Home birth/water birth prep
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Topic: Home birth/water birth prep
Posted By: chonny
Subject: Home birth/water birth prep
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 4:13pm
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HI ladies, we are planning a home water birth. Would love to hear from people who have done it & what sort of things we need to get to be prepared for this. I also have a soon to be 2yr old son so looking for thoughts on what people did with older siblings etc. -------------   
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Replies:
Posted By: ellen
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 5:15pm
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There was another thread about home births somewhere. I had a home birth (but not water birth) for my third baby and it was a wonderful experience. I don't remember having to have anything prepared as the midwife had everything. The only thing we needed to do was put the baby's clothes in the hotwater cupboard and light the fire (even though it was a January delivery). And she took all the yuck stuff away with her as well. I imagine with a water birth you'd need some way of getting hot water into the pool?
I had my 5yr old at the birth but chose not to have my 2yr old there as he was a real mummies boy and I didn't think he'd handle seeing me uncomfortable. I also didn't want to have to worry about him during labour. As long as you have someone to help look after him though I'm sure it'd be fine. Lots of people have done it. Such a personal decision. I hope it goes how you'd like it to. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 5:26pm
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I know my aunty hired a birthing pool, but not sure how she filled it. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 5:40pm
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My friend just had a home water birth last week and has a 2 1/2 y.o. Her mum just stayed with her older one when she was giving birth then he came in staright away. She said it was the best thing she ever did! ------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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Posted By: gypsynita
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 6:57pm
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I'm planning a home/water birth too and the midwife has told me she'll be bringing everything, including the pool... All I need on hand is plenty of towells apparently! ------------- Anita Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10) http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: razzmatazz
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 10:09pm
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Ive had two homebirths.
My last one was meant to be a waterbirth. I had a homebirth midwife, and i hired the pool through her, It was about $100 from memory. We had a very small water cylinder so we borrowed a water heater thing from midwife which connected to outside tap and filled pool. as it happened I only stayed in pool for hour or so and didnt end up delivereing in the pool anyway but I know a few people that have and said it was awesome. I was planning on having my two older children there (4 and 7) but when it came down to it I got my mum to come and take them away, just felt the best thing at the time. I would definetly recommend homebirths they are wonderful and so much more relaxing to be in your own space. Wonderful to be able to do everything to your own schedule, especailly afterwards. No need to worry abut visiting hours etc. and makes other siblings feel much more at ease . I just had to have lots of towels and clothes for baby, midwife bought everything else.  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 20 July 2008 at 10:12pm
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thanks, i know i have to get the pools, and mw has said some old towels & perhaps a sheet or something for on the floor. Old that can be thrown out. my understanding is she will clean up etc. & the pool we will get will have a hose fitting to it. Just wondering when to get it etc. hopefully she'l give me an idea when i see her next.
Am thinking i want V here, but mum on call for when i need her to come & stay with him. Take him away when it gets too much, then bring him straight down once i'm a bit cleaned up, but as soon as! -------------
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Posted By: Helen21
Date Posted: 21 July 2008 at 2:26pm
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I don't have any advice but a home water birth sounds great but DH was freaked out when I mentioned it, something along the lines of "NO NO NO NOWAY!!" if I remember correctly. I have no idea how to talk him around. How did other peoples DP/DH's feel about the idea/experience?
My 5 year old thinks the baby comes out of my belly button because my tummy gets so big it pops, so I think having her there would be a big confusing!  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Chloe 12/7/03 Miya 5/11/05 |
Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 21 July 2008 at 2:34pm
dh knew i wanted a water birth last time (at the hospital) and was really happy for it. this time i talked to him bout the idea of having it at home meaning my almost 2 yr old could not miss out on mummy. I think it will help him cope as mummy is not going away for 3 days and coming home with a stranger. even tho he knows i have a baby in my tummy, i just feel that by birthing at home & staying at home it will help him adjust easier. I think i talked bout a it a couple of times with dh before he finally agreed. his concern was for the health of both baby and me. once i assured him mw would have everything needed (i may need antibiotics etc) then he was ok about it. now he seems to have no problem with it i don't think. it's something i wanna try and so he ok with it  -------------
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Posted By: razzmatazz
Date Posted: 21 July 2008 at 5:27pm
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we got our birth pool about 2 weeks before due date. normally depends on if its being hired already etc. but they normally try and get it to you a few weeks before.
make sure you have a trail run of setting it up etc.
We just had a hose that drained off outside so it was easily drained. and basically m/w just bundled everything up into rubbish bags and threw it out afterwards. My kids had a much easier time adjusting to new baby since she was there at home, they came back just after willow had been born. with my first homebirth my daughter was 3 and she was there for it, but she was pretty blase about it. she was like oh ok hello baby and then went back to bed! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 21 July 2008 at 5:39pm
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thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about wanting Vincent around. i do think he would cope better -------------
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Posted By: Two Shoes
Date Posted: 08 August 2008 at 12:18am
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Hi All
I'm considering having a water birth and started a thread called Water Births, which lots of people have posted under, which is great. Good to hear other womens' experiences and how they thought it was really good. Gypsynita: You'll have to let us know how your water birth goes, I'd be really keen to hear how you got on. Best of luck with it, as it's only days away for you now!
------------- http://img73.imageshack.us/my.phpimage=william23098daysold.jpg" border="0"> 
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Posted By: gypsynita
Date Posted: 08 August 2008 at 8:34am
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Thanks Two Shoes -- MW dropped off the pool a couple of days ago and apparently it takes 45 minutes to fill, so not sure how that works with timing/temperature etc... but we're going to have a trial run this weekend.
I'll be sure to keep you posted! ------------- Anita Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10) http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 08 August 2008 at 8:55am
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the pool we will be getting has a heat retention cover that i'm hopign will keep the warmth in -------------
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Posted By: happymumma
Date Posted: 08 August 2008 at 9:33am
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I had a home birth - unexpectedly - but I would do it again I think. We used about 14 towels, an oil heater to keep the towels warm, a tarpaulin on the floor where I was, a couple of buckets, and jugs of water (hot and cold) for me. Other than that the midwives had everything they needed. Oh, and a couple of pillows for me to kneel on.
I looked in to birthing pools and from memory they generally come with a hose attachment to make them easier to fill up. Helen21, both DH and I were against the idea of having a home birth but by the time the midwfe came to assess me at home I was already fully dilated. She gave us the choice of going to hospital or staying home and both DH and I felt right about staying at home. DH had the same safety worries beforehand but we didn't realise that a well organised midwife is set up to deal with (apparently) the first stages of a haemorrhage and same if the baby has breathing difficulties. I remember them bringing an oxygen tank in and it sitting in the corner just in case. Is it something you can decide on at the last minute? I could sense that my labour was going pretty well and that's why I felt comfortable - otherwise I would have gone straight in to hospital - if you can decide once things are happening I think that gives you the best idea. |
Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 09 August 2008 at 11:29am
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yes our pool that we willg et if we can comes with a hose and attachment pieces as well. the only thing is you need to have a washing machine outlet within 10m of the pool. this allows to fill up with both hot and cold water. -------------
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Posted By: toniellis
Date Posted: 09 August 2008 at 7:51pm
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The opnly thing I organised for my home waterbirth was my support people LOL!
My midwife brought over her birthing pool about 3 weeks before my due date, she also brought all the required linen & took it away after so that was easy.... I had my Mum & Grandma over as support people (coz Hubby isn't good with that kind of thing as he gets bored easily) & for my two boys who were 3 & nearly 2 at the time I had my sister over to care for them with Hubby's help. Was really cool actually because I had the pool set up in my dining room, my boys were watching a video in my bedroom for most of the time and they would just wander out to give me kisses & cuddles & to be nosey LOL before heading back to the bedroom. ------------- Mum to Alex (11), Blaire (10) & Erika (8) and Damien (6) Successful HWB VBA2Cs! Soon to be surrogate |