Homebirth without a pool... how & where? (plus lots of other Q's)

[Oorki Galoorki]

HB would be fine for you!(its fine for MOST)
talk to the mw about when she and you are not comfortable birthing at home.(ie before 35 weeks) knowing the besty thing for a premmie is kangaroo care, and of course you will pick up any problems pretty quickly so you would go to hospital. i know some women who birthed at 34 weeks at home and never went in to hospital. others transfer at 37 weeks for fear that its too early. so what ever YOU are comfortable with is what you go with

Most mw carry oxygen and sewing kits, all will have something for bleeding best discussed with your m/ws. put these down as your initial questions when interview IMs

[Alan]

Liz I am a little busy now but I will get back to this later

[Mummato2]

I wouldn't encourage birthing at home any less than 37 weeks.

Reason being, midwife in attendance or not, bubs is an unknown until it's out and the level of care needed is variable.

There are some 36 weekers that have trouble with breathing and temp regulation, for the temp kangaroo care is fine but if bubs is having real trouble with respiration then the best place is the hospital where it can be seen to immediately. Of course, the other variable is the 35 weeker that breathes beautifully and only needs some warming up. Newborns can crash very very quickly and I wouldn't feel confident not knowing bubs status until birth less than 37 weeks.

But that is just my opinion

Aside from that, midwives will cover any scenario for you stitches, oxygen etc - so your best bet is to get in touch with a local IM and ask them what you need to worry about (if anything)

Sounds like you'd be a great case for HB!!

ETA - as for not having/wanting a birthing pool, mess can be managed pretty easily. I plan to not water birth but to birth on my bed leaning against beanbags (if it feels comfy at the time). Just get a painter's dropsheet, cover your mattress completely, then use old sheets over that. Have a smallish shallowish bucket for the placenta - but everything else will get absorbed into the sheets and the plastic will protect the mattress.

The room I'm birthing in has an ensuite 3 steps from the bed, so I plan on getting into a shower when I'm ready while my mum and DH make a nice comfy bed and then it's snuggle time for bubs, DS, DH and I. Mum can get everything else cleaned up at that point.

So you really don't need a birthing pool

[Liz]

Yeah I guess just mess proof a few areas.. not knowing where I'll feel like being. I do get wobbly on my legs during transition (hence no inclination to be upright... tho I'm hoping with the right encouragement I'll do it) so mess proofing the bed and next to the bed might be good so I could at least lie down somewhere in between. hehe.

Imagine explaining THAT stain on the carpet to the landlord! PMSL.. that'd be the last thing we'd need.. landlords putting clauses in the lease that you can't birth in the house!

[Mummato2]

Yeah for me I know that I don't want to birth on a hard floor and I know I won't want to be on hands and knees - so for me the perfect place was our bed.

I'm also a bit of a roaming lion in labour so I'll be moving until I can't at which point I'll probably sit on a fitball leaning over the bed and when it's time to push move to the bed.

Mess can be cleaned easily enough. We own our home and are recarpeting once bub is here so mess on the carpet really doesn't bother me too much!

[Tegam]

I birthed on my bed. I made my bed normally and then brought a plastic undersheet, put it over the top of the already made bed and then made the bed again (does that make sense?). After i had bubba and wanted to shower the MW and DH were fussing over the baby so i had my shower and stripped the bed of the dirty sheets and stuck those in the washing machine. Thru out the plastic sheet and got straight back into my nice clean bed! Easy. ... and no before you ask i did not put the sheets out on the line, i let someone else do that LOL

[BellyBelly]

Being in the Blue Mountains, you'll be spoilt for a choice of IM's and doulas You'll have a wonderful birth I am sure The IM's will all have their own guidelines, but most I know want you to be at least 37 weeks to birth at home. But again, you'd need to speak to them.