clean houses and food?

[Momtotwo2004]

Does anyone else have a silly worry about having the house spotless for the birth so that midwives don't think you're dirty? LOL

My house is lived in but clean. We have 3 kids and a dog and cat. Our house can sometimes look a bit cluttered. Things don't always have a "place." And sometimes our floors might need a sweep or our toilets might need to be wiped down. I keep trying to tell myself that they've probably seen much worse and that they'll be too busy to critique my housecleaning. :P

Also what is expected as far as food? Should I have a crockpot meal started to feed them or do midwives generally just snack on what's available? Watch me go into labor the day before we grocery shop when the cupboards are basically bare!

[mwherbs]

well my best recommendation is to go shopping in early labor- or figure out how to have a few extra things in the house so you won't be going hungry after the baby is born and you have something to eat in labor if you want. also let your midwives know your concerns- the midwives I have worked with all carry some food and if not enough then one of us will run to the store or order takeout. as for clean house, I really really don't care, what I like to see is your birth and postpartum supplies, that you have enough receiving blankets and or towels, clean sheets for your bed- honestly I have walked into houses that had dirty dishes stacked on a table in layers, or the outside door propped open with a 50lb sack of sugar and flour so the dogs and goats could come into the house, no running water- what we requested in that case was like what we use to do- have the parents put extra sheets and the baby items into a paper bag and bake them in a low oven and then keep that in a cupboard for the birth- in any case if your house is just normal lived in that is what we are use to. take care and have a good birth

[Peony]

They aren't too concerned about what your floor looks alike unless we are talking about really bad conditions. I do tend to make a sweep through through the house every night before bed when I am very pg just because I don't want to have a baby and then sit on the couch nursing looking at a mess. As for food, I'd just go shopping a little more often towards the end. I am a once a week shopper so I know about those last couple days where we aren't lacking for food but everything takes lots of time to cook. So about the time I start picking up the house at night, I start shopping twice a week so at least we have some food on hand, and I keep leftovers in my fridge so I know we all have something to eat afterwards.

[Tizzy]

I like to have some freezer meals ready anyway for post-partum so last time I popped in a lasagna early in labor. Okay so it dragged on for over 3 days but DH was great about keeping food available - mostly for me
I also baked a birthday cake early on in labor which was GREAT to eat right afterwards.
And I tend to do a quick sweep through the house every night to make sure everything isn't *too* bad. DH is really good about helping in that area.

My biggest hangup is the bathroom - I *have* to clean it, otherwise I'm not convinced that it's clean. DH knows this and accomodates me by getting the supplies out and supervising in case I need any assistance. Seriously, scrubbing out a tub at 38wks isn't the brightest, but it really helped my peace of mind

[finn'smama]

I totally worry about this! We do have quite a bit of clutter but it's generally clean (not spotless though!)
As for food, we're just going to have some buns and meat on hand and we always have stuff like eggs and toast. My mw said that was perfect.

[dachshundqueen]

I didn't have anything in the way of food made for the mw's and her apprentice. There was stuff like pb&j which I ate after labor, but otherwise, it was just snacking stuff in the pantry/fridge.

Embarrassing to think about now, but hey, we were located in an area loaded down with delivery restaurants. No one was going to starve!

Liz

[SamGroom]

I worry about it but not enough to have done anything about it

[emnic77]

Clutter and a dirty house stresses me out. I can pretty much assume that when early labor starts I'll start cleaning my house.
I'd like to make a nice meal for my midwife and her assistant, too, so they can just pop something in the oven at the end. I like to thank people with food

[dannic]

leaving to get food for the crew in early labor wouldn't work for me--I wake up to very active labor. (And it's short!) I had on hand non perishables (applesauce cups, granola bars, ect) and some yogurt. My mom brought a lasagna for them as well. I'll have to think about this as we have food restrictions since the last baby...(allergies).

[ColwynsMommy]

I made sure I had stuff on hand like trail mix, PB and bread, bagels and cream cheese, nuts, dried fruit, juice, and so on. That way if we got caught unprepared, we at least had something for people to eat. The plan was for my mom (who was also to watch our kids) run out and get food from the grocery store if we needed it, but it was a moot point.. our midwife missed the birth and so was only here for about two hours. I hope someone offered her food, but I'm not sure..

ETA: Forgot about the clean house stuff. Our problem is mainly clutter, so two weeks before my due date, we do a major cleaning and decluttering, and then I badger everyone to keep it tidy until the baby's born. I try to wipe down the counters at night before bed, vaccuum in the morning, and do a quick wipe down of the bathroom every few days (if it's done frequently, it doesn't take very long). My husband's job in early labor is to pick up. So far, I've never needed his support to get through contractions, so it's more helpful for me to know that the house is being kept clean.

[LiLStar]

dh sure is paranoid about the house being clean when midwives were coming over! He always cleans in early labor..lol. The first time (early february) he took the tree down, and put it in the garage. ha! And sorta OT funny story, but next he was going to vacuum the needles. So I head to the bedroom to hide from the noise, and grab the cat on the way because I knew she wouldn't like it any better than I did. Well, dh didn't have the consideration to wait until I'd made it all the way in there before starting the vacuum so the cat freaked out and scratched me while trying to run away. I got a big scratch mark right across my boob. Fast forward to the hospital (I transferred and had a cs ) I'm nursing dd, and a nurse comes in and notices the scratch mark. She assumes my newborn gave me that MASSIVE cat scratch and showed me how to fold over the sleeves to protect myself from her nails.

The next birth (that STAYED at home, thank goodness) we did go grocery shopping in early labor It was supposed to be for a cake mix and cream cheese so I could make a cake and frosting (it wasn't early *enough* in labor. ctx were 3 min apart by the time I got home and I was too busy with other things to be concerned about the cake!) and we also grabbed sandwich fixings and other snacks so if the midwives went looking for food, they'd find something easy. At the store, I started getting reeeally antsy and was like, "okay.we're.done.lets.check.out.and.go.home.NO W" and dh still wanted to go grab a frozen lasagna! PFFFFTTT!!!! I think that was active labor kicking in telling me to get to my birthing space! It was fun though. I kept wishing someone would be like "oh wow, so when are you due?!" So I could say, "Right NOW! I'm in labor!" and watch them freak out as though they expected to see a baby slide down my pant leg at any moment.

[Mama2Kayla]

The night I went into labor I fell asleep around 9pm and woke up at 11 with mild contractions and a strong urge to do the dishes! I naturally nest and clean like crazy those last few weeks, so my house was pretty clean. It just worked out that I had grocery shopped that morning, so I didnt have to worry about food. I did keep stuff on hand to feed the midwives just in case that last week. My mom also brought food with her to the birth that she had prepared ahead of time.
Everything has a way of working out...I was almost 3 weeks late and the day my mother showed up for the weekend, I grocery shopped, and cleaned my house I finally went into labor. I think I was waiting for everything to be ready

[dannic]

Originally Posted by LiLStar

. I kept wishing someone would be like "oh wow, so when are you due?!" So I could say, "Right NOW! I'm in labor!" and watch them freak out as though they expected to see a baby slide down my pant leg at any moment.

luv this.

[ShwarmaQueen]

I went into labor on a Wednesday night (my due date ) and didn't deliver DS until Fri night. Not knowing what early labor was like and not believing that I could really be in labor, I went shopping on Thursday- to the mall (Macy's) and then grocery shopping afterwards. My contractions were 10-15 min apart but not excrutiating; I had to stop and breath through them though. Each time one hit, I swayed through them and people would stare, but I just smiled and went about my business. I even told a few people that I was in early labor and they were totally in shock that I was out shopping- but I was way too excited to hide it and would have been so bored at home watching the clock. My house was fully stocked and Thursday night I made a pot of lima beans and corn bread, perfect leftovers for 'game' day. And also luckily for me, a cleaning lady had come to help me the week before so things were mainly picked up.

[JennTheMomma]

My house is uasually clean with a toddler and 2 dogs, except for the floors. The floors get dirty easy with outside being muddy and dogs tracking it in. So I have to sweep and scrub the floors each day. However, by the time I give birth, unless it's raining, the ground should be dry.

For food I'm going to have things in the freezer that I've been cooking and once labor starts I'm going to take them out and let them defrost. I am also going to make little sandwiches, of different kinds, for me to snack on in labor and anyone else can help themselves. I'll have other snacks around, crackers, chips, cereal, trail mix, etc. I think my mom is going to bring something as well.

[jess152]

I went into labour three days before the m/w was set to come and stay with us. So, I had some meals frozen and ready, but the house was a shambles. I remember feeling mildly embarassed about the dog hair, etc, but not overly so. One regret or wish: how can I Photoshop out the HEAP of clothes in the background of all of the shots taken in our bedroom!?

[MidwifeErika]

One little reminder: midwives are real people too!

I have 3 kids, a few pets, dirty dishes, dirty laundry, closets that I randomly shove things into when people drop by unannounced, and I don't always have things in the kitchen that I can make an actual meal with. Seriously, I don't judge the cleanliness of the homes that I am in.... we are all in the same boat.

[laughingfox]

I have a few non-perishables that are there specifically for labor-time. The main thing is pasta salad supplies, since that's simple enough that DH can take over if I'm not in a position to cook. We also had a big bag of dried apricots to munch on, but I kind of ate them already..
If labor takes a long time and we need something more substantial, I was thinking we'd probably order takeout, but a frozen lasagna sounds like a good (and more affordable) idea. Maybe I'll swing by Trader Joe's and see if they have a decent one for cheap.

As far as cleanliness, well, I'm supposed to be working on that now..

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by jess152

One regret or wish: how can I Photoshop out the HEAP of clothes in the background of all of the shots taken in our bedroom!?

I know the feeling, the pics of DD meeting DS just minutes after his birth have our filthy hallway airvent in the background.

[averlee]

My midwives really stressed, over and over, that during the birth they are not guests and I am not the host. I was not to have any food prepared for them and several times when I asked, they told me- do not buy us anything. This is our job and employers do not provide food. They even brought their own water to drink.
As for the mess- during the last month of pregnancy I made an effort to keep the place reasonably clean. My due date was May 2, and I was going to have my 40 week appointment on the 1st, so I really wanted the house clean. But the day before I was really tired and didn't feel like doing it, and ended up catnapping most of the day. Good thing, too, because I went into labor that night and didn't get any sleep until after my 15 hour birth. There were dirty dishes in the sink and the floor hadn't been cleaned in about a week, the bathroom was clean-ish but not spotless, etc. Nobody cared or thought ill of me. Also we discovered that the cat had peed on my paper bag of clean receiving blankets and towels, and although that was kinda embarrassing, nobody minded or thought I was awful.