Single hen

[Guest]

On a positive side, I didn't realise just how awful my first birth was until I had the second. I had been ill-prepared, badly treated and very shocked but just got on with it all. The other 3, all in hospital and none Caesarean like the 1st, were fine.

 

Personally I liked being in hospital and away from home. That felt special to me. Our hospital has individual en-suite labour rooms which you are in from start to finish.

[Egluntyne]

[i didn't realise just how awful my first birth was until I had the second.

 

Ditto.

[The Dogmother]

My mother had two very traumatic births - I was born on new years day on the worst winter in memory - 1963. The snow was knee deep, she thought she'd never get to hospital, laboured for 39 hours before a forceps delivery. I weighed 7lbs 11oz, which was quite big for a first in those days. That was when the baby was taken to a nursery and brought to the mother for feeding at prescibed intervals

 

Then, 2nd babies were always delivered at home, and she laboured for the same amount of time before having my sister 3 years later.

 

I am soooo glad that I had to have a c section. Both my mother and I have very high pain thresholds, so we don't realise quite how bad things are until the medics take a look... I walked around on a broken ankle for a few days before going to hospital

[Ana's flock]

I had both my boys at home and wouldn't have it any other way - I don't think they would have come out in an alien environment. (i'm terrified of hospitals and not knowing what's happening!).

 

I could have sold tickets with my first one, I had with me: my mum, husband, best friend and two midwives (their turns overlapped and the first one wanted to see the baby so she stayed).

 

It was all very relaxed - although I wasn't allowed any wine until Eden was out, and then I couldn't have it either because it would interfere with the breastfeeding . Still, I had a wee sip when everything was over.

 

We booked water pools for both births but both boys were born in 'dry land' (on the carpet! and then went to the water straight away. It was lovely. The midwives were fantastic and they also had a good time - they all say they loved home births.

 

I believe being at home there's less possibility for things to go wrong as the mother is more relaxed and things take their natural course. Having said that I was about a 8 or 10 minute ride from the nearest hospital just in case. I had gas and air for painkilling, as well as the birthingpool which helped a lot making me comfy.

 

As long as the pregnancy goes according to plan I'd thoroughly recommend a natural home birth. Both babies were born very awake, pink and alert, scoring 10 and 10 in the Apgar.

 

I wasn't a young mum either, 35 with my first and 38 with Dylan, my second!

 

Ah... and thanks to my cat Cleo who was also present at both labours and sat on my lap purring and staring intently at me during the contractions. A good furry midwife!

[Jules.]

Well done Cleo

[bronze]

I would like a home birth but I think I've lost that chance forever if I ever did get to have another one

 

ps how did people manage with things like hygiene with pet hair ( that gets everywhere) thats one of the reasons dh would be against it.

[Guest]

Ah... and thanks to my cat Cleo who was also present at both labours and sat on my lap purring and staring intently at me during the contractions. A good furry midwife!

 

It's funny how cats seem to have a sixth sense about these things. My big fat, windy, one-eyed Tigger always sits on my tummy at night, but for the last 3 months he's refused to sit on my lap, but sits on the arm of the chair with his paw on my stomach at night. I've barely got a bump yet, but he seems to sense things are happening.

[The Dogmother]

My old cat Millie always used to cuddle up to my bump - there wasn't a lot of room on my lap

[FORENSICA]

Bronze : I think that you and your immunity gets used to the hair and cat germs so it should not cause any trouble. I reckon that the antibiotic resistant bacteria living in the hospital are bigger danger to you and the baby than a few hair.

[Jules.]

Bronze : I think that you and your immunity gets used to the hair and cat germs so it should not cause any trouble. I reckon that the antibiotic resistant bacteria living in the hospital are bigger danger to you and the baby than a few hair.

 

that's what my home birth midwives say

[The Dogmother]

It's the old 'spec of dirt' philosophy again - I was brought up on it and so was Rosie; we've both got really strong immune systems.

[Guest]

I was paranoid about germs when Duncan was first born, and was horrified one day when he dropped his dummy out of his mouth. My father-in-law picked it up, gave it a sook and stuck it back in Duncans mouth. When I screamed he pointed out that he had been brought up in a farm house in Wales with no running water, no electricity. Nothing was steralised, and he and his 6 siblings had all grown up to be strapping men and beautiful women, with barely a days illness bewtween them.

 

Duncan, of course, was fine, and I chilled a whole lot that day!

Edited September 26, 2007 by Guest

[The Dogmother]

One of my friends drove herself demented trying to sterilise everything, poor love. Luckily she'd eased up by the time he was crawling and eating carpet fluff, emptying cupboards and snacking on the cat's dinner

[bronze]

Oh I'm in no way a clean freak. I'm a oh well a bit of dirt wont kill them kind of person but I would prefer a clean environment if I was giving birth (as long as someone else does the cleaning )

[PurpleHen]

Bronze : I think that you and your immunity gets used to the hair and cat germs so it should not cause any trouble. I reckon that the antibiotic resistant bacteria living in the hospital are bigger danger to you and the baby than a few hair.

 

that's what my home birth midwives say

 

and mine

 

we've got 2 cats and plenty of hair to go with them

 

One of my cats sat on the landing outside the door of the room I was labouring in for 5 hours (normally sleeps all day on a bed!) - once DD was born he came in to check we were both all right - then went off for the rest of the day as if safe in the knowledge all was well!

[The Dogmother]

Isn't it funny how they're psychic?

[Ana's flock]

Bronze : I think that you and your immunity gets used to the hair and cat germs so it should not cause any trouble. I reckon that the antibiotic resistant bacteria living in the hospital are bigger danger to you and the baby than a few hair.

 

Yup, I agree here. You are already used to your own home's bugs and 'germies' and the immunity is passed on to the baby. it's all those unknown, alien 'lurghies' hiding around in hospitals I'm scared of... better the devil you know ...

[bronze]

well its no odds to me I'm not allowed another

and if I could it would probably either be prem or a planned c section

[feemcg]

A few years ago I delivered the girl next door's baby. When she got the baby home she started sterilising dummies, bottles, spoons as any new mum would - however she became really obsessed with cleaning and spent all day with a cloth and spray wiping every surface the baby could come into contact with (her colleagues even bought her cleaning products and wrapped them all up at Christmas as a joke ). After 2 years of stringent cleaning and sterilising I finally managed to persuade her enough was enough.

A week later the wee girl became very ill with vomiting and diarrhoea and had to be admitted to hospital for IV fluids - because she had suddenly become exposed to germs and bugs that she had never built up any immunity to.

 

I stopped sterilising when my daughters were able to shuffle over to the bin in their baby walker and eat the rubbish

[Popcorn]

Cor, Fee - that was handy having you on tap next door!

 

It is so hard to step back from protecting your own child against everything, and I remember being really worried when I took Stefan to a toddler group and he'd suck on toys that has been rolling around the church hall for years without so much as a clean wipe over them! It did make me put the Dettox and cloth down at home though.

 

[bronze]

I have to tell my dog constantly that Nia is my puppy not hers. I used to catch her giving her licks when she thought I wasn't looking. If she didn't get anything that way it was going to be unlikely my grotty house would make much difference.

[Snowy]

You don't want to know what my children were consuming at Lesleys on Saturday

 

I've given up saying to them 'STOP drinking the water', they never listen, dogs water, bath water, pond water, green water in Lesleys fountain. They just see it as a challenge to drink a bit more when I'm not looking!

[Popcorn]

Ewwwwwwww.....Snowy - that's yucky! They'll be eating worms next

[Chocobo]

yuckyful

[The Dogmother]

They're big strong healthy boys though

 

We used to camp out in the garden with our friends, and cook over a fire - nothing was ever clean, much less us.. we had a whale of a time