Homebirthing feels like I am hostesing a party!

[transformed]

I am hoping to have a homebirth, but my due date sits smack in the middle of my midwifes vacation. :

So since babies dont ever come on their due dates, I am still preparing and visualizing my homebirth. I am pretty convinced I'll get to have it.

But I am starting to feel like I am cleaning my house for a big party. (There will be a fair amount of people there.) But I am trying to like plan meals, and etc.!!!

Do you ever feel like you arent preparing for birth--but for throwing a big party at your house? :

Jenny

[3xx1xyFamily]

thats been my feeling the last week or two! And I'm one of those people that I don't want people in my home if it's messy so I'm starting to over clean and be anal about little things... I only see this getting worse...

[sunnymw]

Yes DH is talking about who he wants there, and then everyone is also talking about them wanting to be there... and I'm thinking... how about NO one????

[courtenay_e]

Oh, yes! When I went into labor with DS, I started cleaning toilets. My mother asked me what I was doing. I said that 1) I didn't want to hit transition near an anything but sparkling toilet...and 2) I was going to be hosting several people in the next 24 hours and damned if I was gonna do THAT with anything but sparkely bathrooms. It's a thing of mine.

Thankfully, my mother took the vinegar and the rag and sent me on my way.

[dubfam]

I am scared each night to go to bed before cleaning the house!! (my EDD is 12/5)

a Free Standing Birth Center has been sounding REALLY nice the last couple weeks!

The upside is that my house has been staying VERY clean, even though I have a fractured rib!

[saintmom]

I 'd have as few people there for the birth as pssible.Let them come visit after the fact when you're riding that new baby high!

From the births I've assisted at the more people-the longer the labor.Most moms need some degree of space to be able to birth.

[transformed]

Originally Posted by saintmom

I 'd have as few people there for the birth as pssible.Let them come visit after the fact when you're riding that new baby high!

From the births I've assisted at the more people-the longer the labor.Most moms need some degree of space to be able to birth.

The reason is that I want my kids there...and MW said I need someone to watch them. So I have each grandma taking a kid. (I dont expect the grandpas to be there.)

And MW and birth assistant...and me, and dh.

Guess its not that many. :

[hubris]

I've been thinking about this lately - I do feel like the house needs to be company-clean at all times! Even more so than my nesting before a hospital birth.

Not sure I'll be cleaning in labor, but I scoured the bathrooms last week and this week I'm so frustrated that the bambino still isn't here...not just because I'm impatient to meet him and be done being pregnant, but because now I need to clean all the bathrooms all over again! LOL

[Oliver'sMom]

Originally Posted by sunnymw

Yes DH is talking about who he wants there, and then everyone is also talking about them wanting to be there... and I'm thinking... how about NO one????

then it should be no one! you're the queen. you have absolute power over this, and it should be comfortable for YOU.

[Juvysen]

I had felt that way too, before my homebirth, but when it came down to it I ignored. And actually, we had water pouring through the celing from the toilet upstairs into the downstairs bathroom, which is where I spent a fair amount of my labor... it didn't smell or anything but sometimes I wonder how clean that was, really.............

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I had a UC so my birth felt like a normal part of life. I went into labor, had the baby, showered, went to bed. There is no reason you need to clean up for your midwives.

[Eaglevoice]

Originally Posted by saintmom

I 'd have as few people there for the birth as pssible.Let them come visit after the fact when you're riding that new baby high!

From the births I've assisted at the more people-the longer the labor.Most moms need some degree of space to be able to birth.

ITA! With my first I had several people there and I was very interactive with them all during my labor. To the point where I was still playing "hostess" to all of my guests in between contractions. Not suprisingly, I labored for 37 hours before I finally gave birth. For my second HB, I was completely alone and used hypnobirthing techniques to tune everything out. I made my MW and her assistant hang out in my living room and told them to only come into check on my sporadically. I gave birth 6 hours after starting labor.

Both times though, I had severe nesting for several weeks leading up to my labors and you could seriously have eaten out of my toilet bowls they were so clean!

[akvtmama]

With my first I wokeup with contractions at midnight then woke up my mom who mopped the whole house! SHE had a thing about how if a baby was being born here it better be clean....with DD2 life was so crazy I was sure Icouldn't possibly go into labor with such a messy house but i did so i labored away in my rocking chair facing the corner so I couldn't see the mess- then woke up DH a couple hours later and begged him to clean it, so he cleaned while i labored and DD1 slept and by the time the midwives showed up it was sparkling clean i was happy and ready to push... it is what it is, don't stress too much, but if having it messy is more stressful... then trying to keep it tidy is a good idea

[CanidFL]

I think I would have been like this too but my water broke at 38 weeks and my son was out 3 hours later. I was surprised and thought he would be overdue so I had no time to clean and no one said a word

[Maltagirl]

I like the party feeling, but I'm certainly not going crazy preparing stuff for everyone. I have everything the midwife asked for, we got some coffee and we've been baking (so there will be goodies anyway), and I've got veggies chopped so I can throw a lentil soup in the crock pot when I'm sure labor has started (several rounds of contractions in the last few days...but still no baby, so no soup, either).

I'm generally chatty between contractions for most of labor, so I'm excited to have people here who are all of positive, happy energy -- my husband, my two kids (ages 3 aned 5), two midwifery students (one in charge of the camera and the other in charge of anything my kids need), and my midwife. I can't wait!

I'm also very happy that the midwife and the other helpers clean everything up after the birth, while my family and I are snuggled up in bed with our new little one.

[salt_phoenix]

I really don't mind a houseful of people. I just don't want my immediate birthing area to be noisy or busy. We live in a tiny place now, so even though "everyone's invited", there's just no room for them, so they can work it out... or not.
I like having my house cleaned and food cooked by all those idle hands while I labor! It's a requirement for attendance.

[mothragirl]

i had my carpets steamcleaned about 3 hours before dd2 was born

[avent]

Originally Posted by mothragirl

i had my carpets steamcleaned about 3 hours before dd2 was born

[mhaddon]

*If* I"m able to HB it will be me, DH, the boys, MW, and a doula. Not telling the family so I don't have to have them in the way and have them worry. Although I am sure I will clean like crazy untill I push,

[SimonMom]

I already have informed my husband that as soon as I go into labor, he's cleaning the house from top to bottom. Messes stress me out!