More homebirth Q's, sorry!

[jellytot3]

I have a few questions. Didnt want to ring my midwife and "bug" her lol, so thought Id ask you lovely ladies.

1. If an episiotomy (SP?) is needed, are they able to do it?
2. The only pain relief is gas and air and pethidine right?
3. What can the midwives provide for you? (Im wondering about how the carpet will stay clean lol)
4. Where does the placenta and cord go after?! My dustbin?!

Any other advice/things that dont get mentioned will be greatly appreciated.
x

 

[freckleonear]

1. Yes. Statistically episiotomy is far less likely for a homebirth than a hospital birth.
2. Yes, unless you also count TENS and water of course!
3. The midwives will bring lots of pads. To keep your carpets/furnishings clean some plastic sheets, old towels and incontinence bed pads are very useful.
4. The midwives will take it away unless you want to keep it.

 

[Mervs Mum]

WSS!

All I would add is breathing and relaxation techniques such as Hypnobirthing / Natal Hypnotherapy are very effective and seem to work particularly well for home birthing mummies.

MWs do bring stuff but TBH there is very little mess especially if you plan on using a pool!

 

[jellytot3]

Thank god, I had horrific images of opening my bin and seeing my placenta lol.
Ive been thinking about a home birth since my midwife mentioned it at our first appointment. I know I have a while to go yet but it really appeals to me. x

 

[Bournefree]

Giving birth at home is just like a birthing centre - which is meant to be like a home from home - but at a home birth it IS your home! So as you will have all the comforts of home. The main one for me being able to eat whatever I put in the fridge, use my own bath and loo move anywhere I liked in my own house. (or garden!)

It has a very different attitude to a birth centre though, you are in control. The MW come to support you and ONLY you, and as such, are a guest in your home, so there isn’t much clock watching - It is a far more relaxed and personal experience.

Sorry to answer your questions, before I get side-tracked!

1 - So as it is like a birth centre, your MWs can perform an episiotomy if needed. They will also be able to do any stitches (dissolvable) you require (though as others have said this will be far less likely to be needed at home, as well as the pain relief)
2 - Pain relief you can have is; gas and air, pethadine, dimorphine (though you will need to get a script from your G.P for this, and then keep it in the fridge), lots of uninvasive options; hypo, breathing techniques, TENS, waterbirth (with a water birth at home, you are guaranteed to get it - no maybe it will be free, if it is in your living room!), being able to be mobile in labour, massage etc. There is also novocaine as a local anaesthetic.
3 - The MW can provide all the things you will need to give birth,. There is very little if any mess.. My Mws were amazing, even doing the washing up! There is also a surprising amount of medical equipment they bring (canellas, drips, oxygen, etc) Like I said, your homebirth is provided for just like a birth centre.
4 - You made me laugh here! It would have been pretty funny to find a placenta in the dust bin! They bring clinical waste bags for everything, if you don’t want to keep your placenta.

There are lots of women in this forum with different presentations who have had amazing homebirths and lots of ladies who have been planning and researching their homebirths for a while, (some of the most knowledgeable women I know) and they have become more and more convinced it is for them. (it certainly creped it’s way up on me the first time) So, I hope like me and others, any worries or first thoughts you had about homebirth will be dispelled, when you look at the facts.

Look at the homebirth website - lots of handy info www.homebirth.org
Also anything else you want to know.. Just ask.. One of us will have the answer.
xXx

 

[Kitten]

I think you'd have to double check about the drugs, the midwives here do not carry or administer pethadine. I had the choice of gas and air or go to hospital. I used the bath mostly, and a TENS at first but did mostly gas and air.

I bought shower curtains and all sorts of paraphenalia and in the end none of it got used. The midwives sorted everything out, I have no idea what they used, lol but they left a pack of incontinence sheet things and I know I lost a fair amount of blood but I never saw it (OH did!) and I never saw anything else for that matter. Think it all has to be disposed of in bio bins so they must take it with them.

 

[Mervs Mum]

yeah pethadine does seem to vary - they dont bring it here but I really didnt want them to so it wasnt an issue.

 

[jellytot3]

Thanks for the advice, think I will ask my midwife for more info on pain relief at home when I see her at my 26wk appointment.

x

 

[Jenniflower]

For my home birth I can be offered morphine but only if I get the prescription from the GP first. So if I decided to not get the prescription from the GP then no morphine. I guess everywhere is really different in regards to that then.

 

[Celesse]

No pethidine or similar is allowed at home in Newcastle (not sure what part of the NE your in).