Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[xxembobxx]

Had a lovely (but wet) week away and I've missed this site!
Had a nosey through missed posts and congrats to Wigglywoo. I can't wait to get pics like that.
I'm 34 weeks today but feel baby is going to come early. Has anybody else felt their baby would be early or late and found it to be correct? My friend had an idea her baby would be early and she was - by 7 weeks. Funnily enough she had never had that thought with her previous 2 children who were on time.
I know when 38 weeks pregnant with LO I was insistent at the weekend we needed to get everything sorted before baby arrived and he turned up on the Monday!
Nesting is definitely a sign I believe but do you think you can ever know if baby will be on time or overdue?

 

[xxembobxx]

Hi,
I don't think you should pre-plan waiting until the pushing stage then calling 999...

I agree
I got caught out with my DD and had an unplanned HB. Hubby had called the ambulance but I was already pushing by then! I must have slept through my early labour and woke to find baby was ready to arrive.
Paramedics arrived but baby was already there and they just made sure baby was warm and then waited for MW to come and cut the cord as they couldn't do it.
If you do plan on waiting til the last minute you should be aware you may end up having an unassisted birth.....although sounds like your MIL is ready with the hot water and towels

 

[xxembobxx]

A few questions running around my head:
*Just wondered if it's really necessary to get special maternity pads for the floors and furniture? I heard MW's bring them, will shower curtains suffice or do I need both?
*I'm hoping for a water birth but am likely to be on my own for the majority of labour which I expect to only last 6 hours from first twinge. How likely is it I would be able to put the pool up by myself while in the early stages of labour?
*I have found a new pack of cream towels. I see lots of people use dark but I like white/ cream towels as you can boil them. Would it matter if I use cream ones? As I didn't even know I had them I guess it doesn't matter if I have to bin them afterwards. but will it all be a bit gory?

 

[Blah11]

I've thought this LO would have been early but apart from having almost every preterm labour symptom going at some point, still pregnant! I've been getting more and more BHs and tightenings down one side Also had an upset tummy yday and today.

I'm just having lots of old towels (I assume I'll bin them, not wash) and shower curtain around my pool area. I guess it just depends how you handle early labour. With Amelie, I had plenty of notice as my waters went first and I think I had maybe 5 hours where I wasn't in too much pain at all.

 

[cranberry987]

I got a load of old towels off Freecycle and will just bin em. Have two cheap shower curtains and a Freecycle duvet too. We've a karndean floor tho so a bit of muck won't do any harm. Wonder if the guarantee covers that...

I think this baby will come either at 38w, or 41. Or 42+1. So hehe have no idea rly.

 

[Blah11]

I think I'm gonna have a late 38 or 39 weeker.

 

[chuck]

I got a few white towels to be honest they were cheapest!

 

[lynnikins]

im getting a new shower curtian for the shower and using the old one lol then covering that with an old sheet or 2 and will be collecting old towels which will all go in the bin as DH would be too werided out otherwise lol

 

[chuck]

I had a shower curtain, old waterproof sheet and a few cheapo towels and all of out old grotty ones.

Everything got washed and used after wards, no I didnt give birth on them but my water went on them and I was transfered for blood loss so there was a fair amount of blood too.

In fact I gave the shower curtain and sheet to another friend hoping to homebirth.

 

[Narie]

Glad to hear that no one thinks that being 20 minutes away from hospital is a problem. Regarding the choice of hospital I'm about 95% sure that they wouldn't transfer me to the one 5 mins walk away because I don't see they would have the facilities to cope if there was a problem.

Celesse, with dd I was in another town and out of the area of my mw (spending the night at my Grans house) when I went into labor and because she came so fast had to call for an ambulance. But I was able to get in the ambulance and make it just in time to the hospital.

I'm only guessing but I would of thought that the ambulance crew may phone the on call mw in your mil's area if there was time and you didn't want to go to hospital?? Just make sure you carry your notes and birthing plan with you.

Btw, I thought both my first 2 were going to be early and they were 3 and 10 days late so I think it was just wishful thinking on my part.

 

[chuck]

Narie...I'm a 30/40 min drive (I guess 20 mins blues and twos on a good run) and I planned to HBAC with no problem.


...no I ant say the ambulance journey I had either time was pleasant but hey there are worse things in life.

 

[MandaAnda]

Celesse, I know you feel like you'll labour better in hospital and that's why you ultimately chose it. But how about planning a home birth with the choice to transfer to hospital (and just know yourself that you're going to likely want to transfer) just so you have the community midwifery team on call (and any birth pack and/or G&A) should you end up pushing or delivering before deciding to go up to the labour ward? That way, you have the best of both worlds.

 

[Blah11]

What sort of water pump am I looking for?! I need to order my liner and a pump but i have no idea what im looking for haha

 

[cranberry987]

https://www.madeinwater.co.uk/birth-pool-water-pump/ is a proper la bassine pump. no idea if you could get something similar from B&Q or whatever, it seems a bit pricey just for a pump tbh.

Someone I know is being induced. She had a sweep last week at 39w and has had niggling rubbish BH/ctx since then. Waters have gone and no labour. Im not going to say anything to her obviously, but am I right to be suspicious of the sweep? Just thinking of myself really for if I do decide to have one (wouldnt have one that early at all ofc, maybe at 41+w).

 

[Blah11]

Yeah, it is expensive I don't want OH to have to go at it with a bucket and the whole syphoning thing makes me

 

[cranberry987]

he could coat his mouth with wax like they do in the films when they suck out a snakebite! or is it oil. one or the other

 

[Blah11]

I think you can make it work by filling the hose with water before putting it in the water but idk how it would work when you're at home. where would i siphon it out to?

 

[cranberry987]

mines going down the outside drain, if youve got a manhole cover etc it could work. or would it work down the toilet? the water wouldnt overflow as it would kinda equalise the pressure? whether you use a pump or syphon its gotta go somewhere anyway.

or neighbours garden ^^

 

[chuck]

hmm for pumps look for pond or fishtank ones....syphoning is cheaper of course but you can get a little deely to start it off so you dont have to suck on it

 

[Blah11]

img onna have a wet run on thurs so will try the syphoning then