Homebirth General Discussion #13

[Cassius2]

you dont necessarily have to be close to the bathroom: you could just get a super long hose I wanted my birth space in our formal lounge (has double sliders and a romantic-y fireplace and is very cosy) so DH went out and bought 10 metres of food-grade hosing lol. worked a treat

[Beatrix]

Arimeh- I have chosen my lounge area, I have chosen not to use a birthing pool, not a fan of water so didnt really looking hiring one. Plus i really doubt I would have time to blow up and fill plus we dont have the space to keep it blown up.

I have a mattress that has been covered with plastics then bedsheets put on behind one of my couches, and my plan is to bring it out and turn my couch around and labour like I have done with all 3 girls standing up or on all 4's using the couch as my balance/support. The midwives will set up their gear on the dinning room (open plan living so no seperater) on the kitchen table and we have access to hot water, kettle and heater right there.
I can use my bath or shower if I want to as well so I do have the water option.

38w 4d today.... this waiting game is kinda long!! Was hoping maybe the full moon last night would set me into labour, but nope nothing not even a tingle lately. DH is on holidays for 5 days starting today so the Midwife hopes that having him home 24/7 for the next few days will relax me enough to know he is right there and let my body go. Had app yesterday and baby is 2/5 engaged so its head down and they dont really expect much more til established labour seeing as it baby number 4. BP has gone back down so is normal and bubs is one active little thing. They love feeling my belly because you can literally feel the exact shape of bubs most of the time, legs hips butt... its weird!!!
My student midwife is very excited.... she is praying she makes it to the birth as none of her fellow students have even had the chance to be invited to a homebirth.
My midwife is very confident that once in labour I will be ok, just maybe the fear of knowing what and when is labour maybe holding me back.

So this morning I am running a nice warm bath, I have a mud mask and a hair treatment to go on. Going to shave and tidy everything up LOL then dry and straighten my hair once i get out. (lol whats the bet my water breaks when i have face full of mud and hair glob on ROFL

DH and dd3 have gone out for the morning to go shopping and do lunch so its just me and peace and quiet.

[Cricket]

Getting in the right head space is huge for going into labour IMO. I think it held me back in my last birth. I was scared of a repeat of DS's birth (which turned out fine, but was tough for a while). DH and I had a chance to talk it through and pray about it, and I went into labour just a few hours later. I've re-read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth before my last few births and I find that a great reassuring book to read! Perfect for getting into the right frame of mind for birth.
Hope you have an enjoyable, relaxing (productive? ) day getting ready for this baby Beatrix!

[Cassius2]

(lol whats the bet my water breaks when i have face full of mud and hair glob on ROFL

oh em gee hahahaha! that would make for the most hilariously awesome birth photos ever lol!

Arimeh: I also got a big picnic blanket out (the rubber backed ones) and put that on the couch that was beside the pool and then covered the couch with a sheet tucked in. that way i had the option of getting out of pool and labouring differently. in the end i used it post birth and was still sopping wet from the pool so was super happy to have it on...plus the blood etc was contained and not ruining my WHITE fabric couch hahahaha (yes, i like to live on the edge lol).

[Eenee]

HotI can you change the list I'm due November.

[Cassius2]

oh la la! a november baby

[Cricket]

Quiet thread lately.... Hopefully that means everyone is doing well.

I saw my midwife this past week, and had a good visit. Got a final due date - Sept. 11, and heard baby's heart, etc. Everything is looking great. Also, gained less weight than I expected for the first time in the history of my pregnancies. Bonus. And, the midwife who was my primary midwife last time around will be taking over my care now, which was a surprise. That's fine with me, although I hope that the one I've been seeing up until now will stay on for my care as a second, because she's really good. I asked a few questions about different tests, and which ones to pass on, etc., and she right away sent over different research papers and clinical guidelines, along with letting me know her thoughts on the matter. I really like being treated like a person who is intelligent enough to consider the facts and make an informed decision, instead of just being told what to do with some scare factors thrown in... (If you don't test for GBS your baby could DIE!)

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend!

[Cricket]

Double post...