Mothering › Groups › February 2013 Due Date Club › Discussions › Homebirth to-do list when in labor?

February 2013 Due Date Club

‹ Back to Group Overview
A place for women due in February 2013 to get to know each other. » More

Homebirth to-do list when in labor?
« Back to Group Discussions

post #1 of 30
1/25/13 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 

What's on your list when you first go into active labor?  I'm starting this thread in case I missed anything!

 

1. Call doula

2. Call midwives

3. Call photographer

4. Put frozen meal in crockpot

5. Steep RRL tea for 30 min's and drink

6. Start filling up birth pool

7. Arrange fresh bed sheets with hidden plastic sheet

8. Swaddler/newborn clothes in oven on low (wrapped in foil of course)

9. All other birth supplies in plain sight on table

10. Set up live-feed (this is something I'm doing for my friends, live feed on youtube on my laptop)

11. Charge cell (has my playlist)

 

Did I miss something obvious?  Please share!


Edited by lovebeingamomma - 1/25/13 at 5:05pm
Sponsored Links
post #2 of 30
1/25/13 at 5:53pm

OMG I haven't even thought about this! I mean, I've thought about call order and what not... but everything else I just figured would "happen"! But this is a good idea... this is all assuming labor starts during the day, at night some of these steps won't be necessary:

 

1) if they're home, put kids in front of TV with snacks, tell them that mama might be having the baby and she needs to prepare some things by herself

2) call husband

3) call mom to come over (caregiver for kids)

3) call doula friend

4) call midwife (if things are really going)

5) cover my bed with plastic table cloths, old (clean) sheets

6) set out labor foods/drinks for me and for my helpers

7) take bath or shower and douse body with lavender (for some reason I keep thinking I'll want to be really clean for labor)

8) put on labor outfit (at this point it will be a comfy bra and underwear, maybe something more on top if I'm cold)

 

 

My midwife said she will take care of warming towels and blankets, and I already have my supplies in a laundry basket, so I feel prepared with that stuff. She's also bringing the birth tub, so we'll have to wait to fill it until she gets here.

post #3 of 30
1/25/13 at 6:00pm

Great thread!

 

notes2.gif

post #4 of 30
1/25/13 at 7:07pm

Living with my family now my list is different.

 

1. Let my parents know

2. Call my midwife

3. Start heating up my room (I share the third floor with a couple of my sisters and my youngest and it gets chilly)

4. Depending on the time of day work on sleeping arrangements for my youngest

5. Get birth supplies ready

post #5 of 30
1/25/13 at 8:05pm

hm.. I don't plan on doing much of anything! I have a list for DH.. .

 

my list includes

-call/text my mom if needed depending on time of day (childcare)

-call my midwife

- tell DH to get on his list .. (fill birth tub, make some kind of food, make sure the midwives eat at appropriate times, gather remaining supplies like my robe, blanket, space header, install car seat, etc)

 

last time, I planned to cook, and do some things around the house..  but my early labor ended up being much faster than i expected and it was the middle of the night so i just played around on the computer trying not to wake anyone up (i didn't even wake DH until about 6am, my water broke at 3:30am) I sat on my birth ball, thinking i'd have more time then BAM, labor.

post #6 of 30
1/25/13 at 8:33pm

hmmm not much I don't think!

 

Page midwife

Move DD upstairs to be with BIL and SIL (day time or night time)

Prepare bed

Set up space heater

Wear whatever feels right at the time

 

DH will just fetch whatever I need - snacks, water, Gatorade, heating pad etc. :)  He works from home so he's usually not far away but if we happen to be apart, calling him will be # 1.  All our home birth supplies are in a box in the bedroom ready to go.

post #7 of 30
1/26/13 at 7:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaybeJ View Post

hmmm not much I don't think!

 

Page midwife

Move DD upstairs to be with BIL and SIL (day time or night time)

Prepare bed

Set up space heater

Wear whatever feels right at the time

 

DH will just fetch whatever I need - snacks, water, Gatorade, heating pad etc. :)  He works from home so he's usually not far away but if we happen to be apart, calling him will be # 1.  All our home birth supplies are in a box in the bedroom ready to go.


I'm glad you didn't have too much to do, because BABY showed up just a few hours after you posted this. :)

post #8 of 30
1/26/13 at 8:06am
A list I hadn't made yet? What a glorious day this is smile.gif

1) take a bath and do a check on contraction timing to make sure it's for real
2) call/txt midwife
3) DH text my parents
4) DH email the "labour list" (i just made him an email group of all our closest family and a couple of friends who would want to know)
5) set up the birth supplies
6) stick purse and hospital bag near the door so if we transfer we don't have to search for anything.
post #9 of 30
1/26/13 at 8:45am

Okay, blatantly stealing from y'all, this is what I have so far...  (More for early-but-pretty-sure-it's-actually-happening labor than for "active" labor, I guess):

 

1) Call DH if he's not home (crazy breaking news, but he recently, really unexpectedly, got a job outside the home!) 

2) Call midwives

3) IF I go early (due March 1, my mom is coming to stay for a few weeks starting Feb 26), then call Dr. Mom (just to tell her/for support, since she lives 9 hours away)

4) Possibly call BFF-- we are leaving this open to my preference-- she is so great!

5) Charge cell

6) Put on labor outfit (pseudo-swim suit, under comfy sweats or whatever) and maybe a little makeup!  I know, I know-- and I don't feel compelled to wear makeup all the time, but it does boost my spirits a bit, even wear a touch during marathons.  Probably waterproof mascara and a bit of lip color or something.

7) Set out labor foods/drinks for me and for my helpers (get DH to do this if he's home)

8) Set out camera/video camera and tripod?

9) Arrange fresh bed sheets with hidden plastic sheet (also get DH to do this if he's home)

10) Stick purse and hospital bag near the door so if we transfer we don't have to search for anything (ditto DH, again)

11) Turn up water heater or get DH or brother (lives with us) to do so, and possibly leave note with brother not to use appliances b/c water is super-heated

 

I wouldn't fill up the tub at this point, necessarily... depends on how quickly labor is progressing, etc. 

post #10 of 30
1/26/13 at 9:54am

Oh yeah, I have to turn up my hot water heater, too!

post #11 of 30
1/26/13 at 5:41pm

Breathe in... breathe out.... breathe in.... breathe out....

post #12 of 30
1/26/13 at 6:14pm

have baby thumb.gif

post #13 of 30
1/26/13 at 8:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaMo View Post

have baby thumb.gif

 

Love this stillheart.gif

post #14 of 30
1/27/13 at 9:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rachieface View Post


I'm glad you didn't have too much to do, because BABY showed up just a few hours after you posted this. :)

 

Haha, I actually thought about this the next day!

 

Everything went just as I listed actually.  orngbiggrin.gif

post #15 of 30
1/27/13 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaMo View Post

have baby thumb.gif

Ha Ha!  I actually have this on my to-do list - my regular baby-prep to-do list, not labor list.  I like to cross things off! :)  DH looked at it (this was around 32 weeks) and was like, "be careful - you don't want to cross that one off too early!"  so I changed it to "Have babies (between Feb. 2nd and Feb. 9th)."  So far they've cooperated, but I wouldn't mind if they decided to go ahead and come this week.

post #16 of 30
1/27/13 at 4:48pm

DH knows what I need to get done and as much as I like making lists (and even better crossing everything off), once labor hits I'm in labor land and could really care less what is going on. It does help that this is our 3rd baby and 2nd homebirth though.

post #17 of 30
1/28/13 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaMo View Post

DH knows what I need to get done and as much as I like making lists (and even better crossing everything off), once labor hits I'm in labor land and could really care less what is going on. It does help that this is our 3rd baby and 2nd homebirth though.

yeah- what you said!

 

i'm so not list oriented and basically figure i get husband home, and then zone out until baby arrives.  the rest is in his and the midwives realm.  LOL!!!

 

he's really good at being on top of food, kids, organization, heat, caring for it all.  i pretty much just disappear into my own little world, i can answer yes or no questions (and he's good at asking them) and that's when we know we're on the way!

 

3rd homebirth though, and same midwife, so we're all pretty much ready to do it again.  

post #18 of 30
1/28/13 at 10:25am
Thread Starter 

4th baby but 1st homebirth, so I definitely need the list :)
 

post #19 of 30
1/28/13 at 11:37am

my DH requested a list, he doesn't want to be responsible for forgetting something important .. (4th baby, 2nd homebirth - but 1st water birth)

post #20 of 30
2/1/13 at 2:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma View Post

What's on your list when you first go into active labor?  I'm starting this thread in case I missed anything!

1. Call doula
2. Call midwives
3. Call photographer
4. Put frozen meal in crockpot
5. Steep RRL tea for 30 min's and drink
6. Start filling up birth pool
7. Arrange fresh bed sheets with hidden plastic sheet
8. Swaddler/newborn clothes in oven on low (wrapped in foil of course)
9. All other birth supplies in plain sight on table
10. Set up live-feed (this is something I'm doing for my friends, live feed on youtube on my laptop)
11. Charge cell (has my playlist)

Did I miss something obvious?  Please share!

How do you go about setting up your live feed? I'm very interested!
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: February 2013 Due Date Club
Mothering › Groups › February 2013 Due Date Club › Discussions › Homebirth to-do list when in labor?