Planning HB but expecting UC

[Rylins mama]

Im 37+ weeks planning on a homebirth but my midwife lives 3  hours away and my son was born in 2 hours, So I really want to be prepared for UC. I have had 1 prenatal visit with an OB and the "big" u/s to make sure no problems and I have had 2 with my midwife due to living so far away, so most of it has been done on my own anyways. I have the birth kit, a fetal doppler and a few other things. We have a huge garden tub if I want to have a water birth (planning so) but Im not sure what else I should have on hand. My midwife will be here soon after the baby is born if he makes it out before she gets here so I just need the basic stuff. Any tips on things I should have or anything thats a must? Also I have no idea what position he is in and its really worrying me. I have been feeling around and poking at hime for 2 weeks now trying to figure it out and he seems to be head down. I only get little flutters down low with lots of kicks to my side and the top of my stomach. There is a bump on the top of my stomach but it feels like its all connected to the back. Its about an inch and a half away from my ribs and I never feel it up high. But still I am sooo unsure and when he has hiccups I feel them all through out, never in one spot. I feel them low and high so that also worries me. Any tips on what I should be prepared for if he IS breech. My midwife has delivered many breech babies but Im worried about her once again not being there and know I should be ready for anything.

[ElizabethE]

HI Rylin's mama! A few thoughts.

1. The garden tub may be okay in early labor, but if you're like lots of other women, it may feel too hard for you in later stages. A lot of women really go for the kiddie pool at that point, for the softness. Particularly a famous fishy pool. It's inflated in the floor and the walls, so it provides a cushion as opposed to a hard tub.

2. The great thing about birth is that there is very little you really "need" on hand. The birth will happen, and since you can't stop it, all you'll have will prove to be all that was required in the end. Lots of women prefer to have some basics like cord clamps or shoe string to tie off and sterilized scissors to cut, etc, but it's not totally necessary.

3. The hiccups thing is interesting. Have you read Emergency Childbirth: A Manual? It's excellent. In the event you have a breech or any other unexpected development during labor, the advice given in there is very clear cut and practical. It makes most moms feel pretty prepared to go it alone (with their partners, usually), and I consider it a must-read for everyone regardless of the birth choice they've made. Also, if some sort of unlikely emergency were to occur, would you have easy access to/a plan for a hospital? That may ease your mind, to have in place. Your midwife probably has and has discussed it with you, but do you all have a plan for that if it is needed and she hasn't arrived yet?

Hope that helped a bit... :)

[moonfirefaery]

You will want to read some midwifery books as well, such as Heart and Hands or Special Delivery.  You will also want on hand warm towels, something to catch the placenta and sac in, and a few herbs to help with postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, and shock. You may also choose to stock a few herbs to help labor along. One of the primary risks with breech is cord prolapse, so I would learn everything you can about preventing and managing it. Congratulations :)