Your birthing room of choice?

[1babysmom]

Even though most people don't know our last UC was intentional, the fact that I gave birth in the bathroom kinda freaks people out, as if it makes it out to be more of "accidental" thing, and emergency that we just so happened to survive.

But anyway, I had planned to give birth in the bathroom. For me it just made sense...maybe not the most comfortable room in the house (though not like it mattered since I sat on the birth ball for the entire 5 hours except for the last 5 minutes to push her out), but the floors are easy to clean, the toilet is right there if I need to potty or puke, and the bath/shower is readily available if I feel that's where I want to be.

So the bathroom is kinda my "default" birthing room in the house for those reasons. I find it terribly uncomfortable to be walking around in the middle of labor so the idea of moving from the bedroom to the bathroom off and on doesn't appeal to me at all. That said, I have been considering maybe just sticking with the bedroom this time...

[finnegansmom]

The idea of giving birth in a bed is weird to me.
I love birthing in a tub, hanging on to the side, without or without water...
I like the cleaniness of a bathroom (i scrubbed the hell out of mine before I went into labor last time then got annoyed everytime my dh used it, LOL).

The tub always seems like "home base" for me.



The only place that might be better for me might just be outside (although our neighbors might feel differently).

[AnabellasMama]

I am planning for a mw assisted hb and to be honest the bathroom is the most appealing to me for some reason. Mostly for many of the same reasons you pointed out, easy clean up. My hope is to deliver in the tub then just pull the plug.

[1babysmom]

Yeah I don't think I'd actually give birth IN bed, just on the bedroom floor (more room, for one). Plus I don't want to set my bed (and our brand new matress) up for a birth.

I think it would be awesome to give birth outside! We're out in the boonies so we could definitely pull it off, but it would have to be a well timed birth, season-wise (temperature). (mid-spring or early fall)

I'm also kinda hoping that I feel like being in the tub or shower to push the baby out...for the same reason- the drain!

[boheime]

During labor with number 1, I was all set to birth him in the bathtub (it was tight but, yk). At the last minute, that just did not feel right at all and he was born while I did a standing squat by the bed in the bedroom. Number 2 was actually born on the bed. We had a birth pool for both of these births but I didn't want it during labor - I did spend a lot of time in the bath tub.

Number 3 was born in the birth pool (aka an inflatable kiddie pool) in the playroom. I loved this. It's in the center of our house. It felt cozy and just right. That room is now the kids' room to hold their special stuff. We have a full size mattress on the floor but no one sleeps in there. I think we may move it out to set up the birth pool in there again this time. I've thought about setting it up in the living room or down in the family room - plenty of room to do either, but I just feel really opposed to either of those ideas.

[Serenyd]

Well, I am partial to the bathroom, both my UC kids have been born there. I spend a lot of time on the toilet when I'm in labor and that's just kind of how it worked out.

[Ottbabies]

I see myself in the bathroom, easy to clean and I see myself having a waterbirth in our jacuzzi style tub SO positive thoughts all goes well!

[gossamerwindweb]

I didn't plan to give birth anywhere specific. I had visualized kneeling on the bed, but ended up gaving birth on the bedroom floor... my carpet still has a blood stain to prove it. But I actually like that stain. It reminds me that something remarkable happened there

[jenneology]

The bathroom would be my room of choice is ours were bigger and it had a deep spa-like tub. Laboring on the bed with my first was my idea of hell. With my second, I barely moved from a 10 foot radius in our living room but had to go from living room to bathroom frequently (which was up the stairs). I now somewhat think that the walking the stairs in labor helped with positioning and descent, so it was probably a good thing, but really, I would have much preferred a big bathroom on the first floor with a tub that didn't need to be inflated, filled with water and then siphoned. Pulling the plug to let the tub drain sounds like a blessing from heaven! If its a large enough bathroom, I can imagine putting down some blankets on the floor just like I did in labor with my second, and having room for the birth ball too. And that doesn't take a huge bathroom!

[1babysmom]

Originally Posted by jenneology

The bathroom would be my room of choice is ours were bigger and it had a deep spa-like tub. Laboring on the bed with my first was my idea of hell. With my second, I barely moved from a 10 foot radius in our living room but had to go from living room to bathroom frequently (which was up the stairs). I now somewhat think that the walking the stairs in labor helped with positioning and descent, so it was probably a good thing, but really, I would have much preferred a big bathroom on the first floor with a tub that didn't need to be inflated, filled with water and then siphoned. Pulling the plug to let the tub drain sounds like a blessing from heaven! If its a large enough bathroom, I can imagine putting down some blankets on the floor just like I did in labor with my second, and having room for the birth ball too. And that doesn't take a huge bathroom!

Yeah, that's how our bathroom is. It's the only one we have, and it's fairly small...just a small vanity, toilet next to that, and a shower/bath (storage behind the door but that doesn't count ). There was just enough room for me to sit on my ball and lean on the vanity (door has to be open or shut, not enough room to open it while I sit there), and then we made a little "nest" in between the toilet and bath and the opposite wall which is where I actually gave birth. It worked out fine. Although I dream of having a larger "birthing" bathroom.

[Tizzy]

Our bathroom is anything but large and spacious, but it was my room of choice. I can't picture myself giving birth in any other room, and it just worked out that way with DS2 - talk about easy cleanup! Water broke into the toilet so we just set some towels down. Plus I knew after I cleaned the bathroom while I was in labor, I was comfortable with how clean the room was

[zoebird]

i hadn't chosen anything ahead of time. i just did whatever felt right.

so, i labored mostly in my living room at/on my favorite 1.5 chair, then took a bath for a bit, but then that didn't feel right/good at all (too cramped), and so i went out and got on our bed--which was on the floor at the time, and well, still is--and did the ecstatic on the knees/hands and knees birthing there.

it was the most comfortable spot because my knees had so much nice cushion.

so, it was the right place.

i don't think i have a 'default' room. i just kinda did what felt right.

[Thankful'n'Blessed]

With my birth center birth, I ended up giving birth on the bed, though we had planned a water birth. I don't regret it though; we did what needed to be done at the time. With my hb, we had our bedroom and bathroom set up for birth (tarps on floor etc.) but figured I would ask dh to throw something down in the living room if I felt like it at the time. I didn't feel like it at all though. I pretty much stayed in our bedroom and bathroom, like my little nest, going back and forth as felt right, then giving birth in our garden tub. For #3, I'd definitely like to be in the garden tub again for the birth. I'll just do what feels right at the moment though.

I agree with pp, the bathroom is awesome, especially the tub, for cleanup. I made more mess getting out of the tub after the birth than I did the whole labor and birth. Just pull the drain and clean up was done. And yes, I scoured the heck out of the bathroom and especially the tub before birth.

[Astraia]

With my first, she was born at MIL's house on the bed. I didn't want to be on the bed, but MIL was worried about the mess on her floors and had the bed prepped, so I was conscious of that the whole time.

I think the bathroom would be nice for easy access to the toilet, etc, but I despise our bathrooms. Old 60's tile, yellow ceramic toilet/tub. Yuck yuck. I'd spend the whole labour moaning about renovations, lol.

We're doing the next-best thing. We have a little hall powder room just off the kitchen, so we're putting a birth pool in the kitchen just a stone's throw from the bathroom so I can get out to pee and get back in the tub super quickly. I really want a water birth, but if it doesn't feel right at the time the living room couch is near by.

[KristaDJ]

I kind of thought I would birth in the bathroom just because it seemed to make sense (tub close, potty close, easy clean-up) but I ended up in the kids playroom for most of my labor and the birth.

[gabeyho]

I happen to have a larger bathroom that allowed me to set up my La Bassine in it, plus the shower is right there, and the toilet which I know I may end up wanting to push on if for some reason I feel the desire to get out of the water. My first VBAC/HBAC was in my mw's bathroom on the toilet, and if hospital's weren't so dang picky, that's where I would have been for the last two. I also have no desire to be on my bed, and it really grosses dh out, plus I want to keep anything icky off my carpet....so the bathroom it is!

[nudnik]

Another unplanned bathroom birther here... almost ended up unassisted, but midwife made it last second. We had a TINY bathroom. The door was directly in front of the toilet, with just about enough clearance room not to hit it when you open it. I gave birth standing just off the toilet, doula behind me, midwife on the floor in front. Every time I went to the bathroom until we moved I couldn't believe how we all fit... Next baby was waterbirth in a tub in the bedroom. Preferred that

[roadfamily6now]

My UBAC was accidental and in the shower, Not where I would have choosen given the home we lived in. Not exactly the cleanest part of the home but it was okay since I was taking a shower at the time.

My room of choice? I do think the bathroom makes a LOT of sense, since it was really really easy to clean up after the birth.
Either that or a birth pool or even outside if it was warm. A teepee? that would be totally cool!

[UCmamaToMany]

My first "UC" I didn't plan to give birth in the bathroom or tub. I HAD lanned to give birth on my bed in my bedroom, but when I was in the bathroom sitting on the toilet where it was most comfortable to deal with the contractions all I had to stare at was the bathtub and that just kept calling to me. I'd look at it and I instinctively knew that it would alleviate some of my pain so I had DH fill it up and I continued my L&D in the tub and that is where I gave birth.

However, it was really painful on my tailbone and I had to lift myself up off the tub floor to give birth. The next day my body felt like I had been run over by a Mack Truck. Because of that with my next borth I decided to only labor in the tub and I then continued my birth in the livingroom (our bedroom was way too tiny at the time). However with that birth, while I made it through, I realized I LOVED my water births way too much to give birth on land ever again, LOL

Babies 5 & 6 were both born in the bathtub and I loved having such easy clean up as well. Give birth, drain, stand up and shower. Super easy and way less messy than my land birth.

Baby #7 we had moved and the bathtub was super tiny. I decided to get a fishy pool to birth in instead. The only logical place we could think of to set it up in was the laundry room, which was in the basement. It wasn't the most ideal room in the house but by far the easiest to clean up with a birth pool. Floor drains, if we needed it. My labors aren't usually long and I waited until the last minute before I headed to the birthpool to finish outmy labor and give birth. I had more walking to do after the birth to get cleaned up, but it worked for us at the time.

Right now I can't say where I will give birth as we plan to move from this house in the near future. However if we stayed in this house I'd birth in the "Big Bathroom". It has a HUGE bathtub and a ton of space in there as well. I know I'd love to birth in there, but alas we are moving.

So my #1 birthing room would also have to be the bathroom, for same reason stated above. Less mess, easy clean up, water, toilet, shower and tub. It's perfect IMHO. Not the most comfortable at times compared to a soft bed, but in all honesty I never thought about it while I was giving birth, LOL the contractions took all my focus off the bathroom fixtures and their hardness.

[MJB]

I gave birth to my UC baby in a pool in my bedroom. Which is pretty much where I was the whole labor (the last 5 of 8 hours). I got out once to pee then decided to pee in a little bucket while standing in the pool and have my husband dump it so I wouldn't have to leave the pool.
I'm due in the summer this time, and depending on our yard (we're moving) and the weather, would like to birth outside. If I'm inside, I'll have a waterbirth in whichever room makes the most sense to put the pool in.