OK... so I'm seriously considering a homebirth if we are successful getting #3 cooking! But I've never been drawn to water during my labours, so I'm thinking a birthing pool probably isn't for me (but I shall be reading up on it ) So without a pool, what's the logisitics of where to be in that final stage of labour? And what about the mess? LOL.

Also... following on from Pretty Butterfly's thread.. can I ask a few questions of my own?

My first birth was at 37 weeks, waters broke at home, and labour was augmented with the drip at the hospital. 5hr labour.. no pain relief, no tears, just a graze and one stitch for a little flap of skin.. .or something like that. Bub was 6lb (2.72kg) Healthy pregnancy.. BP etc were always good.

Second birth was prem at 34 weeks, but was 3.5kg! No GD or anything.. just cooked a big bub! Labour travelled along naturally, but ended up pushing whilst only at 8cm (examination showed dilation going from 6cm-8cm and back again).. OB ended up helping her head through the cervix and then she was born quite quickly. The drip was used to try and help with the last of that dilation (but my personal opinion is that if I'd had a doula there I would have been encouraged to get up and squat and be more upright to try and get bub pushing through better...but then that might not be right either lol). hmm... ARM was somewhere in there too, trying to move things along as I was tachycardic? No real cause was discussed about why she was prem.. only that I was vomiting all the night before, so it could have been a bug or something that brought it on. Again, there was no pain relief, no tearing.. think there was a graze again.. can't remember!

So does anything in there sound like a homebirth wouldn't be right for me? I know the prem thing would just mean I'd have to go straight to hospital if it was too early.. but that's just a timing thing isn't it?

And can I ask what the midwife brings by way of treating any bleeding, and resus for the baby if it's needed? They are my only two concerns I think. Oh.. and dealing with stuck shoulders.. again.. not that I've had that.. but if I cook another big bub.. is that a risk? Oh.. and it seems to be that I either have diarrhea or vomiting before my labours.. would a midwife carry anything that could help with hydration?

Sorry... loads of questions.. but this homebirth thing is niggling at me, so I really want to look into it