Homebirthers roll call and status check!!

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

I'm back on the homebirthing train : Yay! DH is on track now so I'm getting ready for something brand new for me - I had my other two in hospital. I'm *so* excited!

Are you getting ready? I've got a pool, a birth ball, and some basic supplies for mess reduction.

Who's with me?

[TattooedMama]

Me too Christina! I am 36+ weeks and will be arranging my HB supplies this coming week. My rental waterbirth tub is coming this weekend so I can enjoy it for a while before the baby. Love it! Here it is http://www.softub.com/140.htm

[She2dancer]

Me!!!

I've got my birth pool (just need a liner and a hose), a birth ball, lots of aromatherapy, and my midwifery team delivered my homebirth kit yesterday (gas and air, lots of pads and bags, recusitation kit and tons of stuff I don't know what it is....)

I need to pick up some more towels, sheets and plastic tarps to lay down (since we just moved here we don't have any old sheets and towels...)

That's about it..got my diapers in the laundry now...basically just waiting for the baby to be ready!!!

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Oooh, that's a nice tub! I just have a fishy pool, but I'm still excited about it

[daffyduck]

I am also ready. I am 39 weeks today and have opted not to get a tub since my midwife confirmed that my tub is large enough. Otherwise, once true signs of labor starts, my husband is on call to get food for everyone.

I so hope to have this baby soon

[Mama~Love]

I'm still hoping to have a homebirth if we can get Baby turned around! I have everything ready for the birth. I'm using my own tub (garden sized jacuzzi) since our MW said it's plenty big.

This would be our 1st homebirth. Better late than never I guess!

ETA: I'm 37 weeks TODAY!!! YAY!!!

[theboysmama]

Almost 39 wks here. I am getting excited. Dh blew up our tub (fishy pool) yesterday. I have used it w/ both boys and love it. We are going to put it in our kitchen as that is the only place left w/ enough space so it is kind of hard to really prepare my birthing space. My midwife is out of town until the 3rd so I hope to wait until then. I like her backup but I have had this midwife for 5 yrs and really love her. Besides that we are pretty much ready to go. Still need to wash the diapers though.

[milk_maker]

Just about ready. I still need to make up a To Call list for my phone person to let family members know I'm in labor. I also need to show my mom my passwords and stuff for my email so she can email and PM DH when I'm in labor and send him updates and stuff.

[prettypixels]

I'm getting there, in terms of getting ready. We have a fishy pool but are hoping to rent an aquadoula from a local midwife. Although gosh that softub looks SOOOOOOOO NICE. I know some other mamas have the spa-in-a-box and if I were rolling in cash, I might have to get that myself. Right now all I want to do is just sink up to my ears in water and float! (Can't, my tub is tiny!)

I'm jealous!

Anyways: we need some tarps and things and I want to buy a spare hose kit to have here in case we need it. We still have to put together our co-sleeper (our bed is not big enough for us and baby too!). I have babies clothes ready to wash but haven't washed/organized them yet.

So most of you are way more prepared than me!

[LizaBear]

• The pool is in the bedroom.
• Hose I think is on the balcony.
• Faucet adaptor is in the kitchen.
• We need to invest in a new tarp still
• Got a shower curtain to protect the couch
• Got the birth kit from the midwives (chux pads, peri bottle, BIG pads)
• Got a mix of herbs in the freezer to make an herbal bath "tea" for after bath (which I'll also use in my peri bottle)
• Have a doula hired, and she's even got back-up !
• Keeping up on having ALL the towels cleaned
• Got a big tub of oxyclean for cleaning towels and linens after the fact.

Now we just need labour !

[autumn_faune]

I'm homebirthing obviously. I have my chux and outfits for baby when it comes, will have dh throw a load of towels in the dryer to be warm at birth, probably have him do that whenever pushiness starts.

All you really need to have a baby is... well, a mama and a baby

[diane1969]

1st planned homebirth here! 36 + weeks, not overly prepared... got chux pads and a shower curtain and that's about it! Plan on laboring in our hot tub, but birthing 'somewhere' inside. As this is my third child, and 2nd girl, I have everything baby related i need.

I'm excited and shooting for the 1st or 2nd week of December, but at the same time, if this wasn't December, I would completely want more time! I don't feel mentally ready to have 3 kids. :

[katt]

Me too me too...
I'm just starting to get my 'gear' together. Got an extra sheet and a shower curtain and a bowl at Goodwill yesterday. (didn't have my list and that is all I could remember) I'll be adding to my 'collection' in the next week or two. I'd like to have all the stuff ready by December 7/9 somewhere around there.

I'm also looking into the whole pool issue. Money is a BIG deal right now... I'm still researching.

I'm really excited about our HB. we've actually had a lot of positive responses from others when they find out. The only real negative/indifferent response was the other night when:

woman: so, where are you going to go to have the baby.
DH: the bedroom, we're having a homebirth, we don't have to go anywhere
man: do you have a midwife you call or something?
me: we have 2, they come out to you
woman: well good luck with that.

I guess I've been lucky in that regard... it wasn't super negative, just not excited about it. which is fine.

I think I've gone on an on... oops... I'm just excited about it.

[sbm1001]

I picked up a new birth ball a few weeks ago after my oldest ds decided it'd be a good idea to let the air out of my old one & fill it with water (he still owes me for that!).

I just picked up a protective mattress cover thingy yesterday & dh plans on putting it on our mattress tonight.

It looks like no birth pool for us, though I would've liked to try it. I tried getting ahold of a lady in town with one but she seems to have moved. There are other people in town with them but they want $450 to rent one & I'm not willing to pay for it since this home birth is 100% out of pocket.

I have my birth kit ready to go. I just need to grab a few clean towels to add to it & it's complete. I ordered it from www.birthsupplies.com

I have all my baby clothes washed, folded & put away....I just need to pick out my favorite jammies in pink & blue.

I still need to make a call list, but know the most important #'s by heart, so if I don't get to that we'll be fine. Plus most of them are in my phone book, programmed into the phone so others shouldn't have a problem if I'm not the one making calls.

I just need my mw to not be busy with someone else & for this awful itch & irritated skin to go away & everything will be perfect! Oh, & I also need the 3 baskets of clean laundry sitting in my room to magically fold & put itself away. THEN everything will be perfect!!

Shannon

[Pandora114]

Check! Still preggo.

Got the pool set up in the basement

The Python hose is ready to go.

Got his first outfit and diaper all picked out.

Got the Homebirth kit from the midwives.

Got the towels all washed and dried and set up nice next to the pool

Got the DVD's to plug the girlchild into if things get too intense for her and she needs a distraction

Got the Jello with Emergen-C all made up.

Got the Gatorade.

We're all ready to go. We're just waiting for baby!

Hey baby, Max, Max, come on Max, Today is a GREAT day to be born! It's a WONDERFUL day to come out and meet your family. Everyone's so excited to see you! Come on out Max. We love you and want to see what a unique human being you are.

[steffanie3]

I am 36 weeks tomorrow and have a ton to do. I am going to wash some baby stuff today, but most of it hasn't been moved down from our other house. DH is going there today hopefully to get a load and I am making sure this time he gets baby clothes, diapers, wraps, and that sort of thing. I probably should have him get shower curtains too, now that you mention it.

I think I am going to just use our big tub, I had planned to buy one of these http://www.madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html (US site seems to be down), but we have invested in a tankless water heater. I am really excited about that though, our current water heater is only 30 gallons which barely fills the bath tub. I am so glad DH got that ordered even though it has been a hassel too, our 30 gallon started leaking yesterday and DH discovered the bottom is rusted out.

I am trying to think of my perfect birth and opening up and letting this babe come. I am going for a VBAC so I am trying to think of just positive labor thoughts.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Wow! There's lots of us! That's great

Our only really major thing to deal with at this point is the kids. DH and I have no clue what to do, because this homebirth is Top Secret. We are actually telling next to nobody IRL because they will lose their sh*t if they find out! I think that I'm going to tell my mom, but I haven't broken the news to her yet. No way are we telling dh's mom, she had 12 kids in hospital and their whole family will snap if I do this. My girlfriends would be slightly better about it, but I just hate the idea of them freaking out about it while I'm in labor. So we don't have someone who can come and be with the boys at the house. I think they'd be okay with the birth psychologically and all that, but they're VERY busy and they will probably drive us crazy if this takes a long time. So we need to pick someone to bring them to! MY mom is going to take them after the birth for a few days regardless, and then I think she's going to come back and stay here. That's the current plan, although she of course thinks the birth is happening in the hospital. One handy thing is that I have told everyone that we'd be coming home quickly, as in the same day, after a hospital birth, so they're okay with that.

I just don't want to argue about it with anyone, and I don't want them to be panicking if they know I'm having it at home. Because they will. So we'll tell everyone after the fact.

[gaeasun]

I am here, too. I am almost ready. We are still working on cleaning the house, and I have lots of laundry to fold, but overall we are mostly ready. The home birth kit is on its way from Cascade Monday. I need some tarps, but otherwise I think we are mostly good. I am also getting a shipment of wraps and I need one of those. (I do have a couple slings and an Ergo, but I want a wrap for this little one). Diapers are clean, but I need a few covers.

I still have 4 1/2 weeks to my edd, but I am really getting excited. I own an AP brick and mortar store, and I constantly get babies in here. I get to hold them, and I am ready for another little on in my life! It can be so hard holding everyone else's babies, waiting, waiting. But I am happy to wait until this little one is ready. Only he/she knows that.

I just hired a new person to replace me at work, so I am looking forward to some time off before the baby is born (at least I hope to have some time off). That was a big weight on my shoulders for the last several weeks. Anyways, I am rambling because I no longer sleep! I hope everyone has a fantastic home birth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[earthie_mama]

Don't mean to intrude....

Hope you don't mind me posting here. I am technically not 40 weeks until Jan 7th, but I become full term mid-December.

I painted my birthroom(green w/moss glazed walls and dusty lavendar on the ceiling, it is soooo relaxing!), made 2 nice pieces of birth art, ordered a nice big fishy tub, got my waterbirth.org kit, sorted all the clothes I've been saving up, I've been making playlists for different moods I anticipate I'll have during labor. and I've been buying lots of diapers on the TP

I still need to finish remodeling the bathroom (run the plumbing for the new shower, retile the tub/shower area, put up the wainescotting and install new vanity) Order my stuff from Cascade, get a few more items to protect my bed etc, wash and put away all the clothes/diapers etc.

I feel like I will never finish it all in time!

[Naughty Dingo]

Checking in too.

We are all set with our supplies. My MW brings the tub along so if there is time I will birth in the water. If not, I am fine with that as well. I am unsure still where in my home I will labor and birth, we shall have to see. Now it is time to sit and wait and anticipate. I have been contracting the past few days and will be 39 weeks on Tuesday. fun days!

ND