Ok really now - give it to me straight.

[MamanFrancaise]

DH is whining that it will be impossible and disgusting to clean up after a home water birth. It's really only blood and water for freak sakes!

So how gross is it (by a man's perspective that is)?

We are TTC right now, hoping for a late winter baby, so dumping the pool in Winnipeg's bright white snow is not a good idea, we'll have the homicide division knocking on our door suspecting a murder went on. LOL

Any clean up tips?

I know that it would probably be simpler to deliver on a bed with plastic sheets, towels, etc... but if I need to be in the water, I want to have that option.

[oceanbaby]

I haven't had a waterbirth yet, but I was assuming you just drained it into the tub and let it go down the drain?

[momto l&a]

I gave birth in a bath tub with my last and it was a breeze just pull the plug for clean up nice warm fresh water for rinsing never had to move :LOL . I would think that with a birth tub you'd just drain the water into your tub or toilet.

My dh didnt think the water birth was gross at all, actually it was better than land for clean up, no laundry to do.

[georgia]

It was absolutely not messy at my house. I think the most mess was that I dribbled some blood on the bathroom tile floor on my way to the shower. My mws cleaned it up....You can set up the hose of a birth tub to drain wherever there's a drain--bathtub, sink, whatever. It all depends on how long the hose is. We drained my tub out the bedroom window into the bushes. To me, waterbirth is the least messiest option. Yeah, there's blood and some various gook---but please---I wonder if there's not something else he's really worried about and the mess is something he's comfortable discussing? Ok, that might be too far afield! Has he seen any waterbirth videos? These are really great to use as preparation for the reality.

I used one chux pad (had ordered like 10!)---and that was when we checked for tears. (none ) My dh said how fast it was to clean up. He said he wished it had been messier so he felt like he actually did something to help out!

Happy birthing!!!

[pamamidwife]

Birthing in the water is probably the easiest, less messy version of birth ever!

[pamamidwife]

Birthing in the water is probably the easiest, less messy version of birth ever! (and homebirth isn't too messy at all!)

[MamanFrancaise]

Originally Posted by georgia

It was absolutely not messy at my house. I think the most mess was that I dribbled some blood on the bathroom tile floor on my way to the shower. My mws cleaned it up....You can set up the hose of a birth tub to drain wherever there's a drain--bathtub, sink, whatever. It all depends on how long the hose is. We drained my tub out the bedroom window into the bushes. To me, waterbirth is the least messiest option. Yeah, there's blood and some various gook---but please---I wonder if there's not something else he's really worried about and the mess is something he's comfortable discussing? Ok, that might be too far afield! Has he seen any waterbirth videos? These are really great to use as preparation for the reality.

I used one chux pad (had ordered like 10!)---and that was when we checked for tears. (none ) My dh said how fast it was to clean up. He said he wished it had been messier so he felt like he actually did something to help out!

Happy birthing!!!

I think that he is affraid of what could happen and that he's making a big deal of the "mess" to hide that. I think you hit the nail on the head with that one!

Where can I get waterbirth videos? The library?

I'm just so excited about this - I don't care what I have to do to convince DH of this because I *am* doing it. He's not the one giving birth and if he wants another baby it will be delivered on my terms. LOL Ok, I do value his opinion and his acknowledge his concerns but I am going to do everything in my power to make him see the light! I'm slowly bringing things up to him like cloth diapering, not vaccinating, homebirth... I think he's overwhelmed by everything so i think I'll lay off until I'm actually pregnant!

I'm so happy that having a homebirth is covered under medical here in Canada! No out of pocket expenses! Woohoo!

I really can't even believe *I* want this homebirth after an extremely painful birth of my daughter I swore I'd never have another but here I am wanting to do it pain med free! I must be crazy! But then again, they made me lay on my back for the last 8 hours of my birth because of the IV and epidural (which didn't work btw) so to be able to roam and be in any position I wish seems soooooo appealing! Not to mention I can lay in a soft bed and not those hard-as-rocks hospital beds... oh the more I think about it the more excited I get!

[MamanFrancaise]

Originally Posted by georgia

It was absolutely not messy at my house. I think the most mess was that I dribbled some blood on the bathroom tile floor on my way to the shower. My mws cleaned it up....You can set up the hose of a birth tub to drain wherever there's a drain--bathtub, sink, whatever. It all depends on how long the hose is. We drained my tub out the bedroom window into the bushes. To me, waterbirth is the least messiest option. Yeah, there's blood and some various gook---but please---I wonder if there's not something else he's really worried about and the mess is something he's comfortable discussing? Ok, that might be too far afield! Has he seen any waterbirth videos? These are really great to use as preparation for the reality.

I used one chux pad (had ordered like 10!)---and that was when we checked for tears. (none ) My dh said how fast it was to clean up. He said he wished it had been messier so he felt like he actually did something to help out!

Happy birthing!!!

[Mummoth]

A tour of the hospital we were planning to have DS at changed our minds in a hurry about homebirth. Consider what effect one may have on your husband.

I'm not sure what the exact rules are in your province (I'm in BC) Here for a homebirth, you have to buy your birth supplies. It's *so* not a big deal though.... $50 - $75!!! Some midwives have pre-assembled kits you can buy from them.

[Sherry]

after my waterbirth, dh just let the pool drain out into the yard, but if there had still been snow on the ground, he probably would have drained it into the tub or sink.

i thought my waterbirth was the cleanest i had ever had.

[MamaAllNatural]

Originally Posted by pamamidwife

Birthing in the water is probably the easiest, less messy version of birth ever!

This is the honest truth. Please let your dh know. Also, you can get attatchments that allow the same hose you filled it up with to drain it right back into the sink or tub.

Oh and...

so dumping the pool in Winnipeg's bright white snow is not a good idea, we'll have the homicide division knocking on our door suspecting a murder went on. LOL

:LOL

[MamanFrancaise]

Thanks, Mamas. I will definately try to drill reality into him. It's obvious that it would be the cleanest.. sheesh... men. :

[2+twins]

We drained the birth tub into the toilet both times. We used a pump that was connected to a garden hose. The toilet automatically will keep draining any new water that is coming in (it won't fill past a certain level by design) so we didn't have to keep flushing or anything. For anything floating in the water, we used a fish net (like the kind you use to clean a fish tank). There really wasn't much in that regard though. Cleaning up after a water birth is the easiest and less messy of the options IMO. The pump & net were all provided to us from the people we rented the birth tubs from. If you get your own, then you can buy a pump from your local hardware store.