Lists of things you might want at your home water birth

[Jenniflower]

I'm into lists lately. Must be the anal side of me, So I've done a bit of rummaging around on google and on here and have complied my list of needs for my water birth at home. Any tips/ideas/comments/thoughts?

I'm into lists lately. Must be the anal side of me, So I've done a bit of rummaging around on google and on here and have complied my list of needs for my water birth at home. Any tips/ideas/comments/thoughts?

REVISED! - Thanks girls!

Birth:
A few old towels
Birthing pool / Liner / Cover / Pump / Hose / connectors
2 cheap shower curtains
1 Bucket
1 Container for Placenta - (am keeping it)
Sieve - (for poo!)
Mirror
head torch
waterproofed backed picnic rug - (to throw over couch if need be)

For baby:
Clean baby towels x 2, warming on radiator
Soft fluffy blanket
Baby’s first clothing
Nappy

Food / Drink:
Bananas
Bread
Raspberry Leaf Tea
Arnica Tablets
Lucozade.
Large water bottle
Tea/coffee/biscuits/snacks for midwife
Takeaway menu for after! haha

Me:
Maternity pads - (lots!)
Breast pads
Lavendar candles/incense
Essential oils
Oil burner
Orange small hand cloth with Clary Sage drops - (this is a hypnobirthing thing)
Ipod with relaxation tracks
Eye mask
Bath towels x 2
Hair ties
Birthing ball
Champagne - (WOO!)
Chapstick
Hand held fan

 

[Mervs Mum]

I think you've got everything covered and then some!! The home water birth I was at this morning we didnt have half the things you have there!

Straws for drinking in awkward positions.

 

[Jenniflower]

I think you've got everything covered and then some!! The home water birth I was at this morning we didnt have half the things you have there!

Straws for drinking in awkward positions.

Too much stuff then?

My water bottle is one of those extra large ones with a straw out of it. Best thing ever!

 

[Bournefree]

I think it is brilliant Jenni!

You might be going overboard with 12 towels for the birth, then 3 for you, and 2 for baby = 17 towels is ALOT of towels!!!

Do think about the colours of your towels.. you might not want to be using fluffy white ones - nightmare to get stains out

You won’t need to wash your baby after it’s born. So you can leave the washing up bowl under the sink. Their skin is so delicate, and any vernix on baby will come off in time, and will help protect babies creases.

Straws - I wanted these so much!

You might want your bucket for vomiting into in your transition stage - your MWs will bring a kidney dish to examine the placenta. Unless you want to keep it - then you will need some space in the fridge.

Food and drink - as well as some of the sugary things you mentioned, bananas are good for energy and easy to absorb (too many sugary things could make you feel alittle shaky)

Tea/coffee/biscuits/snacks for MWs

Don't forget about the coming days after baby is here:
Sleep - you and your baby will be very tired (after the excitment has died down at bit).. so baby will prob sleep really well after there first feed - get your self to bed. I really wish I did this.. I spent most of the first night looking at my DD and not sleeping!

You will need lots and lots of breast pads, and maternity pads (or just heavy flow nighttime pads) You will bleed for just under 2 weeks - and the beginning can come in flows (esp when breast feeding and your uterus tightens back up)

PJ's that you don't mind getting blood on

cheap bikini style knickers, supermarkets are good for this - as you are going to want to throw them out (though, you could wear a thong, but it might not be practical!)

Get a little dimmable bedside light.. for keeping baby in a semi lit room when feeding at night. This makes it easier for both you and baby to get back to sleep.

Making some food in advance and freezing it, or getting some quicky meals in - it is so important to keep your energy up, and it is very easy with you concentrating on the baby to simply forget to eat, until you start to feel ill.

A good way to work it, is to let your OH look after you, and you look after the baby (though make sure he changes some of those early nappies, they are interesting!)

Opps I've got carried away again - sorry!
xXx

 

[Mervs Mum]

No jenni just mean you are well kitted but anyone reading need not think they must have masses of stuff for a homebirth.

 

[Bournefree]

^^^Yeah agree, dispite my massive reply! hahaha!
You don't really need anything... but that is the beauty of having your baby at home you can organise anything you like around you to make youself feel comfortable.
xXx

 

[Jenniflower]

What would I do without you ladies Revised it up a bit. You're right 12 towels? What was I thinking! Apparently I thought I might do a cannon ball into the pool.

ETA: Also I changed the title up a bit.

 

[Bournefree]

^^^ lol - hey nothing to stop you!
I almost jumped in I couldn't wait any longer to get in mine!

 

[Mervs Mum]

The lady I was with yesterday practically sprinted from the loo to the pool in the dining room and LEPT in! Once she decided to get in she couldnt wait! And the baby was 20 mins behind her!

 

[Kitten]

Ice pops!! I chewed ice pops through most of my labour And a fan. I got so hot and sweaty, eurgh.

Have you got your changing mat or something kicking about to go on a table? One of the things I had to provide during my home inspection was a place for the midwives to examine baby. I was going to use my baby bath/changing table but OH forgot to bring it down so in the end they just put baby on a towel on the dining room table but it's something to consider.

I also stocked up on Primark cheap knickers for after the birth, as well as mens snug boxers. I wore the knickers with the pads in, then the boxers over the top so if I bled out the sides/through the underwear (which I did a lot in my sleep) it didn't ruin my bedsheets but that's more of an after birth thing.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Mmmmmm ice pops!

 

[Jenniflower]

Ice pops!! I chewed ice pops through most of my labour And a fan. I got so hot and sweaty, eurgh.

Have you got your changing mat or something kicking about to go on a table? One of the things I had to provide during my home inspection was a place for the midwives to examine baby. I was going to use my baby bath/changing table but OH forgot to bring it down so in the end they just put baby on a towel on the dining room table but it's something to consider.

I also stocked up on Primark cheap knickers for after the birth, as well as mens snug boxers. I wore the knickers with the pads in, then the boxers over the top so if I bled out the sides/through the underwear (which I did a lot in my sleep) it didn't ruin my bedsheets but that's more of an after birth thing.

I love icepops in general so this is a great tip thanks!

Also I don't think I'm truly appreciating how much I might bleed after. I'll be looking into getting some comfy cheap undies.

 

[Mervs Mum]

I got cheapo pants to chuck too although after having a physiological 3rd stage I definitely noticed the loss was VASTLY reduced. It had almost stopped in a week.

 

[Jenniflower]

I got cheapo pants to chuck too although after having a physiological 3rd stage I definitely noticed the loss was VASTLY reduced. It had almost stopped in a week.

Really? I was just told at my antenatal classes yesterday that getting the shot prevents you from bleeding more than having a physiological 3rd stage.

 

[JenStar1976]

This is more post-birth, but have you got the gel pads that go in the freezer? These were a god send for me as I had a 2nd degree tear and had quite a bit of swelling. I also bathed with a few drops of tea tree oil for about 3 weeks afterwards to help with healing. If you happen to have a swimming rubber ring around - this will be great to sit on afterwards if you're in any discomfort! Everyone's bleeding is different - I had a physiological 3rd stage and bled for about 4 weeks. xx

 

[Kitten]

I got cheapo pants to chuck too although after having a physiological 3rd stage I definitely noticed the loss was VASTLY reduced. It had almost stopped in a week.

Really? I was just told at my antenatal classes yesterday that getting the shot prevents you from bleeding more than having a physiological 3rd stage.

I had a physiological 3rd stage but bled so heavily after I had to have the shot to see if that would stop the bleeding before we transferred in. Luckily it did but obviously the reverse happened to me than to Mervs Mum. However, I got a womb infection and as a result bled for weeks because it took me ages to heal. It wasn't as much blood as I anticipated though, especially after the first week.

 

[Mervs Mum]

There is anecdotal evidence that you bleed more immediately after the birth but less over the following days and weeks with a physiological 3rd stage. The shot shuts the blood vessels off very quickly reducing the immediate bleeding and obviously meaning the the placenta detaches very quickly but you still have your lochia to lose.
I have a theory (and it's just in my mind using my own different exoeriences and not supported by evidence) that you have a certain amount of blood to lose during the birth process and post partum as you have 40-60% more volume during pregnancy. So you either lose more in the minutes after the birth and bleed less ongoing or have the jab and bleed less immediately and more ongoing....probably clap trap but it's worked that way with my managed and physiological 3rd stages!

 

[Mervs Mum]

So yeah jenni the antenatal class is obviously right I am talking in the DAYS after not MINUTES.

 

[Bournefree]

Just to clarify... I think some (including myself), might become confused here..

There are 2 types of bleeding being talked about here. (Well 3 if you count any bleeding from stiches, but that should be more obvious)

1 - A fresh circulatory bleed immediately following birth.
This can occur when the placenta has come away from the uterus, but the uterus hasn't contracted down the blood vessels to stop supplying the placenta with blood bleeding. Some bleeding is natural. A post-partum haemorrhage, is where the bleeding in this way is perfuse. Having a physiological 3 stage will increase your natural Oxytocin levels restricting blood flow to the placental attachment site.. also your natural Oxytocin gives you the "loved up feeling" for you and your baby. Something that the synthetic syntometrine (usually which is a combination of synthetic oxytocin; and ergometrine) just simply doesn’t do. Side effects of syntometrine include vomiting and hypertension. There are no know adverse side effects of the naturally produced oxytocin in the brain.
In administering syntometrine- the uterus rapidly contracts, (the contraction is not only a result of the synthetic oxytocin, but a sustained uterotonic (contracting of the uterus) effects of the ergometrine, resulting in a small reduction in the risk of postpartum heamorrhage* however larger doses can be used intravenously in emergent presentations (I.e if you have a postpartum heamorrhage).
The routine use of syntometrine post birth, does however increase the likelihood of a retained placenta or fragments of the placenta. This is because the action of the syntometrine restricts the blood vessels to the placenta, and rapidly (more than natural oxytocin) contract the uterus, which maybe before the placenta has been delivered fully.

2 - Lochia. “bleeding”
This is the lost of the lining of the uterus, much like menstruation (on a grander scale!) In the 40weeks that you have not had a period, the lining of your uterus does become very big, soft, and visceral (it has been doing a brilliant job of protecting your baby. It is some mucus, the lining and blood. It is slowly lost over a number of days; most women between 7-14 days it is red at first, and gradually turning brown (as it isn’t fresh blood) it can last up to 6 weeks. However, bright red loss after a week or so, should be looked at.
So that is why the big knickers, and lots of pads and protection are needed - your lochia might be heavier if you breastfeed, but then it is likely to stop in a shorter number of days.. everyone is different. It can be heavy, but should look like a big period, little clots and no rancid smells. It can come back to bright red, if you exert yourself too much, so there are no prizes for going jogging the day after your birth!
XxX

 

[Mervs Mum]

Super explanation my dear!! x