Things to have at home for a Home Birth

[Nyn]

Hi,

It's decided.. we're going for a home birth

I have yet to meet with the midwife, although it's already definitely ok

What useful things did you get in yourself that the midwife doesn't bring with her?

Just been in a thread about things to cover the sofa with, so I'll be making sure I have some cheap shower curtains and old clean sheets handy..

What else?

 

[madasa]

i had a box of stuff.... aromatherapy oils (i think i had clary sage, lavender and rose oil), a tennis ball, a hand held fan, bendy straws, nappy and 1st outfit for baby, towels, a couple of muslins... all kinds of stuff. we didn't use any of it!! just the towels, the birth pool and one of the shower curtains.

very helpful to have some really nice soft, light towels or blankets or something to put over the baby during skin to skin, to help keep them warm.
and have blankets handy to drape around YOU as well, to keep you nice and warm straight after the birth.
have food in for you and the MWs... a couple of frozen home cooked meals, sandwiches, biscuits, drinks etc.
an energy drink for you to give you a boost if you need it near the end
the straws are a great thing to have, so you can keep hydrated even in funky positions
a couple of cheap shower curtains to protect furniture/floor

The other thing is a hospital bag. I did NOT pack one, because I thought that was a bit defeatist. As it was, I did need to transfer and I was not well enough at that point to pack my own bag and you know what men are like!! (or maybe it is just mine). So I went to hospital without nearly enough maternity pads, pre-pregnancy jeans that didn't fit, nice knickers, no hairbrush, not enough toiletries.... Not saying you SHOULD pack a bag, but maybe go over it with your OH or birth partner so they know what you'll want if you do go in. Write a list and put it in their wallet or something and then forget about it. You could tape it to your fridge or write it on the back of your birth plan, but hen you'd have to SEE it all the time and you might not want to do that

 

[Nyn]

Thank you madasa! all brilliant advice and I've taken note of it all x

 

[madasa]

Oh! and a cake and a bottle of champers wouldn't go amiss!!! We had champers too, but because of mytransfer we didn't crack it open till a few weeks later.... still, id do it all again and hopefully get to have a glass of bubbly next time!

another suggestion (we didn't do this tho) is to make the bed twice with plastic sheets in between, so that if you birth on it, you can just take the top layer off and there's fresh sheets underneath ready for you to get in

 

[murmur]

I was wondering about this too so thank you for the advice!

 

[Nyn]

More good advice!!

 

[rachiedata]

i had a box of stuff.... aromatherapy oils (i think i had clary sage, lavender and rose oil), a tennis ball, a hand held fan, bendy straws, nappy and 1st outfit for baby, towels, a couple of muslins... all kinds of stuff. we didn't use any of it!!

Ha this was me too, looking at my box of 'birth stuff' now and only bothered with the oils for burning... the thing for us was having loads of blankets and towels for baby and you ready and on hand, not having to go looking for more in cupboard or drawers at the time is helpful.

 

[DaisyDoodles]

I was given a list of stuff to have ready... towels, plastic sheeting and baby clothes as already mentioned, but also hot water bottles, one for warming baby's towel and clothes and one for soothing any pains I had, a plastic tupperware tub (apparently our area no longer provides a container for the placenta!), a bucket and a changing mat were the essentials!

Oh and a bright lamp... initially to be set up in the area the MW's have asked to be ready for them to use to check baby over, but also for them to use if I need stitching!

They also suggested that I wrap a few pillows in plastic bags then pop them into old pillowcases so they don't get ruined but I can use them to get comfy during labour!

 

[chuck]

If it hasnt been mentioned a bucket/washing up bowl in case you are sick.

I was very glad I kept one near, there was no way I would have made it to another room.

 

[madasa]

ahhhh, yes I'd forgotten about that ^ ^ ^ I was using a birth pool, so I had a brand new (Milton-ed) bucket for taking some of the water out so it could be topped up with hot if needed. I was sick into that, and then my mum washed it out with milton so it would be ready to use if the pool needed topping up.

another thing is, water is HUGELY helpful in labour for most women. if you are not in a pool, having hot cloths applied to your back or tummy, or cool cloths for your face.... these can feel really good! if you are not birthing in water, warm wet cloths on your perineum (super gently, too much pressure causes more tearing) can help ease the crowning sensation. but if you are nice and relaxed (and you probably will be, at home) you might not "need" that

one thing you could do (we didn't do this) is have a slow cooker with water and flannels in and/or ice water in a sink with flannels in. but like I say, I didn't do this. I just used the birthing pool, had a glass of water on hand and I used a hand held fan as well, to help cool me down.

 

[chuck]

I would have loved a pool, I had to compromise as hubby didnt want me to be at home and certainly was not going to have a pool in hte house.

I said ok no pool BUT I AM STAYING AT HOME....got transferred in the end but water is wonderful.

Whether it be a nice warm bath or a pool it works wonders to take the strain and weight off your body when you are at your biggest and least comfy!

 

[Nyn]

I have to say a water birth is sounding better and better all the time!

I do have a bath so that could be used for labor.. not much space for birth though..

 

[chuck]

People do birth in their bath but you really benefit frOm the room to move in a pool and you need to keep baby underwater until they're completely Out as you want them to start breathing when cool air hits them. Much easier to be safe in a deeper pool.

I did enjoy my bath but wasn't comfortable for too long.

I laboured in a pool with my first. It was glorious! But I keep saying that LOL

 

[Samantha675]

My friend loved coconut water during her labor so i will have that on hand.

Unscented/flavored lip balm.

 

[madasa]

i loved waterbirthing. the water increases blood flow (ie. help stuff like oxygen) to the womb to help it contract more effectively. also to the baby, which is also good news. And also to the Exit, which is also good news; more blood flow means it's stretchier and opens more easily for your baby.

the best thing about waterbirth for me? Privacy & Autonomy. No one can "see". No one can easily touch or poke about. I was the first person to touch my baby (half out), then DH (I pulled his hand under the water), then she slid out completely and I picked her right up and held her to me. No one touched me or her during that time. It was utterly utterly magical

 

[moomin_troll]

great thread
im planning to birth in a pool so my doula has told me all i will really need is a tourch, about 10 towels that i can throw away, cover for my sofa and a shower curtain to get me from the pool to the sofa.
as ile be birthing in the water it keeps all the mess in one place lol
shes bringing the oils for me and im packing a "hospital" bag with everything i need for me and baby during and after the birth so its all in one place.

 

[birdiex]

This is a great thread, I'll make sure I keep this handy. Great points about making the bed twice, keeping a torch handy ect. Thanks girls!

 

[moomin_troll]

im going to fish my ohs head tourch out and make the mw use that just for a laugh hahah

 

[chuck]

^^^^^ LOL what a picture.

Mind you twice in hospital I LOL'd after the birth and when I went back in for bleeding as they just had a big red torch to check the foof....all that high tech stuff in a hospital and they had a big red torch they could have bought from B&Q!

 

[sam#3]

i would recommend having a head/hair band to keep your hair off of your prob sweaty head, i remember mine driving me mad, i kept pushing it back and my dd taking off her headband and giving it to me
make sure everywhere is really nice and warm especially if you plan to use water because you can get cold shivers after the birth and having a big warm towel to hand is lush
sounds silly but make sure you have plenty of tea, coffee, milk, bread etc in for you, OH and the MW's