Frugal home birth prep? - Page 2

[Emalin]

Don't have a lot more to add. Mainly want to second others who said that all their great oils, teas, ect went unused. EOs made me nauseous even though I normally love them. I'm an herbalist and could have cared less about herbs during active labor. Herbs and other remedies require thought, and I was just not in a thinking place. The biggest thing for me was lighting. I needed very soft and dim lighting. I also wanted music that took me inward as opposed to the light, relaxing stuff I thought I would want. That said, basic, strong chamomile tea was nice before things got really intense. I would advise getting a good lavender EO because it is so helpful for you and baby after the birth even if you forget about it during the big event. It's also good to keep homeopathic arnica around the house for trauma amd it is nice to take in the first few days postpartum. I used a lot of herbs after the birth because I have them on hand and while they are certainly helpful, they aren't necessary. Ask your midwife if she keeps homeopathics and tinctures on hand for various birth-postpartum situations. You may not need to buy your own. I think investing in your health BEFORE birth including strong nettle tea, a little red raspberry, the best quality food you can possibly afford, especially protein and bone broths, is the most important thing to think about. That and getting plenty of rest and nutritious, easy to digest food after the birth. As for the birth itself, you will be in a parallel universe where none of this matters.

[katt]

I'd recommend a box of depends instead of maxi pads.  (afterbirth is SO glamorous)

or maybe both.  But, with the depends you don't really have to worry about things slipping around down there.

we hit up the thrift stores for towels and sheets, dollar store for shower curtain liner or whatever for the bed.  We bought the kit recommended by the mw.

oh chux pads (which came with the kit) you could also use puppy training pads.  If someone you know raises/raised dogs they probably have extras.  I don't know if the cost is any different.

We didn't use any special herbs or anything, but that is probably cause i'm not knowledgeable about them to begin with.

We borrowed a fishy pool, it worked great!  We borrowed an air compressor to blow it up.  Made sure the hose attached (got the attachment piece ahead of time, thank goodness)

[motherhendoula]

My birth pool rental was included along with my MW 'HB fee'   - which was good because i weighed 297 lbs the day i delivered my last baby and i doubted a blow up pool from Walmart was gonna do it! 

i spent so little on my HB:

2 disposable lasagna pans from supermarket  (for placenta and vomit)  3.98

1 small aquarium net from pet store (for possible 'debris' in the pool)  1.99

2 shower curtain liners - also from supermarket - 7.98

newborn diapers (work better than Depends OR Kotex for the first 48 hours)

i made my own reusable underpads - but a box of Chux is about $10 here and provides plenty

i had old towels and sheets

i wouldnt bother buying a pre-made 'hb kit'  i really think there is superfluous stuff in there....

[Tizzy]

I really like to keep things simple.  We have half a dozen clean towels (that don't matter if they get stained, but if you throw them in the washer to soak in cold right away they come out really clean! - using peroxide is a huge bonus to that too), I do have a shower curtain or two on hand just in case but haven't needed them in my previous two home births.

A couple chux pads are nice to have afterwards, but prefolds work really well too (once again, soak in cold water/peroxide and they'll be fine).  The only things I can think of that come from my midwife are: navel clamp, blue gloves, herbal sitz bath (love love LOVE!), and peri bottle. The peri bottle doesn't have to be so specific either, you can use a ketchup bottle from the dollar store too ;)

I like to have a few receiving blankets as well on hand, and prefolds or depends for overnight (for me!).

Having pads soaked in witch hazel then popped in the freezer were really great after my 2nd birth when I tore a bit.

It doesn't have to be such a big production ;)

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I'll go ahead and "third" the notion that so much of what I prepared for at the birth went unused - so, so much. And, much of it was labor intensive to prepare and costly. If I had to do it over again I would have asked a friend to be the "go to" person to shop for me on a moment's notice for about a week after the birth. That way I could still have what I wanted/needed without over preparing and wasting so much crap! 

Other ideas to reiterate: 

• Second hand (great for towels, receiving blankets and etc) 
• Dollar Tree (shower curtains) 
• BORROW! (great for some of the household stuff you may not have) 
• Local bulk for herbs (if you have a store like that - bulk herbs for labor are cheap if you can buy them in small quantaties locally) 
• Ask your MW to put you in touch with other clients to see about trading for unused supplies

[Mommel]

Originally Posted by katt 

I'd recommend a box of depends instead of maxi pads.  (afterbirth is SO glamorous)

or maybe both.  But, with the depends you don't really have to worry about things slipping around down there.

I wish I'd had this advice before my birth! I will second this, and add that I systematically bought everything on the list my MW gave me only to have her tell me that it wasn't all actually necessary, so I'd ask her about it before tackling the shopping.

[MarleneCPM]

I loan out my birth pool for free to my clients. but if you want, the fishy pool for $35. works just fine. Have a roll of duct tape handy for leaks, but they only usually happen after the 1st  4 or 5 times they are used. I have switched to stocking the La Bassine, which lasts longer, but the cheap ones are fine if it's just you using it. I did have a waterbirth in my regular tub too, that worked very well, though for maximum benefit, it's nice to have one  that covers your belly. It can cost as much or as little as you want to have a homebirth.

[kawa kamuri]

FWIW My fishy pool did spring a small, easily repairable leak before birth. On the other hand, I bought another never used for birth and my rough kids have played in it for two summers with no problem.