Homebirth supplies

[St. Margaret]

What are these things for?

I ordered a kit from an online supplier, but I also have a long list to get ready. So fun! But why do I need 8-10 receiving blankets? Plus two newborn hats and a cap from the online kit? (Along with a ton of other stuff) there are three bags I'm supposed to prep, birth, mom/front door, and baby. I figure some stuff it's nice to have organized for birth, and also ready to go if we need to transfer. But so many blankets? I'm trying to figure out if I should really buy that many. I tried to cut down on how many blankets we had from last time (so many gifts), sewing them into other stuff and donating and stuff. I do want an excuse to buy some really nice A&A ones, but if they are for messy birthy stuff, not so much! I could just buy fabric to cut up... I KNOW, I KNOW I should just ask my midwife Just won't see her for a while... I guess I should email her.

And AA, AAA, and 9 volt batteries? I guess for her equipment but it seems kind of wasteful b/c we'll never use the 9volt ones.

This is all just new and exciting! It's my turn to do the homebirth thing!

[Lady Lilya]

Doesn't Gerber make like a 6pack of cheapie receiving blankets?

We got a ton of them as gifts. I used them to line all the baby stuff so that when the cat slept on them it was easier to get the cat hair off of them. Here's a slideshow of him trying everything out: http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=6c23ffce.pbw

And after I was all done with them, I cut them into squares, about 8" each. Then I folded them in half, and used them as disposable panty liners. (I kept them in place with a small safety pin, inserted from the outside of my panties, oriented front-back so it wouldn't bother me.)

Re the 9v batteries, can you leave them in the package? Chances are that the ones in her equipment have enough juice for more than 1 birth. If she doesn't need yours, you could return them later.

[homemademom]

Hmmm, that list seems. . . weird. I can't imagine having to pay for the batteries my mw needs for her equipment! That's a lot of blankets, too. My mw's always specified the need for junky towels for all sorts of purposes, but I wouldn't want to buy something new for that purpose.

[St. Margaret]

I'm sure she has good reasons for stuff, or else will talk it over with me so I know what WE personally really need/would use and would not. This is the most experienced midwife in the area, trained all the other ones, super knowledgable and awesome, so I'm not weirded out by the lists, I just thought it was funny. I will keep some stuff packaged to return if that happens.

Great idea about reusing the blankets! I'll have to resort to Target if they do need to be ruin-able.

Oh, yeah, I had another question! Do sheets and blankets tend to get totally ruined by birth? Or if they are white/cream could you wash the heck out of them, bleach them even, and use them again? I don't want to buy yucky rough sheets to birth on, nor do I want to buy pricey soft sheets... I'm thinking BB&B seconds, if I luck out But our normal sheets, of which we have plenty, are a light cream and could do with a bleaching anyway Looking at our towels and cloth napkins today, I was thinking we should just use our old stuff that's getting rather worn for the birth, and buy new stuff to use at home!

Thanks!

[dogmom327]

I think we went through like 8 of the 10 receiving blankets both times. I had water births and they used them to cover the baby but the blankets get wet and had to be changed out constantly until I got out of the pool (20-45 minutes).

[lunarlady]

We had several blankets because they get bloody when you wrap baby right after birth, or when cuddling on mom when the placenta comes out. Same with the hats. First one gets sticky/bloody, so it is good to have another.

With both my births, the sheets came through totally unstained. The first birth on pale yellow, the second on red. Just make sure you buy a big bottle or two of peroxide to throw in the wash with the sheets. It will take the blood right out.

The batteries seem a bit odd. But then, I guess you can save the receipt and return them if you don't use them. And if you need them, I'm guessing you'll be happy you had them!

[HeatherB]

Not sure what the batteries are for, though does she ask you for a flashlight or other battery-operated devices? I'd ask on that one...

You can probably get away with fewer blankets but having plenty is good. Towels work fine, too. They do get messy, meconium, bloody, etc. I always prefer a nekkie baby but then have ended up with lots of meconium on blankets. Myself, I'm planning on a couple of particular towels for birth - one in the pool, one to transfer to when we get out - that are dark and good for pics. Then we'll have extra towels and blankets as back-up. If you get new ones, have them at the BOTTOM of the stack so they are the ones used AFTER baby is diapered and no longer pooing on everything.

My MW brings a newborn hat (well, 2 - one pink and one blue) but I remember the first getting messy and ending up keeping the one with the wrong color. With a water birth, it's less likely to get messy, though, and I think we didn't even use a cap last time.

Sheets clean up pretty well. Hydrogen peroxide is definitely your friend! Don't soak too long with it, though, as it can eat through fabric. But adding it to the wash is great and easy, especially if done right away. We'll put sheets on the bed this time that are perfectly usable but thin and already developing a hole. We'll probably still use them later, but if DH just couldn't cope with stains that got left, it wouldn't be a big deal.

[Jane]

8-10 blankets are nice. 2 blankets immediately in the tub. One to dry off babe on the way out the tub. Then switch that out. There's 4. Then another gets draped on to cover the baby's feet instead of unwrapping baby when he's already nursing. Then he poops on the blankie and suddenly you've gone through 6 blankets.
Hats, same thing. You need hats until the baby has dry hair. It often takes 2 hats to get it dryish.
Batteries - I haven't a clue.

But! flannel or hand towels work great instead of blankies. Just make sure it's absorbent. Polarfleece blankets are great in general, but terrible for absorbing things. Same with minkie. I'd suggest second hand blankets because they are soft and pre-worn into softness.

[Lady Lilya]

My MW said to get Murphy's Oil Soap for washing the blood/fluids out, and it worked wonders. We had a white comforter cover (those things you stick your comforter into and button up) that I draped over the couch, with a tarp underneath, and that is where I ended up giving birth. It was so ugly, but then it cleaned up nice and white.

[St. Margaret]

Awesome, thanks! I'm going to troll craigslist for blankets, then, or just score some cheapies. I think we'll try to use our normal sheets; worst case we buy some new ones, but it's kind of time anyway probably

Towels, I'm just going to use the coupon we just got for BB&B Just need a few of those... although again, we might use our old discolored ones (8 years old? At least 5) and keep the new ones to use in the bathroom

[Sijae]

I think 8 receiving blankets is a good number. It's somewhat archaic to use hats, you don't need any of those for the birth. All they do is interfere with bonding. Baby will stay perfectly warmed on your chest :-)

[Lady Lilya]

Hats are nice for going out, though. I loved wearing DS in the wrap, putting my winter coat and scarf over the both of us, and putting a hat on him. It was so cozy. And I loved not having to deal with winter coats and stuff for him, and putting them on and taking them off when we went in and out of places.

[weliveintheforest]

Your sheets will be fine if you wash them that day. Make sure to use cold water, and adding a half cup of salt would be good. We washed our birth stuff on a normal wash with salt added and everything was fine. When I go to births I often do the laundry and nothing is ever ruined.

[Jane]

Almost everything comes clean, ime.
Cold wash, large load with extra water, do it quick. Two washes. It's all been fine! Even mec.
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[Stitches]

I'm guessing the batteries are for a flashlight. My MW's list is explicit about having a GOOD, working flashlight. I guess they've been burned in the past having to do stitches in the dark. For receiving blankets my mom cut up a couple old flannel sheets she had and if they get soiled them I don't feel bad about chucking them. Towels work too.

[Jazzmin]

I had a ginormous list too. And it did call for C batteries

I hardly used any of my supplies. I did have a water birth so that may have something to do with it. I ended up donating my box of gathered supplies to my MW.

My new list is a lot smaller and has less "stuff".

[Lady Lilya]

I remember my midwife mentioned a flashlight to sew me up by, but we had one of those clip-on lamps that was very bright, and we moved that to where she needed it and attached it to the furniture.

I remember a lot of medical-type stuff left over in the box of supplies when it was all over.

[Climbergirl]

My guess on the batteries is that she wants you to have backups in case she needs them. Honestly, I want to have all sorts of backups for mine!

I think your smoke detector may use 9V? Or your alarm clock?

I just got my list and a whole bunch of extras from a friend so I neeed to figure out what we really need to get. Although, we are going to need to buy towels because all our crappy ones just got used in our little sewer overflow. Blah.

[babyjelly]

We definitely used at least the ten recieving blankets that were on my list last time.
As for your sheets...I just put my regular sheets on my bed, and my MW put down chux as I was actually birthing. I had a serious PPH-the blood actually pooled up, ran off the bed and down the wall (I know, yikes)- but my sheets were absolutely fine. And all the blood and mec and goo came out of all the blankies in the first wash, with peroxide (also on my list, just for that).
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[St. Margaret]

Cool! DH informed me one of our fitted sheets recently ripped (they ARE from our wedding, 8 years ago ) so I am now going to buy us two new sets of sheets and we'll use our one existing set for the birth-- but we'll still wash it right away to get it clean. It'll probably come out cleaner than DH normally gets them I am going to get some new towels, too, and we'll just put the older ones on the top of the pile Meconium always seems to come out of diapers way easier than even BF poo, which can be sunned out; I was more concerned about blood and fluids from me

We found some cheapo blankets (cheaper than buying fabric would have been) at the store yesterday. I just have a few odds and ends left on my birth list, now!

Thanks, mamas!