Homebirth preparation questions

[MyFillingQuiver]

I'm about 31 weeks with our sixth child-planning first homebirth! I had a hospital VBA2C last year, but since we are really an increasingly non-medically minded family, this seems appropriate!

I know and trust my ability to birth naturally. I've had 3 vaginal births and my 2 sections were due to transverse presentation and a forced unecessary repeat.

I'm starting to feel those small little insecurities setting in! I feel like a first time mom! I think in a lot of ways, I am like a first time birther, since I've never done it this way....my body has never been "left alone" completely...even my VBA2C my OB ruptured my membranes to bring on labor, since I was post dates.

What do you suggest to prepare?! What have you done to feel completely calm and at peace for your impending birth? I'm feeling great, and very thankful, so I am focusing a lot on that-and being a Christian, doing a lot of praying.

The time is flying by for me (I have other children to nurture, so it seems to speed things up on my end!) and I know before I know it, the time will be here, and I want to face the task at hand with open arms and relaxed preparedness.

Thanks for any tips, comments or experiences!

Blessings!

[laughymama]

I feel like a first timer as well!

My son's birth was a shining example of the cascade of medical interventions that can happen. Induction, Epidural and then I had terrible side effects from the drugs and literally felt nothing while giving birth. He was a forceps delivery. I had zero sensation (not even pressure) from the waist down for a good 6 hours after his birth.

So in a way I really AM a first timer. This will be the first time I truly experience labor.

I've also been doing a lot of praying which has helped me.

I'm not sure if this will work for you or not but I like to print out affirmations and quotes about birth. I hand them on the fridge, set them on the desk, stick them where ever I may see them. I practically have them all memorized now but it helps to actually see the words and read them. I even have a few taped to the back of the bathroom door so I can read them during each bathroom break.

It's helps ease my mind when I begin to feel nervous or start fretting over doubts and insecurities.

[HeatherB]

Prayer is good. Also, find positive birth stories to read and birth videos to watch. That is what I do to really focus on birth. My kids love watching, too! It also helps prepare them for the birth experience, so it's a win-win.

[JamieCatheryn]

I had my first homebirth baby last year and it went great. I wrote up a long list of points for the people helping me (midwife and husband mainly) so I could to think through how I wanted things to go and plan out all we'd need ready. The great thing about doing that for home is that you can say all the nice helpful things you may want done rather than a list of interventions you need to refuse. I went to the places in my home I might labor and where I wanted to give birth and pictured it happening. Rearranged furniture to make it work well (a place for supplies in labor and postpartum, good places to sit and lean in labor, birth ball, the box of supplies and pile of towels on hand). During labor with my first (though we went to the hospital for that one later) DH read aloud from Psalms, it helped encourage me and keep me centered. If anything seems insurmountable that's a good place to go.

[dannic]

Even tho I had had one birth at a FSBC and the next in our car enroute, our HB with #3 was a huge leap of faith for me. Knowing something is right doesn't necessarily make it easier, lol. Prayer was huge for me--as was talking it all out with my MW who knew just how to calm me. I had to revisit my fears on a regular basis, but I think that was good for me! Each time I could reaffirm that this was the right decision for us! And now here we are on our second HB...and I still have to fight down a few fears--some familiar and some new.

You can do it! Your body knows what to do, as you'll see come August.

[MyFillingQuiver]

OK, so, uncharacteristically for me, I'm bawling at the wonderful suggestions from my sisters here, LOL! I'm not a big time crier, but I suppose I just needed a bit of a positive talking to!

I'm 100% committed to this homebirth, and I so very appreciate the advice from those who have done it before, or understanding from those in a similar place. I don't know anyone personally who has homebirthed, and I only have the support of my DH, MW and parents. This site, along with ICAN, was instrumental to me about a year and a half ago, when I decided to take the "scary leap" to a VBA2C after fear mongering by local OB's. It was one of my best decisions, and I'll be forever thankful for the knowledge and support of those who had done it before!

Prayer is always my answer, and I'm sure that needs to continue to be my focus-just drowning out any doubt, and all my faith in Him.

[medicinemansgirl]

I've had 3 home births but am expecting our 2nd set of twins so this will be our 1st twin home birth. Like you, I feel like a first timer as well. It helps hearing everybody's great suggestions. I've also found that reading a ton of positive birth stories and watching birth dvd's has really helped. My midwife has a great library of dvd's and books so I've read a ton plus asked others for positive home birth stories. Our midwife and the 2 that will be attending with her are Spirit filled Christians and are already actively praying about this birth. That is a huge comfort to me. We are praying daily and trusting the Lord for healthy full term babies but to know you have an amazing midwife also praying for your specific birth is just an amazing thing. The support I feel makes all the difference.

[EMAID]

Thank you for this thread. I am less than 6 weeks from my first home birth, Baby #3. The first two were (relatively) intervention-free birth center births, but I'm still so grateful to see that being a bit nervous/scared is normal. I don't have any close friends who have homebirthed either (there are a few distant facebook friends, and two IRL friends who attempted homebirths, but both ended up at the hospital). It's also good to see that others have used prayer and Scripture to get them through. I'm planning to mark my Bible with meaningful passages for my husband to pick up if he thinks of it during labor.

Thanks all.