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Supplies for a home birth: What we used and why!
Here is a comprehensive list of our home birth supplies, including what we order specially and what we gather from around the house!
Birth supplies can be ordered from In His Hands, a Christian family-owned home-based business seeking to help home birth families, birthing centers, and midwives locate affordable medical supplies. We've ordered from them twice, with great service, and we know that a lot of home-birth midwives use that company as well! Here are all the products they offer.
First, here is a detailed list of what we order from In His Hands. These items are located on their birth supply products page.
15 Underpads/Chux pads, 23x36 size (.35 each) -It's good to have plenty of these, just in case! We always had a lot left over.
Povidone Scrub Brush (1.00) -For cleaning and sanitizing hands and under nails.
2 plastic-backed sheets, 40x72 size (.75 each) -We only needed one, but we had two just in case.
Bulb syringe, 3 ounce (1.90) -One was used at our first child's birth but wasn't needed with the second child; newborns don't need routinely suctioned.
2 plastic cord clamps, sterile (1.25 each) -With our first birth we used two; with our second, the midwife used a metal (sterilized) clamp for the end that stayed with the placenta. I've also known people who used a shoelace to tie the cord!
1 peri bottle, 8 ounce (.50) -This was VERy handy for using to rinse with water after the birth. This is definitely a must-get for afterwards! :)
Stretch briefs/Mesh Panty, unisize (1.40) -These were like large panties that were easy to deal with for post-partum discharge. I liked using these and used them for the first day or two. They're comfortable and hold as big of pads as you need. They're washable/re-usable, so I bought a pair for the first birth and re-used it at the second.
Povidone/Iodine tincture, 4 ounces (1.50) -I used this with the first birth; I added a squirt to the peri bottle, filled the bottle the rest of the way with warm water, and then used to rinse after going to the bathroom. I used it for the first day or two with the second birth. If you think you might want/need this, it's a good idea to order it with your birth supplies and not wait and try to just get some at the store, because the store's little bottles are substantially more expensive! :)
Large pads for heavy afterbirth flow (.75 each) -I used several of these, but didn't have heavy bleeding for very long.
Pads, Non-Sterile, Contoured, 5X11 w/adhesive, peach-colored (.40 each) -These are really nice, not-too-large but not-too-small pads. I liked them a lot. I think I ordered about 20, and would have ordered more if it weren't for the cost. :)
Items our midwife used
For the first birth, our midwife brought these items; for the second, we ordered these from In His Hands. It just depends on what your midwife wants!
Lube jelly (3 grams), sterile (.05) -Actually, I can't remember exactly what this was used for! Maybe it wasn't even used at my births. I know I have some left in my birth supply box! :)
Gloves, sterile and unsterile, singles and pairs (various prices and sizes) -These are needed and important. However, depending on the labor and delivery, several pairs might be needed (like with my first baby) or only one (like with my second baby). It's best to have plenty on hand. Our second midwife told us what size/kind she preferred.
Alcohol prep pads (.04 each) -Can't remember much about these... I think we still have some leftover. We ordered 4 or 5, I think.
Other birth supplies
This is the fun part, where I gathered things from the grocery store or around the house! :)
Infant hats, clean 100% cotton -I had several on hand and we used those. The first one gets a little messy, so you need at least two, preferable more, hats, since newborns have difficulty maintaining their body temperature. :)
Birth Certificate -We used one that can be ordered from In His Hands. You could make your own, too! This is just a memento, not an official birth certificate from the government.
Foot Imprinter -Both times, our midwife used her ink, and we put the foot prints on the birth certificate.
Tape measure, for measuring the baby -You can buy them for .05 or use a fabric tape measure of any sort.
Infant thermometer -We have this, but the midwife used hers.
Hydrogen peroxide (takes blood stains out of fabric) -This wasn't needed at either birth, but I did have a bottle in the bathroom cupboard. :)
Inexpensive plastic shower curtain liner -I got one at a dollar store.
Set of clean old bedsheets -Now, the normal method is to make up your bed with a clean set of sheets and then cover with the plastic shower curtain. Then, make up the bed a second time (over the sheets and curtain) with older sheets in case of stains.
I did this the first time, even though nothing ended up getting on the bed, because we used the underpads and such. The second time, I wasn't in the bedroom at all during labor (because our bedroom is upstairs, away from any bathroom) and I didn't make up the bed. If you're not sure where you'll give birth, it's best to prepare the bed.
Plastic pillowcases -Most of my pillows are older, so I didn't bother with plastic coverings for the pillows. Nothing got on them at either birth.
Old clean pillow cases -I double-cased my pillows.
Old clean bath towels, washcloths, 100% cotton receiving blankets -Various uses. It's nice to have old towels or receiving blankets that can be tossed instead of laundered after the birth, although I don't think I threw away any towels after my babies were born. There was about one load of laundry from the birth, and someone else washed it for me. :)
Roll of paper towels -The midwife used these, but I can't remember exactly what for. :)
New bottle of olive oil -This was used on the perineum during the birth (our second midwife used another kind of oil, but I can't remember what kind she said it was!), and used on the baby's bottom after diaper changes until the meconium was gone. Olive oil on baby's bottom makes it much easier to clean off the meconium! :)
Bowl or ziplock bag for placenta -Placenta can be buried if you wish; with our first baby, we gave the placenta to one of the midwives for her younger siblings to dissect as a science project! :D
Sanitary pads -I got overnight and regular, just whatever you would normally use for your monthly period. I got several packages from the store.
One handy tip for easing perineal pain after the birth, is to take a fresh thick pad and run water onto the center. Place pad in the freezer until frozen and then remove and use for a comforting, cooling compress. I did this a lot after my first baby!
Cotton balls or Q-tips and rubbing alcohol and/or powdered goldenseal -For umbilical cord. With my second baby, the umbilical cord hung around for over a month, and the powdered goldenseal was what finally coaxed it to dry up and completely heal.
Large garbage/trash bag or empty laundry basket, for soiled laundry
Lined trash can, for trash -We just used our kitchen trash can :)
Newborn onesie, sleeper, diaper, socks, and receiving blanket(s) -- baby's first outfit! I always get excited when I'm gathering my birth supplies and I get to this part! It helps me realize that there's a real baby inside me and we're going to have a newborn soon! :D
Lansinoh breast cream -I didn't end up needing/using this
Contract-Ease --This is an herbal tincture for easing the pain of afterbirth contractions when nursing the new baby. I had this on hand but didn't use it, so I don't know how effective it is or anything. :)
Rice Sock, birthing ball, heat or ice packs --We didn't use this stuff. We did have a rice sock on hand at both births (fill an old tube sock with rice and heat in the microwave or oven for a warm, heavy pack). I didn't like/use it either time. :)
Herbal after-birth bath, 16 oz. (Comfrey leaf, Lavender flower, Shepherd's Purse, Uva Ursi leaf, Plaintain leaf, Red Raspberry leaf, Yarrow flower, and Sea salt) $7.75
And I think that about covers it all! :) Questions? Ask away! :)
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Homebirth
We also bought our supplies from In His Hands!! Just curious, but was your midwife, Freida? I wanted to use her but I live too far (we're in Columbus).
Midwife
No, our midwife wasn't Freida (I assume you mean Freida Miller). Haven't met her, actually, but our most recent midwife (Joan) knows her!
I really like the In His Hands company. They provide a great service to home-birthers and others who don't have ready access to medical supplies! And they do it affordably! :)
This was really interesting
This was really interesting to read! I love hearing how different people plan and prepare for births. InHisHands looks like such a valuable site. We don't have anything like that here. Let's see, for fun here is what *I* had for my births...
1st birth the midwife brought everything like chux pads and cord clamps and whatnot. We just provided old towels (actually they weren't old: we hadn't set up house long enough to have old stuff!:-P), sheets, and we got a giant plastic drop sheet from a hardware store (it was like a dollar) and cut it in half. Part of it was used for the living room where I was originally laboring and the other part we used to make up the bed with. (Which was good because that's where my water broke.) Otherwise I used a birth ball and heat packs for labor comfort.
With this baby...hahaha, I'm going to look sooo unprepared: a basket of towels, a sanitized pair of scissors and a bucket for the placenta. Oh, and a large capacity kitchen scale for weighing! I couldn't find where to get chux pads anywhere, I kind of always MEANT to buy a drop sheet but I never did. I also had some herbal/homeopathic stuff that I intended to get like arnica for bruising, etc. but, again, I just never got around to it! But despite how this sounds i felt very prepared for an unassisted birth, really! It all worked out...the towels were put to good use, but all in all it was a pretty clean birth and YAY for wood floors: clean up is so easy.;-) (Um, yeah, because I kind of forgot to push the placenta into the bucket so that was the only part that kind of made a mess.)
Something interesting I discovered was that it may not always be necessary to clamp a cord. We technically did tie it but I didn't tie it nearly tight enough (I used thick yarn.) and it fell off right after we cut the cord. Oops! But, presumably because we waited so long to cut the cord, it was obvious that the vessels had already begun to clamp themselves off. It dribbled a small amount of blood and that was it! I thought that was pretty cool and since then I have heard other people say they didn't tie or clamp cords in their homebirths, either.
Wow, a cord stump around for a month? Both my babies' stumps have fallen off in the first week...even though I break all the "rules".;-) (Both had a real bath within the first couple days and I don't treat it with anything other than breastmilk if it looks gooey or otherwise gross.) I guess "they" don't reccommend rubbing alcohol anymore as that can preserve the cord stump to hang around longer, but I have heard good things about goldenseal.
Oh yes, tip: if you can't get ahold of a peri bottle (i've never actually seen one!) those plastic bottles they sell for ketchup or mustard work really well.:D
Ruth
Birth Supplies
Oh good, Ruth, I was hoping you'd comment, since I know you said you weren't very "prepared"! :)
With Eliyahu, we really didn't use a lot of supplies... I have a lot left over! Yay! :) My births have been really "clean", too...
Goldenseal was what finally coaxed Eliyahu's cord stump to fall off. Yehoshua's fell off in the usual 8 days or so. It was really annoying having Eliyahu's around for so long! :) It seeped gooeys onto his clothes that whole time! :| :)
didn't have a homebirth, but one comment...
We were planning a home birth but didn't actually end up with one (my daughter ended up being 16 weeks early) but one more thing to add to your list: comfortable clothing for mom after the birth. Soft pants (like pajama pants) are a must, at least for me.
And you are really lucky that you didn't need the nipple cream! I most definitely did... :)
Comfy clothes for after the birth
Sarah, thanks for adding that! I, ummmm, always wear comfy clothes during pregnancy, so I just kept on wearing those same big comfortable shirts and my soft stretchy skirt, for a few days (or, weeks! Now I'm embarrassing myself!!) after having a new baby!
But yes, definitely, it's a good idea to set aside some comfortable clothing for afterwards! :) Thanks for your comment! :)
And about the nipple cream, I think it's one of those things where everyone has different needs on some of that stuff. A few things are pretty essential (in my mind, although Ruth proves me wrong!! :D) but a lot of things are just nice extras to have on hand.
With my first baby, we used more "supplies" and recovery took longer. With my second, the labor progressed really quickly and there really wasn't time to even "need" many things! :) I'm glad, because now I have leftover stuff and won't have to order much next time, if there is a next time! :)
What a Small World!!
Tammy,
I did not know you were so close to us!!! Joan had been our dear midwife for all five of our babies! We love her and are so thankful to the Lord for her, she has been a wonderful blessing to us. Frieda was with us as well for two of our babies.
Thanks for the article, this is a helpful list to have on hand. I too, have appreciated In His Hands.
I think I will drop you a quick e-mail :-)
Jennifer
It is! :)
Although, I think Joan covers a fairly large area, so I'll be interested to hear from you and find out if we live reasonably close to each other! :)
Edited to add: Oh, I see you mentioned above that you live in Columbus. We're probably about 2 hours away then. :)
Oh, actually that first
Oh, actually that first commenter wasn't me! :-)I sent you an e-mail :-)
Thanks for sharing! Very
Thanks for sharing! Very useful information, if we are so blessed to have another baby, I may talk with dh again about a home birth. :)
~Tanya
Eek...isn't this scary?
Okay, maybe I'm too much of a city girl (grew up in Milwaukee, WI) and am used to all those hospitals, but...isn't giving birth at home scary?
I'd be scared out of my mind as a first time mom giving birth at home. Not to be nosy, but would some ladies who had home births be willing to share why? You don't have to post here, you can send me a private message. I just think "what if something went wrong? Isn't it cheaper to have the baby at the hospital?"
*panics about being a mom someday* :P
Nope, it's wonderful!!
Giving birth at home isn't scary at all! Well, I imagine if someone wasn't prepared and didn't know much about birth, they might be afraid. But I know a lot of home-birthers who are more "prepared" for birth than people who go to a hospital!
I loved, loved, loved giving birth at home! It was peaceful, relaxing, and allowed us to have a natural and intervention-free birth.
About complications: midwives are trained to deal with complications, and can always transport to a hospital if necessary. They can't perform c-sections, but an emergency (like, two-minutes-until-the-woman-dies type of emergency) c-section is very rare. Home birth don't have any greater risk than hospital births, to my knowledge.
Cheaper in the hospital? Maybe, if you have insurance and your insurance company is willing to pay the $5,000+ it costs for the average hospital birth. For us, it was cheaper to pay the ~$1,000 to have a midwife deliver at home. :)
Don't panic, just read up on natural childbirth and home-birth! If nothing else, it will prepare you to have a great hospital-birth experience!! :)
Children
I think more than anything, I'm just so freaked out about morning sickness, and all the stories I've heard about women giving birth. I don't deal with monthly cramps well, so I'm kind of nervous how I'll be when my time comes!
In fact, Aaron and I *may* be expecting. It's sad to say, but I'm very scared that we are. Did anyone else deal with these kinds of feelings with their first? I feel so wholly unprepared!
*runs off to buy a Confirm Clearly test* ;)
Morning sickness, etc.
Well, morning sickness affects everyone differently. Some people have it bad, some don't! I'd say just keep a positive outlook and hope for the best! Remember that our Heavenly Father knows how strong you are and exactly what's best for you... and you only have to make it through one day at a time, anyway! :D
I think the best remedy for fear when it comes to childbirth, pregnancy, or other health issues, is prayer and education. Trust YHWH, read books that approach the topic(s) with a positive outlook, and surround yourself with encouraging people. :)
YHWH gives us strength as we need it, not always sooner. There have been sooooo many times that I have had to just deal with something one day or one hour or even one MINUTE at a time! :) I never would have thought that I would have known how to cope with certain things, but I made it through. :)
Hospital costs...
I've been de-lurked. Ack!
My son was born July 2005, with no complications, at a midwife unit in our local hospital - covered by insurance. The bill was 15,000+ (I can't remember exactly now) and after insurance, we still had to pay 800.
Having a homebirth sounds like a good deal to me $$-wise, not to mention the added comfort of being at home.
I'm right there with you - I definitely want to give birth at home with our next one. Having a nurse tell me "not to sleep with the baby" is something that won't be happening this next time. No ma'am.
Great information - excellent post. Thanks!
De-lurked, lol!
Thanks for the comment :)
Home births have all sorts of different price-tags... we've paid just under $1,000 for ours but others have told me that's cheaper than their home-birth options.
At any rate, almost any home birth would be cheaper than a hospital birth. The one "catch" is that some people will end up paying less with their insurance covering part of a hospital birth. We've never been in that situation, but we really enjoyed having a quiet birth experience in our home and would pay "more" for that atmosphere. :)
However, I think people can have great birthing experiences in hospitals. My opinion is simply that a person should be well-informed and make their own decisions about their pre- and post-natal care. Too many women are allowing their care-givers to make all the decisions, or even worse, begging their care-givers for things like early-inductions because they're simply impatient!
I just have this "Slow down, relax, get educated, and trust YHWH" sort of approach to pregnancy and childbirth.
I didn't know how passionately I would feel about things like breastfeeding or childbirth until I started reading and learning about them! :D
Anon =
p.s.
I'm a. borealis @ http://raingarden.blogspot.com/
thanks!!
thanks so much for going through the whole list and providing the great links! and to answer your question from the previous post/comments section...we are in England, and YES! and big resounding YES! "They" are much more receptive about natural childbirth/homebirths out here than in the states. as i said before my last 2 births were full of anxiety-interventions-fear...etc in hospitals. yet the way i had been "programmed" into thinking about birth from my childhood via movies, the media, and every single horror story ever told to me.. was that the hospital was the "safe" place and birth was horribly horrendous anyway and even more so if outside the "comforts" of a hospital.
well, my first birth i did feel more "safe" in a hospital because i was nervous and didn't know what to expect. the experience we had was not great though, in fact left me rather scarred for awhile. my second birth was "better" but still hard, harder than i felt it had to be. and both births just felt like something was "missing".
with this birth i have done a ton more research and reading and God has gradually led us to homebirthing. I find it so amazingly "ironic" that He'd lead us to England (we're military) and into homebirthing at the same time lol. at first I was scared, "c'mon God, why now without any of our family and friends?"...and you know, i've learned the ocean is a great seperator of peoples negative comments and has allowed me to keep my eyes truly on Father and not on my earthly family's fears/concerns!
I will never forget when i gave my old prenatal records to my English midwife to peruse! she came back to the next appt and with wide eyes said, "I could not believe your records Kristy!! you have had two healthy, wonderful pregnancies and vaginal deliveries, and yet your records are stacked as high as what "we" would have for a high risk patient! is everything i read, all the tests, all the ultrasounds, all the labs, common for EVERY pregnancy in the States?" *chuckles* needless to say, the English view birth as a wonderful continuation of pregnancy...not something to fear, not something to test every little thing for, not something to watch fretlessly as though something could go wrong and jeapordize the whole thing at any given moment, not as an illness that has to be treated!...amazing difference between the care i have received here vs the states...well, i received great care at both, but here my *spirit* has been nurtured as my faith has been encouraged to trust in God's design and not fear fear fear!...i do have to say though, it's not like i can blame the docs wih "prenatal scare"...they have huge insurances they have to abide by, they HAVE to be precautionary about every little thing or they could be held liable and sued for something completley unimportant. i just hated that at the end of the day doc is going to make decisions according to what his insuarnce demands and not so much on what is important to mother or child...this coming from someone whom was prepped and shaved for an "emergency" c-section that Abba thankfully halted as it was not *needed* and babe went on to be born compeltley healthy via vaginal delivery no problems! thank you Father!!
anyway...God has been so good! i am nervous about our upcoming home/waterbirth...but oh so excited! I know if God has ordained and led our steps here, then He must have something incredible instore for us, and I can't wait to see what it is!
to the poster whom may be pregnant: Reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth was one tool God used to really help me prepare and put my heart and mind at ease. That book gave me so much peace. that and throwing out the "what to expect when you're expecting" book. (that book i hate..you want to be scared of every little thing that "could" but probably won't go wrong, then read that book...ARGH! i hate it, but that's just me!) *grins* God's design for delivering His babies is amazing and it is something to be trusted and grow closer through Him with. He really did know what He was doing when he created us women.
~Kristy
SAHM and military wife living in England
two daughters ages 3 and 4 years old
and new little one due in 12 days! hopefully coming via home/waterbirth
Home Birth
Thanks for the long comment, Kristy! I enjoyed hearing about your experiences! :)
Sometimes when we feel led to do something that isn't "mainstream", I've learned to talk about it with certain people and let it rest with others. If some older lady (who has her mind made up about something!) would be worried and concerned about it, I elect to wait until afterward to go into much detail with her. People have all sorts of crazy ideas about things, and as moms we really have to let a lot of "advice" roll off our back and trust in our Heavenly Father and our husbands. :)
You're very right, doctors have insurance/lawsuit worries, and they also need to schedule things according to what's convenient at times. They need to do things "by the book" because if they did take (what our society calls) a "risk" they could be in trouble if anything went wrong. Add some hospital policies (such as the recent trend among hospitals here to not allow VBACs-vaginal births after cesaraen), and then figure in the patients themselves, who are all too often more than willing to get every medical intervention possible!! --and you have our current US stats, where almost 30% of births end in a cesarean. Oh, yay.
I really enjoyed Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I read part of it near the end of my second pregnancy (I didn't make it through all the birth stories, but I read the rest!). I also liked "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way", even though we didn't do any particular "method". I got both of those from the library. :)
Kristy, I know you will have a great birth experience... even if it doesn't end up being exactly how you planned, you've prepared yourself and are coming into labor and delivery with a totally different outlook than the typical birther experiences. Some people think I am a little crazy for loving natural childbirth, but I just say that nothing compares to the thrill of having a baby naturally. It is an amazing experience that makes a woman feel so strong.
With my first baby, I had no idea I would have such a great time! lol With my second, I was excited about the whole process (although admittedly during labor I wondered what in the world I had been excited about! lol). I've never had a water birth, although I hear those can be so nice! Maybe someday I'll feel like going to the extra bother to get set up for one. :D You'll have to let me know how you like it, Kristy! :)
Well informed: AGREED
a. borealis again...
AGREED - AGREED - AGREED.
Knowledge is power; especially when it comes to your own body and birthing experiences. It is very liberating to come at it with such an informed and positive approach. I feel sorry for people who say, "epidural, please" right off the bat. They are really missing out.
Thanks Tammy!
Wow, I never even thought
Wow, I never even thought about having to buy that stuff yourself for a home birth, but of course you would. I guess having hospital births, I just sort of take it all for granted. I admire women who enjoy their home births very much, but I personally love my hospital. =D From stories I have heard, our very small hospital is much more like a birthing center than most hospitals. There are only 8 rooms and for a time I was the only women there! LOL! When Ike was transferred to a larger hospital because of the group B strep, I did NOT like their newborn nursery at all. Seeing that made me understand why more women are choosing to have their children at home.
Just a quick question that I have been wondering about. With having a midwife and a home birth, do you get tested for group B strep? Would the midwife still give you the medication for that if you tested positive? I was given the medication during labor, so there should have been so chance medically of the baby getting it - but he did. They mentioned that our children in the future could be more likely to contract it now. That is scary if I think about it (group B strep is extremely serious and commonly fatal in infants), but just something that you have to leave in the Lord's hands.
Group B Strep testing for home birth
I know it looks like a long list of birth supplies, but I think if you buy a LOT of everything, it's still less than $50! I believe we spent about $40 per birth on supplies, but if there is a "next time" I'll probably only need to spend about $10 or so, with all my "leftovers"! :D
I know a lot of women who have some babies in a birthing center and then switch to a home birth for later children. :) We've never had a birthing center that was less than 3 hours from us, so that wasn't an option. :) I think a birthing center with a good midwife would make for a really comfortable experience. Regardless of the location of the birth, be it at home, in the car, at a birth center, or in a hospital, I think being informed and knowing that you made the best decisions you could have is what makes for a positive birth experience! :)
About Group B Strep: we personally were not tested for that during our pregnancies, but it's quite possible for a midwife to test (it just depends on your midwife and/or back-up doctor, or any ob-gyn you've seen for any other reason!). About administration, not sure. I guess a lot of people do test positive and a lot of people are treated for it.
Here is some more info on Group B Strep and homebirth as well as a forum thread about group B step options.
While it is rare for certain things to happen, I imagine you feel about GBS as we feel about children jumping on trampolines! Our 23-month-old broke his femur on a trampoline, and we've said no more trampolines for our children. But like you said, there is definitely a point where we just have to trust our Heavenly Father because sometimes even the best of medical advances can't prevent something from occurring!
Since I have a mom who is a
Since I have a mom who is a midwife and am a doula myself + have had 4 home births myself, I thought I would comment. There can be complications for cords not being clamped properly as my little brother had it happen to him, but my mom bought a special tool so she no longer uses cord clamps. It uses a small rubber band on it. It works alot better and it has been commented on at the hospital also.
Also different people are different....my worst nightmare would be to have a baby in the hospital, but I know many people think a home birth would be horrible. I am a very private person and in labor cannot stand noise or extra people. With a home birth I am in a place I trust and know with people i trust and know. If there was something where I could not have one, I would of course go, but it would be hard for me!
I also did not handle cramps well and still with the right coaches did fine through labor...it was not fun at all, but was a experience i lived through and I have beautiful sons!
GBS- a midwife can test if you want her to, most women opt not to and instead she is highly trained to see the signs of GBS effects on the baby as the effects of antibiotics can be bad if it is not totally needed. i know how scary it can be as my nephew had an infection after birth, which was not GBS, but reacted similar to it. My mom has a birth center that is 1 block from the hospital also and has a doctor who supports her and will stop by for a visit if she has a question during a birth.
GBS and cord-clamping...
Thanks for all the info! Sounds like your mom has a great set-up with the birth center and doctor -- I love hearing about that kind of support for midwifery! :)
I agree-- being prepared, having the right environment, and being near people you can trust are all important for a great birth experience! I needed quiet and solitude during labor, and I managed best when everyone (including Joshua!) didn't talk or move around or basically do anything! lol While delivering a baby isn't exactly "easy", with the right mindset and tools (education, for example) it can be a wonderful and thrilling experience! :)
Crock pot
I didn't see this anywhere...
We also used a crock pot during our last baby's birth. We put the towels in it on low. When the baby was out and ready to be wrapped up then we used those towels. They were there and warm. You just have to be careful to give them a quick shake to make sure they are not to warm.
BTW- I would be scared to death to have a baby at the hospital! All the shots and drugs they give you and the baby. Not to mention the fact that the baby doesn't get the placenta blood because they clamp early. That in itself is enough to cause things like holes in the heart and a need to be recessetated (sp?). Even if you have a "natural birth" without drugs they don't tell you that they put oxytocin (sp?) in the iv!!! I guess it is not hard to see why I stay at home now!
Warm towels for birth
I think we warmed some towels in the clothes dryer when Yehoshua was born. With Eliyahu, I don't think we did... or maybe in the oven... I can't remember! I just held the new baby close in my arms and felt relieved. :D
I don't think I would be too frightened to give birth in a hospital, because I know I can actually choose whether or not to accept certain procedures. However, I would definitely need Joshua right there, making sure they weren't doing things without mentioning them to me, since during labor, I don't feel like making decisions or discussing things like that. :) I feel more relaxed at home, just knowing that there's 0% chance of being given an episiotomy or something like that! lol And even though most everything can legally be refused, a lot of medical care givers either don't even know it's "optional" or else just want people to think there's no choice but to accept it.
I have to laugh when people tell me I'm so "brave" for having a home birth. I usually say something like, "I would have to be a whole lot braver to have a hospital birth!" :)
You hit the nail on the
You hit the nail on the head, Tammy. If you have a birth in the hospital you have to speak up. I have had both my children in the hospital and they were both planned C sections. I have never regretted either of them not being "natural". With both my pregnancies I had gestational diatbetes. With my first child I had hemeriods that had to be removed before the birth. So a "natural birth " was out of the question. I was told if I tried to push my daughter out I would need a "zipper" to be put back together, with family history we were hoping she would be 10lbs but expected to be larger. She was only 9Lbs 3ozs.
With my second child we considered a VBACK, but I had placeta privea. I also had some break out bleeding about a month before her due date, which inturn they wanted to take her early. I refused, she was not in distress, and I felt fine, had fetal movement and was released after being observed for 24 hours. She was born 13 days later and is perfect.
But if you have to go to the hospital is it not that bad, just if you do not want something or do need something SPEAK UP! They are there to take care of you. And rememeber you have the final say.
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