Momentary freak-out...

[gabeyho]

As I am really realizing how CLOSE I am getting, I am also realizing I need to get all my birth supplies. The more I look around, the more confused I get about what I really need and where I should get it. I am hoping some of you can point me in the right direction? Right now, ALL I have is my La Bassine and I purchased an electric pump to inflate it yesterday....but I am not even sure that I am happy with the pump I got or the price I paid and am contemplting returning it and ordering something else....I just don't know!!

HELP!!!!

[Happiestever]

I don't know that I would bother getting a different pump, but this is the second time I bought a pool and accessories- so hopefully I get to use it this time. And you don't have your birth supplies yet? LOL

We are due around the same time and I just finished getting all my things together and putting them in the downstairs closet. I suppose all you really need is the pool and some towels, which I am sure you have being a family of 6 already.

I haven't hit the freak out point yet- but I am assuming it will come right around my due date as it passes me by.

We are so close though. Yay for babies almost being here to love from the outside.

[zoebird]

i really didn't have "birth supplies." i made sure we'd gone to the grocery store, i had some bath mats (rubber b ottom, cotton chanille top), and some towels. oh, and a clean bowl for the placenta. very easy.

no need to freak out.

[perditafoster]

Honey, no need to freak out!!!! My first unassisted home birth, we had no supplies since I was intending on going to the hosp! We boiled some scissors and used dental floss to tie off ds's cord! Caught the placenta in a mixing bowl My doula did have a cord clamp with her when she got to the house 40 minutes after he was born, so she put that on him and cut off the floss.

With my second uc, almost three weeks ago, we had all the supplies, but honestly, I hardly used 'em. Chux pads make me sweat and I'd just as soon use towels. We have plenty of those and a good washer! I did like the peri bottle for squirting watered down iodine after I used the bathroom. The cord clamp was nice and the measuring tape...I don't think we even measured how long ds was.

I had a pool with my second dd, but hated every second of it. I used the bathtub for ds and the shower for dd # 3.

Anyway, just make sure you have towels, a bowl for the placenta, and some blankets for that precious baby. You'll do great! Good luck! Oh, and if you want to buy an inexpensive birth kit, this is the one I got:http://www.yourwaterbirth.com/birth-...kit-p-146.html except mine didn't have the birth cert or the footprint thingy. Although I wish it did have the footprint thing, as we still have'nt done her footprints! Gack!

[Lizbiz]

Hi - just in case you are looking to order a birth kit - I ordered mine from www.babybirthandbeyond.com - they operate out of Idaho and can surely get things to California quickly. Their service was great and it was easy! They also have a few pre-made birth kits to choose from and then you can add on to the basic birth kit if you want a few other things too.

No freaking out needed - as it is well known - all you need to birth is hot water and towels, right? And probably you could do it without those things as well.

[gabeyho]

Thanks, ladies! I knew you all could help me calm down. I know that mostly I was worried about having what I need for the birth pool so I could actually use it, and I took care of that yesterday. For the rest of the stuff I had this feeling deep down that I didn't really 'need' most of it, but then I would start browsing the various birth kits on some of the web sites and start to wonder 'Maybe i should get that...do I need it? What if I need and don't have it?!' Like, do I need a hibiclens scrub, gloves, alcohol pads, lubrcant jelly?

I am with you on the Peri bottle, though, those things are priceless! I think all I really need at this point is some pads and new mommy undies, and my dh requested cord clamps....it makes him feel better for some reason.

[Serenyd]

You can "make" a peri-bottle out of any squirt-top bottle.

My first UC, my birth kit was delayed because of weather and did not make it in time. I had bought a few things from the store (chux, bulb suction, flat dental tape ect.) and had no problems. I'm pretty sure I could have made do with just the stuff around the house though, if I had to. I think it's more important to be emotionally and psychologically prepared and educated about UC than to have all the right "things."

Good luck!

[Happiestever]

Those peri bottles are way too small. I have a DIY diaper sprayer which I love, cannot recommend it enough. I plan on just soaking in some hot baths at night while everyone is asleep. I should get my herbs together....

[Missie]

Originally Posted by zoebird

i really didn't have "birth supplies." i made sure we'd gone to the grocery store, i had some bath mats (rubber b ottom, cotton chanille top), and some towels. oh, and a clean bowl for the placenta. very easy.

no need to freak out.

pretty much

with my first UC i thought i needed a lot and some specialty items too (was told I was a bleeder) but I never bled too much with any of my uc, just my hospital overmanaged placenta removal system. Never got anything together more than some towels and blankets washed and ready and a bowl.

check into lotus birth? I got cord clamps and went lotus with my last, i wanted lotus with my twins and used zip ties. lots of women make friendship bracelets to use on cords too.

I have learned that the things I got ready or had on hand (because even if there was something needed in my subsequent birth, i was hyper about getting them and had them early) was all I needed. Its an instinct thing.

With the twins I got things together for cord in case but I didn't even have a bed by then.

With my youngest, born last march, I got stuff for a belly cast, some stuff for bleeding too much (cuz I wanted to say i finally had it, and I might or might not have needed it, but I did use it) and strict instructions to let me look at gender lol. was all i needed besides towels. Oh and finally a blue nose sucky thingy, which i used also, as he had a few bubbles. (never sucked any of the other kids out, even the breech twins)

so this is my long winded way of saying don't worry too much about it, you probably already have everything you need (and remember need and want are two different things) but...

if there is something that keeps popping into your mind as a gotta have certainly get it and soon.

As for minimizing the mess, aint nothin like the tub!!!

anything else can be gotten after you are relaxing, like pads and diapers if you forget them (or decide to go a different route that way) (espcially useful for sending people on errands that are there, when all you want to do is rest and nurse the baby =)

[gabeyho]

Originally Posted by Missie

i thought i needed a lot and some specialty items too (was told I was a bleeder) but I never bled too much with any of my uc, just my hospital overmanaged placenta removal system. Never got anything together more than some towels and blankets washed and ready and a bowl.

=)

This is exactly what I was reflecting on earlier today. I have had one homebirth, my first HBAC with dd2, and I was trying to remember what all my midwife had used compared to what had been used at my subsequent hospital births and that is when I realized I didn't bleed very much with my dd2 who was born at home, but with both at the hospital it seemed like I really bled a lot.....anyhow, I have a very strong gut instinct that the bleeding was directly related to being at the hospital and that it should be significantly less with this UC.

Also, I assembled my shopping list and put it all on a shopping cart online, then decided to take that money and use it to take advantage of a really great CD cover sale on a different web site, so the few birth items I think I want will have to wait until next week after the cute newborn fluff gets here...guess I'm over my freak-out!