drawn, in the tiniest rooms, and behind doors! So we'll see what happens - just going with the flow! xx

Edit - My hospital was the same regarding all the rooms being the same temp - except ours was so hot we opened the window in November!! x

I am NOT a bat fan at all (shower girl all the way) - I get bored in the bath, too hot and get out.....................but I can't imagine giving birth without being surrounded by water now. It felt safe and private (the though of not having water as a kind of barrier between me and onlookers freaks me out a bit now! I never planned on actually birthing in the water (just labouring) but it was birthing or nothing! It took away so much pain, I could only just feel my contractions enough to know when to push, so I can imagine in active labour it must be wonderful as pain relief. And I loved the idea that once out you left any *gunk* behind, it feel quite clean if that makes any sense. I really can;t rave about it enough!

 

[sun]

Shiv - Same! Much more of a shower fan! I am now thinking I might have to get a tub as there is something so comforting about the idea and I agree - seems much more private. I do worry about the gunk though! I wonder how much would be floating around in there - especially since they come with a poo sieve??
Not liking the thought of poo floating around me!

But I think you sold me on it when you said it eased the contraction pain. Here with a HB there isn't anything for pain relief at all so any relief would be good. I didn't have any with my son either, but I didn't know what I was getting into lol. This time it's worrying me a bit TBH! xx

 

[Shiv]

I only remember any gunk being there as my placenta seperated and I bled. But in my head up until that point the water was clean (perhaps rose tinted spectacles!)............I did do a tiny poo but the midwife whisked it away without any fuss............although this had made me think, I don;t know where she whisked it away too in the birth centre...........or where she would whisk it away to at home?

Wow if you have no access to ANY pain relief then I woudl say a birth pool is a must!