We're not going to have heat until Monday!

[jenkuh]

But I'm 38 weeks 2 days pregnant and planning a homebirth! AH! What if I go into labor while the guy is here fixing our heater, seriously? I really don't know what I would do! We have to get a new heater as our 25 year old one just potted out. Um - so good timing in that our heater won't pot out with a newborn but talk about bad timing for birth!!

[Jane]

If you go into labor before then, call your friends and get them to buy and bring over a space heater. One of the $40-$50 variety would work great! It will gear up one room nicely. You just need one warm room for the baby.
You wouldn't be the first to labor early. And not have heat yet. Good luck!

[phatchristy]

I would second the space heater thing too!

Interestingly enough about three days before I went into labor with one of my DDs the air conditioning went out....and it's FL. It would have been way over 90 degrees in here. ACK! Thankfully they considered me an emergency (hot preggo woman) and sent people right away! ::

[Mariellen]

When my fifth was due last November we had construction workers lingering around the house... there was even a huge hole in the side of my living room with nothing but a plastic sheet to separate my home from the elements. I was having horrible contx one day, around 36w, and I told the guys that I was not feeling well...

I told them we were planning a homebirth and that my MW was on her way over. They all left for the day.

She was not born that day, but it made me feel a lot better knowing that when I did go into labor, the workers knew to scoot.

[jrabbit]

our MW is convinced that a mother's protective instinct will protect her from going into labor during an unsafe time. Such as you not having heat, or with construction workers. I just survived 3 days of a tiling job at 39 weeks, and I'm almost through the weekend when my MW is out of town ... but I have been a nervous wreck for a week!

get a space heater, and prepare to be a protective Mama Bear, just in case something does happen!

best wishes
--janis

[jenkuh]

Thank you for the stories everyone - that's crazy! The big plastic sheet for a wall cracks me up! I do agree with the idea that our bodies know when it feels safe so that makes me feel better.

One rather large detail I forgot to add was that we are not telling our parents that we are homebirthing until afterwards and the person fixing our heater is my parent's next door neighbor and his best friend. Not really sure how I'd get around that one!

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by jenkuh

Thank you for the stories everyone - that's crazy! The big plastic sheet for a wall cracks me up! I do agree with the idea that our bodies know when it feels safe so that makes me feel better.

One rather large detail I forgot to add was that we are not telling our parents that we are homebirthing until afterwards and the person fixing our heater is my parent's next door neighbor and his best friend. Not really sure how I'd get around that one!

Oops. I'd just tell him I wasn't feeling well and ask him to leave, or (if you have slow labors or its your first) let him get on with fixing the thing while in labor , I mean, how long can it take?

[jenkuh]

Okay so to add to this, last night I woke up at 2:00 and had contractions 6 min. apart, 40-50 sec. long for 2 1/2 hours. When I called my midwife to say it looks like this might be something they stopped and have not returned :

And, a problem with the heater thing too is that they are installing a new one, so they'll be ripping out the old one and putting in a new one which will take an afternoon and evening I guess. They're taking it out and installing it monday SOO if labor was starting last night then we need to get this baby out today!

[MittensKittens]

You know, I would just borrow enough electric heaters to keep things warm in that case (if you can of course) and don't let them come to fix the heat until the baby has arrived. Sure, your electricity bill will be crazy, but laboring in peace counts for something too...