Roles at Homebirth

[jraohc]

Another thread got me wondering, what does everyone DO at a homebirth? At a normal homebirth, or at your homebirth, what did the following people do:
1) Midwife
2) Assistant Midwife
3) Doula
4) DH

Were there other people at the birth? What roles did they fill?

[MyYogaBaby]

Our audience is minimal

We have my midwife, who I chose because she agrees to be very hands off. Her hope is that she will not be part of the birth story. Last time, she helped me on the very last push because dd was terribly tangled in her cord and I couldn't get the right angle for dislodging her and dh was too worried to try it himself. Otherwise, she doesn't do internal exams, doesn't monitor with doppler unless she senses a problem, etc. She gets the bed ready for afterward, monitors the tub water, scoops any debris in the tub, and deals with the after birth stuff.

Dh is the only other one there. He is there to help with the tub temp, rub my back, encourage me, bring drinks, maintain the atmosphere, and be part of the birth. Last time, he was in the water with me at the end, so he could feel dd's head emerging, try to help support her as she emerged and help scoop her out of the water (they're a little floppy and slippery and mom's reeling from the relief of getting baby out...so dad's a good baby scooper).

That's it. I like it to be very quiet, I don't like to talk or be asked questions...I just want to be in my zone and be left alone.

Why do you ask....do you have people present who don't have a real role? If so, I'd definitely assign expectations to those people just so they feel like they have a function and they stay out of your hair!

[homemademomma]

midwife- her role depends on how much involvement you want. it can range from her sitting in a rocker watching, just being there in case she was needed or wanted, to monitoring fetal heart tones and catching the baby.
birth assistant- she helps the midwife. depending on how involved you want your caregivers, she might be getting heart tones, taking vitals, changing out chux pads, giving advice to dh, coaching you, or she might just sit by the midwife and watch and wait. it all depends on what you want
doula- she is there to make sure you and dh have the birth you want. she will get food for both of you, help dh know how to help you best, she will reassure you about what is going on, make sure you understand everything that is happening, and just generally help everything go smoothly.
dh- he is there to support you. the doula can help him do this, since he might be overwhelmed, freaked, or just doesnt know what to do.

at my homebirth, the midwife and assistant sat back and watched. they also made food, cleaned up, lit candles, and just generally made things cozy for us.. dh sat by my side and watched. he caught the baby. i didnt have a doula because i dont like a lot of people around me, and i HATE people encouraging me and telling me i'm doing a good job, etc.

[my2girlsmama]

At our homebirth nearly 11 months ago:

Primary care Midwife and assistant midwife in training did the *catching* of baby and tending to my lower areas (LOL) and guiding me. Third midwife on hand held my hand and wiped my head with a cloth and to this day though I'd only met her that day (my real primary care MW was off, secondary became primary, etc) she proved to be wonderful and calming and I tore her hand apart!

DH held my other hand and coached me along.


My mom (who I kicked out of the birth room (hospital) of our first child's birth because she was worrying about me and whining about my pains and wanting to fix it all for me) held the video camera and watched.

My sister stayed in playroom with oldest dd to care for her and keep her busy. They came up mere moments after baby came out as she was on my tummy.

All in all it was a dream!

[KariM]

-

[momto l&a]

At our hb's my mw does whatever I want/need her to do as does her assistant. WHich for me they are monitering the hb my bp the first time though i have such low bp they dont bother any more :LOL , holding cool rags, or hot ones getting me drinks encouraging me ect ect.

Dh does everything he can to make me comfy, he very involved in each of our dd's births

At the last birth it was soo fast that the mw didnt make it her helper made it just in time to wash her hands barely she couldnt even put on gloves as there was no time cause I needed someone to get my panties off as they where the only thing holding in dd :LOL

[orangebird]

Midwife and second midwife talked to me and gave me a mini pedicure during early labor while DH napped, when he woke they told us to go for a walk outside and took DS to Wild Oats for smoothies. During active labor/transition they sat across the room and occasionally got a BP or checked FHTs with the doppler. During the pushing stage they didn't do anything, just watched and waited and reminded me to lift DS out of the water once he came out. Then they hung out waiting for my placenta, did DS's exam, got us settled in bed and made us lunch.

DH slept through the first part, he was up all night with me the night before while I was trying to figure out if it was really labor or not so by the time the midwives got there the next morning he was exhausted. Once it picked up and I was in transition he let me hang from him during contractions. While I pushed he just watched and cried when the baby came out.

During labor I don't like alot of fuss or direction. I don't need to hear encouragement I just need people to shut up and let me do what I need to do.

[Full Heart]

My midwife is my doula. Shes the one who comes in and organizes everyone, gets them doing what needs to be done. Birth supplies out, water heated, bed made, stuff like that. Dhs role is to sit by me and support me. Period. I can't stand to have him gone. I didn't realize it but during my first birth he never even got to go to the restroom . Good thing it was a short labor! Midwifes assitant is to take notes and be an extra pair of hands and learn. She opens things for my midwife, in one case helped prop me up in the water during shoulder dystocia, takes turns doing hot compresses on my back. And my mother is always there and her role is to annoy me lol. Shes does her job well. Actually shes always just there to take care of the other kids and a few times because my midwife wasn't there yet to help set up stuff. During my labor with #4 I couldn't get a hold of anyone so I had my friend come over. When you have other children its always so nice to have someone there to help take care of them and get stuff done.

Michelle

[Aura_Kitten]

at my dd's birth we had...

me - the birthing mama (i labored alone most of the time)

my partner - who caught the baby & provided an immeasurable amount of support, also sterilized the scissor's & cut her cord, provided towels & clean-up, food / drinks / etc...

and my son (who was in his room @ the time.)


anyone else would have seemed unnecessary.

[Mom2baldie]

At my daughters birth we had a midwife and her assistant. The only other people present were my husband and 2 other children (ages 6.5 and 2.5).

My midwife was only there for about 30 minutes of the labor, but what she did was feel of the babys position and listen to heart tones, then she went to lay down and rest for awhile because she didnt realize I was in active labor already. When I was pushing all she did was listen to heart tones and tell me to drink. She also caught the baby! After the birth she did paperwork, cleaned up some, told me to drink more, did the newborn exam and gave the baby a little bath in the sink.

The assistant only arrived about 25 minutes before the birth and I have NO IDEA what she did! Im not even really sure what she did after the birth - all I remember about her is that she cleaned up some drops of blood from my trip from the tub to the bed.

My husband left me alone during labor and when I was pushing he sat on the side of the tub and I pulled on his hands and legs. The kids slept through my labor and came in during pushing also. They did GREAT and just sat quietly by the tub and watched.

I was supposed to have a friend come to take care of them during the big event but she didnt arrive until a few minutes after the birth. She was a tremendous help then though by keeping the kids occupied. She also changed my DDs 1st diaper!

[mwherbs]

at our homebirth attended by a midwife she listened to the baby and made sure the baby was alright- she would have labored with me or offered suggestions like take a shower or hip squeezes or a hundred other things if I needed them- but for the most part I wanted to be left alone and she did that well. She was ready to catch the baby when the time came - my DH took care of the kids and himself and checked on me but I really prefer being alone while in labor. We had an unassisted birth after this one and it was horrible- I really figured out what the midwife did mainly was to shoulder the burdens of the outer world and buffered me from the concerns of safety. Both babies were born into my own hands. If she had an assistant they would probably take turns sleeping or one awake and one asleep so someone is fresh and ready to help in any way needed. Not all midwives do labor support and if your midwife exspects your DH or other support person to do all the back rubbing or tub drawing or drink giving... then DH or doula or both can do this. Most of the time a good midwife can organize help or teach them what to do- if you have a sister and mom as well as DH and they want to help a midwife can teach very often in short order some things that might help- like how and where to place the hands to do back support or belly lifting- or to not ask you questions while you are having a contraction- they can help set the tone like reminding people to wisper or to avoid certain conversation topics or to not talk- prepare food or organize food prep...

[Lisalee2]

Midwife - Sat back and watched, helped dh clamp the cord and cut it, checked placenta after it passed, watched baby's breathing, got breathing started with dd, she used CarboVeg on her heels to give her a jump start.

I fainted after getting out of the tub, twice. She was there to hold my head and wake me up. After she & dh brought me to the bed to rest, she stayed and talked with me. She weighs the baby and checks me for tears.


Assistant midwife - Made tea while I was in labor, afterwards brought some light snacks, sliced apples and more RRL tea. Helped dress the babe, clean up,etc., helped dh with the birth tub.

Dh - Filled birth tub, brought me water, rubbed my back, I also needed him for physical support when I was laboring standing up, he cut the baby's cord.

Other people, my FIL watched ds while I was in labor with dd. My MIL helped bringing towels, water, you name it.

[Mamabeakley]

Midwife: Watched, took some vital signs, internal check 2-3 times by my request, sat in other room & chatted w/assistant mw & my mom, a couple of times came in to me when my voice got higher pitched & told me I was doing it till I believed her, complimented me & DH on how well we were doing occasionally, suggested pushing postition, told me when I 'got' how to push, caught baby, sewed 1st degree tear, did fundal massage, gave meds when I wouldn't stop bleeding, went in after missing pieces of membrane, examined placenta & baby, helped clean up, came back the next day for checkup & to do paperwork.

MW Assistant: annoyed me by taking fht, some vital signs, helped MW with equipment (gloves, sutures, etc.), took notes, came back in two days to do checkup & paperwork.

DH: whatever I told him to do! Counter pressure, loving words & touch, supported my body in a side-lying semi-upright posirion while I pushed, nipple stimulation while we tried to get the bleeding to stop, cared for baby while I showered afterwards, etc

Other: my dog sat by my bed & didn't move during active labor, which I found very supportive. My mom did lots of getting stuff ready, cooked, cleaned, etc. She also gave me some energy throuigh touch - she's training in complementary healing modalities. She held baby while we were trying to get my bleeding to stop, and called family & friends to share the news.

I think that if my mom were unavailable or unsupportive, I would hire a doula. If my DH were either ditto, I might hire two! When I have another baby, I plan to ask my MIL to care for DS.

[nikirj]

Midwife and assistant - sat on the couch and watched . Got things ready, checked in with me from time to time, cleaned up afterwards.

DH - alternated between telling the midwives where stuff was and sitting with the kids. Poured buckets of water over my belly towards the end. Mostly sat with the kids on the couch though.

Kids - sat quietly on the couch and watched. The couch was at my feet so they had quite a view .

Me- birthed the baby.

[midwyfmomma]

Midwife.. midwify things... that's determined partly by you.. how involved you want her to be.
Midwife assistant.. assist midwife, help with cleanup, make tea, dishes, make food (midwife or doula might do these too).. take pictures..

My midwife sat nearby, listened to baby a couple times, added her positive energy..

Our doula took beautiful pictures & made sure my husband never left my side. Midwife & doula rushed around getting the tub set up for my speedy birth (1.5 hrs)

I don't know who cleaned up or who made the food, but between my midwife, doula, & midwife friends who took care of my other children, everything was done & everyone had their place & was there by my invitation.

[LizD]

My mw will be very hands-off if that's what is desired/needed. She uses a wheelchair so what she does and her assistant does depends on where the mother needs to be. I hid on the toilet a lot. A third midwife was behind me supporting me much of the time. Dh took photos and video. When he tried to help by touching my back when I needed someone to do so I found his touch too intense- this was the same as ten years before when our daughter was born, so that was interesting. He was just there, catching it all on the camera, which is exactly what I wanted him to be doing. I think it was good for him to have the pictures to take. Otherwise he would have felt at a loss, I think, and it was probably difficult enough to watch as it was.

A neighbor who is an EMT and has had seven babies at home herself came to keep my dd company, keep the laundry cycling, etc. They watched the birth at the delivery, and my neighbor helped in a practical sense afterwards- took my dd to get the Chinese food, went to target for some things we needed, etc.

I didn't have a doula bc I knew my mw would bring two other midwives and that is a whole crowd of people for me. I didn't ask my neighbor to come until the very last minute (though I had asked her to be available if we needed her) and my dd was upset enough to need her own support.

[darsmama]

The roles at my birth six months earlier:

1) Midwife - Said encouraging words from time to time. Took pictures (You can see me buck nekkid here www.midwifemama.com/darlene), helped me to push through the pain cause I didn't like pushing hehe, Held the puke bucket for me when I said I was gonna puke, tended to my lower area, gave Dar a bath (I was busy shaving my legs ??? lol Dont ask me why just I wanted to do it after I gave birth sooo bad!) cleaned up, checked the baby out, helped me dress her, get her latched on, made me feel safe.
2) Assistant Midwife - Pooper scooped if needed, caught the baby (I was on hands and knees in tub), got the placenta, checked me when I asked to be checked, begged maybe is a better word, tried helping me blow my nose (LOL! Sorry, you would have had to have been there such fond memories), provided good support for me and a warm presence.
3) Doula - Didn't have one - didn't need one either. I had the best team
4) DH - Stayed by my side the whole time talking to me and looking at me and saying encouraging words. Turned the clocks off so I wouldn't look at them, kept the phone away from me cause for a few contrax I was gonna call 911 and go to the hosp and get me an epidural (LOL!), pressure for my back, filled the pool, dumped the pool, I couldn't have done it without him.


I plan on having the same exact people here for this baby's birth
It was wonderful....and was an experiance so rich in memories and fond moments for me that I would do it again in a heart beat....Best day of my life

Good luck with your birth day!

Katie