a homebirth questions about beds - Page 2

[tinyshoes]

I think part of the midwife's job is to protect the furniture! (Your job is to have the baby--you know you can do it, that's why you're confident in birthing at home, right? )

ANYWAY, I ended up birthing on my couch! My mws did the shower curtain (yes, AIRED OUT MONTHS BEFORE THE DUE DATE) bit on the couch, covered in towels and chux.

It was nice to kneel on the couch cushions and hang over the back of the couch.

Remember, hydrogen peroxide is cheap--.$99 a bottle.

Happy birthing!

[Sustainer]

I don't consider it my midwife's responsibility to protect my furniture. Many midwives do try to contain the mess, but I think it's above and beyond the call of duty. I think their job is already big enough.

[JuicyPakwan]

I had my first on a birth chair the second on the couch. Love the birth chair. Neither a big mess. However when I was an apprentice I noticed the mess ranged from a few drops on a chux pad to one lady whose water broke (she had shower curtain on bed) and cascaded over all four sides of the bed soaking 2 birth attendents and 1 midwife. I was very funny once the mess was cleaned up. But her bed was mostly safe it was her carpet that paid the price. Hydrogen Peroxide is great!!
I think it was also asked whether firmer or softer is better. In my opinion firmer. On soft beds the moms bottom sinks and is harder to access.

[TrishWSU]

Thought I'd throw in my two cents here. My MW request that all her clients make the bed like Devrock suggested. Ideally this would be done well before the birth, but being the procrastinator that I am, my MW and best friend ended up making the bed when I was 6 cm (I didn't even call the MW til then).

The birth was fairly messless . Fortunetly my water braoke on the toliet while I was pushing (I decied I had to pee at 10 cm and didn't want to go on the chux LOL). We had about one load of laundry and one bag of garbage (mainly chux). The chux worked great, no blood anywhere.

One word of advice for anyone using a birth tub... set it up well in advance, 'cause it's not fun crawling around on the floor with contractions every 2 mins. trying to put one together. I know, I've been there. Never got to use the darn thing either. Oh well, there's always next time.

Best wishes for as messless births as possible!

[cwaddick]

I'm planning my homebirth right now, and I'm thankful to everyone who posted about this issue. My husband and mother are not too keen about the whole thing, so I have limited support. I love my midwife and her apprentice so I'm in good hands.

I believe I will give birth around December 21st or 22nd. So, I thought I would set up the waterbirth tub on the 20th, and fill it once. It should be able to stay hot for several days, and we can experiment with taking water out and replacing it on the 21st, if I haven't gone into labor already. I say "we" because I think my husband will still have his head on if I'm not already in labor. After that, he'll be too excited and anxious to be of much help.

This will be my second birth. My dd was born in the hospital naturally, though I tore to the 3rd degree at least. I thought I owed it to myself to try waterbirth, but honestly, I'm not all that keen on the idea for myself. I can picture a terrestrial squatting position, but I'm not sure I'll want to give birth in the tub... though I'll probably feel committed since I went to all the trouble to acquire it (and convince my family it is acceptable).

If I want to get out of the tub, and I might, then I'll need something to cover the floor and something to pull while I squat. I have the disposable pads that come with Cascade's Deluxe Birthing Kit ($39 at http://www.1cascade.com) , but I don't know if that will be enough.

Everyone has spoken of "chux pads." What are those and where do you buy them?

Right now, I have two old polyester mattress pads. One is flat and I use it alternately with a fitted pad and the other I bought at a yard sale for 10 cents, and it's in terrible shape, probably won't stretch properly over a bed. I thought that I would use these mattress pads, but they aren't exactly waterproof, I realize now.

I acquired some plastic sheet from the hardware store to keep the water off the floor, but I suppose I could drag a sheet of it where I needed if I gave birth in a terrestrial squat and just thrown an old sheet over it.

Somebody also mentioned old-fashioned tablecloth because a plastic sheet or showercurtain might slip. It seems that I might find one of those for under $10 at the hardware store too, and I could certainly find a use for it later if it cleaned up.

I'm still confused about what I will need during the birth and what I will need postpartum. We don't have any carpet to worry about, but I'd like to keep the bed clean in the bedroom. Will blood stain the old hardwood floors?

-- Caitlin

[sadean]

Chux pads are large, usually blue, bodily fluid soak pads. They are water proof plastic on one side and cotton filled batting (to soak the fluids) on the other. They use them in hospitals and many midwives suggest them for homebirth to control the mess. Think of a huge (like 24" X 24") band-aid without the sticky : We used them and it was helpful, as my water broke right over one (I was squatting over it) and all we had to do was fold it up and stick a new one under me. We purchased them at either Target or the medical supply store in town (cannot remember).

I ended up on hands and knees on my bed (with a Chux pad under me) giving birth. I have a medium-firm pillow top bed. The sheets on the bed got considerably wet (with who knows what), but they were dark striped and washed up easily. We had the "pre-made" bed (per MW request), so they just tore up the wet sheets and plastic while I was pottying and the bed was made underneath for me to crawl back into.

[cwaddick]

Chux Pads

Ooooh! Yes, I had blue chux pads at my hospital birth. I have white ones in my Birth Kit... I'm looking at my Cascade's Moonflower Natural Products Catalog... (you can find it at www.1cascade.com).

Disposable Underpads
My birth kit comes with 15 of them that are 24" x 36"... these have four layers of absorbent tissue and a polypropylene backing.

I also have two plastic backed sheets that are 40"x 90"

Sold individually, they cost 3., 40, and 60 cents, depending on the size. Or, they are sold by the case of 60, 75, 150, and 200.

They also sell Sofnit reusable underpads for $14 each.

BTW, where can I get a peribottle locally? The catalog sells them for 75 cents each, but I hate to pay more than that just to ship it! I placed my order with everything else in it a month ago.

-- Cait

[cwaddick]

I just noticed that the Peri Irrigation bottle comes with my birthing kit. I guess I should re-aquaint myself with the contents again. Is it true that one's brain size shrinks during pregnancy or something like that? I'm expecting in a week and a day, and my brain is feeling fluffy. -- Cait

[mattjule]

My mw had me make the bed like devrock said. We put an old blanket under the top sheet so sleeping on the plastic wasn't bad at all. My water broke in the bed while I was resting, but I spent most of my labor walking around.

When I was in transition, my mw had me lie on the living room floor (long story). I had diarrhea (once I could finally poop, like I felt I had to all night) on a chux on the floor (beige carpet), I gave birth in the same spot on the floor. No mess, those chux rock! And I had a couple left over from my birth kit, too.

If I had it to do over again and it wasn't so fast, I would have liked a sheet or blanket or something to lie on. Carpet on bare skin feels gross. Well, if there would have been one more person there, it might have happened, but with just dh, mw and me, who was going to do it?

For plastic covering, we used plastic sheeting from the hardware store. It ended up being more cost effective than any other type of plastic, plus I could cut it big so it went under the bed instead of just on top where it would slid around. I anticipated a long, messy labor and thought it was great that we could just cut off a piece as we needed it (which, of course, didn't happen). But I still have it for my next birth and I use it under ds's high chair since our dining room is carpeted. It has been very useful.

My mw this time says I don't need a birth kit-just buy the chux, but to be truthful, I really liked having the birth kit. It was simple, but complete, I didn't have to run all over creation finding things, it came in a small, neat little box. I kept my peribottle and bulb syringe from my last birth, so this time around I don't need one and my mw this time carries more stuff to the birth (like KY) than my previous mw did. But I am glad I had the birth kit for my first birth.

[cwaddick]

Using plastic garbage bags

I talked to my MW about it yesterday. She asked me to take three or four plastic garbage bags, cut them up the seams (edges), overlap them by 5 inches and tape them together.

This makes the waterproof sheet for the bed (in case I deliver in the bed).

Then, the bed is made. The trash-bag sheet is put over it, and another fitted sheet is laid on top.

To keep the trash bag from slipping, she recommended 6 diaper pins (the old-fashioned kind). The diaper pins are used to pin down the plastic sheet so it doesn't slide: 3 pins on either length-side of the bed.

That's the plan. Now, I just have to put the bags together. More work for me! I do have some plastic sheeting from the hardware store too. Haven't looked at it yet. We'll see what might work.

-- Caitlin

[tabitha]

i am just now starting to prepare for my second birth, my first homebirth in June. I dont know yet what my midwife recommends...

but i am starting now because we plain dont use plastic and i will have to make and sew pads from wool and cotton. I look forward to it. I had a messy birth last time but we didnt use anything special at home. I had a tub to throw up in (i threw up from contraction #1 till the birth..) At the hospital they had all manner or gross disposable pads. Not something i want in my home.

I am thinking a couple of big old wool blankets from the salvation army, covered with some cotton fleece or french terry or something absorbent. no plastic in my bed- and washable. Plus many smaller pads made in the same way. we may or may not get a tub, i might just give birth standing or something. also we will have plenty of rags on hand. And i think all will be well.

I dont plan on suctioning the baby. So i dont need one of those,though my mw may want me to have one. i am preparing with lots of herbal baths and aromatherapy. soft homemade clothes for after the birth.

tabitha

[candiland]

My first birth was totally mess-free.
I did what some other posters mentioned: put on my "good" sheets and blanket, put plastic on top of that, then put a crappier sheet and blanket on top of that.
My midwife caught the baby, and after she was sure everything was okay and we were well-acquainted, she held a chux pad between my legs as I walked to the bathroom, took a shower, then stepped into a maternity belt with a pad. When I got back in bed with my babe, she threw out the plastic and used chux pads and then threw the towels, washcloths and bedstuff in the wash. That was the only "mess" there was And she cleaned all of it.
With my second, I bled quite a lot postpartum, so I have a nice big blood stain on my "old" sheet that we used as a topcover. But that's why we used the old one..... we really could care less