April HBers - Check in here!

[Fridaxsky]

After seeing a few of us on the HB forum, I thought I would start a thread here!

We are planning our first HB. DD was a 33 week preemie so she was born in an OR. We were planning an unmedicated hospital birth this time around, until a few weeks ago, when my gut started telling me that I shouldn't go that route. We met with a MW this week and are starting to make preparations for our HB!:

So, what is everyone doing at this point to get ready? I'm planning on doing the DONA Birth Doula training in February, so I've already been into their reading list which is helping a lot (currently reading "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth"). My OCD-tendencies are making me want to go out and buy all of the supplies, prepare a bunch of frozen meals, and have everything set up already. I'm trying to fight those urges though, and instead have started making tons of lists - what to do, what to read, what to buy, etc. I know April will be here very soon, but it seems like forever away!

[Lindsay1234]

We ar hoping for a hb like our first but things happen so Im NEVER planning for something!!

My mw give me a list of the necessities and I purchase them at 30-32 weeks. Im going to make a list this week of who to call when, just in case shes early. Not just emergency numbers but violin teacher, school, etc.
Oh and a recipe menu for some frozen food and then planning on asking several freinds and relatives to bake something for us too!!

We are hoping to move soon so Im trying not to plan on doing too much in this house but I guess I need to plan that just in case!!:

[lynxeyedkat]

We started Bradley classes this week, and I'm reading everything I can get my hands on! I'm very excited to go see our hb mw tomorrow (it's one of the highlights of my month).

Yay hb!

[laurilj]

I just finished Ina May's Guide to Childbirth... it's great! That and The Natural Pregnancy Book have given me so much confidence that I can have a natural birth at home. I feel like it's the right thing to do. I knew that I wanted to do that before I got pregnant, so when the test was positive, the first thing I did was call a midwife. This will be my first baby so I have no experience, but luckily I have several friends who have home birthed.

I haven't done many preparations yet other than reading and watching videos. And getting totally excited.

[dex_millie]

Checking in. I only started this week to be prepared. I just went through DS infant cloths (as we have unisex ones because we don't find out the sex before the birth) and took out all the ones I can use, then separated his cloths from 0-12months and 12-24months incase the baby is a boy then DH will wash them.

Other than that nothing, last year wasn't the best for me and I feel like I neglected this pregnancy I am now snapping back to reality that I only have about 12 more weeks :

I need to start excersising more and just taking care of my body better again. Not to mention we just moved this Oct. to a different apt.

Our bedroom is suppose to get some new things. Like a platform bed (right now we just sleep on the floor on a sleeping bag) and a twin platform bed for DS in our room, not sure how that is going to work. I am worried about having him in the bed w/ the baby he sleeps crazy and once in a while will get up at night and lie ontop of me. I don't want him to end up on the next side where the baby will be.

I need dresser drawers, new cloth diapers and covers, have to think on the rest, I am writing a list.

[dex_millie]

Originally Posted by laurilj

I just finished Ina May's Guide to Childbirth... it's great! That and The Natural Pregnancy Book have given me so much confidence that I can have a natural birth at home. I feel like it's the right thing to do. I knew that I wanted to do that before I got pregnant, so when the test was positive, the first thing I did was call a midwife. This will be my first baby so I have no experience, but luckily I have several friends who have home birthed.

I haven't done many preparations yet other than reading and watching videos. And getting totally excited.

WELCOME! Glad to see you did some reading up, I read the Ina May book also. My first was also a homebirth and now I am doing the 2nd as a homebirth also. It is nice to see you have friends and people to support you and encourage you. I guess "experience" will come when labor starts, it kind of did for me. I just went with the flow and didn't think to much of anything, DH said seems like I went into a trance for a certain part because I cannot remember saying the stuff he said I said and I had no idea until about 2 months ago what really happened.

Hope everything turns out good for you.

[inky leeuhhh]

hahaha, nice to see you again fridaxsky! i am planning on a hb. we were going to do a birth center birth, but i think with pain meds out of the picture, i will do much better in an environment where i am totally comfortable. we have nothing prepared for a hb yet i have just started buying some cloth diapers, baby clothes.... picked up some bfing items today. i would like to read some more books, and will hopefully be able to start my hypnobabies class within the next month. i should get my hb supply list from the mw at my next visit and then we can start picking up those items as well. im super excited! the thought of not having to go anywhere when this little one decides to make an appearance is wonderful.

[emmaegbert]

We're planning a homebirth too-- though I had a great unmedicated midwife-attended bc birth with my first, things got very medicalized afterwards (lots of anxiety about baby who was fine in the end but it was very stressful and we were in the hospital for 4 days, fortunately with me rooming in with him but still!). I just really want to be together as a family for this, can't imagine my 4yo really feeling "at home" even in the relatively kid-friendly birth center.

I am not doing a lot to prepare, at least not stuff-wise. I don't have the time, money, or desire to do a lot of shopping. We've already gotten handed down two very nice infant carseats. My son was born about 2 weeks before his due date and we literally had nothing other than diapers, some clothes, and a carseat, and a sling. Well-- that was fine! turns out babies don't actually need much stuff. I will need to rebuild the diaper stash. I may use 1-2 packs of disposible diapers at first anyway, in the poop-every-hour stage. Planning to sew up a big stack of recycled-fabric dipes with another pregnant crafty friend, but not until I pass some big exams in mid-March.

As for reading- I plan to borrow some books from my homebirthing friends, but I also don't have the time or money to pay for classes (and a babysitter, sheesh, and my husband often works 6 nights a week so I am not sure WHEN we could go anyway!).

I am a full-time student and I am trying to finish a lot of work before baby is born! That will hopefully go well and will be my main "preparation". We live in a modest apartment with a normal-smallish freezer, so I can't really go crazy with cooking ahead anyway. If baby is early I will count on my many great mom neighbors to help out with that sort of thing, I am sure they will. I'm due April 23 so I'll try to be sure I am as "ready" as possible by the first week of April, in case I am a repeat fast-gestater (totally took me by surprise the first time around! I expected a late, gigantic baby and a odyssey-like labor like my mom... instead just had a wee little 8lb6oz 38-weeker after 12 hours of labor from no dilation to birth...).

Good luck mamas, I am excited to read your HB stories in April!

-Emma

[LydiaJW]

Hi! I'm planning a homebirth. This is baby #4 for us, and after a normal natural birth at the hospital last time around, I'm ready to have this one here at home. So far we haven't done much to prepare, though now that I am officially 3rd trimester I am starting to think of all the little details I want to remember! Our midwife wants us to purchase a birth kit, so I'll be getting that and our blow up baby pool soon...I want to do some bigger projects like organizing my basement where the laundry is (so my sister and my bff don't have to deal with a mess when they do laundry) and make meals for PP. I'm in the process of getting all my newborn clothes back from the various relatives that I lent them out to, so hopefully soon I can go through all of those and make sure I am set.

[Fridaxsky]

I'm so excited to see so many HBers here! It will be great to read all of these birth stories in a few months!

What kind of tubs/pools is everyone using? Our MW has inflatable pools to rent, but we also have a big old claw-foot tub in our upstairs bathroom. I'm thinking the bathtub will be too shallow to be comfortable, so I'm thinking we'll go ahead and rent the pool.


Lydia - Where in SE MI are you? We just moved out of the Toledo area - came further east in Ohio, near Sandusky. In Toledo, I was part of some of the Toledo-area AP groups (babywearing, cloth diapering) and there were lots of SE MI mamas. I also went to a few Birth Circle meetings at Mother's Own in Temperance and actually, Linda will be our MW!

[Lindsay1234]

My mw gives you a rubbermaid tub for the birth. Its a horse feeding trough size and she steralizes it for birth and then hauls it away!!

[JenMidwife]

HB mama here too Haven't done much yet to prepare... other than seeing the midwife who I had w/ my HB w/ dd & just taking good care of myself in general. After a loss in between dd & this pg, I'm hesitant to get out the baby clothes & put together my birth kit until I get closer to term.

Good luck to you all as you prepare :

[jmo]

We're planning an HB too. DD was born in a birth ctr but she came really fast and was almost born in the car on the way there so I'm looking forward to staying put this time! I haven't done much to prepare for the birth yet. My mw is supposed to bring me the list of required stuff next visit (in 2 or so wks). We're going to use her tub (just an inflatable fishy pool) but I think she said we needed to get an RV hose to fill it with. Pg brain can't remember anything these days.

[emmaegbert]

our MW likes to use a pool that she says is usually between $40 and $60. Blow-up, stiff sides. But one of my friends was literally in her pool for 5 minutes or something and I guess she hated it in labor, so I think I can borrow hers. I think I can purchase a liner? I will also try to round up things like hose, electric pump, so I don't have to buy it all. I have a feeling I can get those loaned between neighbors and other local HB moms. I *think* I'd like to have a waterbirth, but I have yet another friend who hated the pool too! (I was too quick at the BC with my son... by the time they FINALLY got it filled up I was already having him! Over there were weren't "allowed" to push the baby out in the water anyway, so it would have just been for pain management during labor)

[Aka mommy]

HB here. We are planning our 2nd homebirth, but its not our babe. IM is started to get excited ( i think lol). right now im just focusing on getting things ready for the birth slowly.

[momtokimari]

I had a 27 week preemie. We've been planning a home birth for this baby since before conception.

[scraphappy-Red]

Hi Everybody!

We're planning our first hb for baby #4 due April 2nd.

I'm officially in my third trimester now so my appointments are every two weeks already.

At my last appointment, we talked a lot about a water birth (hoping it will slow my labor down enough to be manageable...my babies come shooting out!).

Our MW needs to email us the purchasing list and the website for the tub...so we haven't purchased anything yet. Although I did buy a super-cute sleeper from Target the other day (clearance rack for $2.98) and I have new purple sling on its way from Maya Wrap.

But because my babies do come so fast, and my MW lives/practices in Denver (100 miles south of here) she is planning on leaving one of her emergency kits here with us, just in case DH ends up catching the baby!

Otherwise...I'm just starting to get really excited and hoping these last 12 weeks fly by (especially since I hate this time of year...cold, windy and miserable in Wyoming).

[scrapadoozer]

Planning a homebirth here! We haven't done much to prepare for the actual birth yet. I think my midwife will tell me what we need to get at our next appointment. I am so excited!

[mamato2boys]

: So many HB mamas!

This will be our second HB. I haven't done much to prepare yet, I'll start collecting supplies in Feb. I prefer to labor and birth on land so no pool We switched bedrooms a few weeks ago from the smallest one in the house to the biggest one so there will be more room for the babe, that's about the extent of the excitement here so far.

[Ilek]

Were planning a HB here too but, like many of you, we haven't done a lot so far... I've been seeing my MW from the start but we haven't really talked yet about what we would need... Lately, I added a pool and some bed pads to our registry (which I also use as a reminder list of what to buy) but that's about everything I've done so far...
Actually, I feel so confident about the whole concept that i don't feel like I should prepare anything...