Mom Monday: Homebirth (Part Two: Details)

Here's part two of the Home Birth posts. You can read part one first if you missed it. Be sure to come back next week for the third and final part!

The next step in preparing my nest for birth, is picking a birth team. (These are the people you want with you for support and help during labor and delivery.) Of course I have my husband and midwife, and I have actually had a few different people at each birth. This time around I have a spectacular team made up, one of them which is a VBAC mama there to support me in mine! These people set the mood. I pick people I am totally comfortable with, and know who will not interfere with the labor process, yet be there for me in prayer and both physical and mental guidance. Plus run errands and keep my spirits up!

As I get closer to my due date, and things start to fall in order and get completed around the house, I start to focus on myself. I try and spend more time with the children, and getting them excited about their new sibling to be. I start loading up on my Mama's Red Raspberry Brew tea to gear up my body for birth. I also start listening to my Hynobabies every night. This really helps me relax on cue and focus.

Next I figure out a birth "plan". This isn't a layout of what I do and don't want done, as I am in my own house...my territory. I call the shots, and everyone around me is there to help me fullfill them. (Try and get that at a hospital birth!) My birth plan consists mainly of where I am thinking of birthing (bed, tub, living room, etc. Allbeit subject to change on a second's notice!), what I want cooking for after the birth, who I want notified, where I want the children if I birth during the day, and the petty things I might not remember in labor.

About 6 weeks ahead, I order my birth supplies. Every midwife wants you to have different items on hand, but most are pretty basic like towels, disposable underpads, spare sheets, etc. Here is my list of what I buy.
Like I say, a baby will come no matter if you get it all or not!

After they arrive, I place those supplies, along with the items I have gathered around the house for the birth, in a designated area. My special spot is the nursery. That way when labor strikes, I can tell everyone where to find everything and they will easily be able to make it all ready.

Around this time, I make a playlist of certain music I may want during labor, gather certain candles I might want lit, or anything else to make the environment peaceful.

I also make a little survival kit that I keep at the bottom of the baby's bassinet. This has things for me for the days after the birth when my hubby won't let me out of bed, and so I don't have to call for him everytime I want a pen. In it, I have lotion, a few books, a few special treats like my favorite chocolate, a list of movies I might want my husband to get from the library for me, etc.

At the point I am at now, with about a month to go, I am pulling out baby supplies, diapers, and clothes, getting it all cleaned and prepared. I make a meal list which you can find here, and then a few weeks ahead of my due date, I will spend 5 days cooking off and freezing around 2 weeks worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and side dishes for after the baby comes. Freezing meals ahead of time makes it a life-saver for whoever is helping me after the birth, and for the days later when I have no energy or motivation to cook!

When the big day does arrive, I will hopefully have everything accomplished and set for a relaxing labor. No working hard when the pressure waves start! A quick straighten and clean around the house, make sure I and the children are clean and fed, take a nap and listen to my hypnobabies, make my laboraid, and get out the birth supplies.

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