Is Home Birth Messy?
While many of our families choose to labor and deliver here at the birth center, some prefer the choice of a home birth. A home birth can be a comfortable fit for some families. One common area of concern that arises around home birth is the ‘mess.’ However, we’re happy to report that birth at your home doesn’t have to be messy at all. With preparation and planning, a home birth can be executed safely and hygienically.
Prepping Your Birth Space
Preparing your space ahead of time is the best thing you can do for a home birth. It helps you plan things more accurately and also helps us prepare for the birth since we know what area of your house we’ll be in.
Here are some tips for preparing your birth space:
- Choose a space where you can control the lighting. You want visibility, but a room that’s too bright might not be the best choice in order for you to relax.
- Choose a room that’s easily accessible.
- Remove furniture, rugs, and other items that you don’t need to allow for mobility.
- The space should allow for the right amount of privacy and comfort.
- If you’re planning to labor in bed, mattress protectors or waterproof covers are a nice addition.
Sometimes, you don’t always end up in the planned birth space when you go into labor. So it’s good to prepare your entire home in a way that caters to a home birth whenever the time arises. You can do this by putting away decorative pieces or unnecessary furniture, moving bulky tables out of the way, and keeping waterproof covers at hand.
Make sure your space is how you want it to encourage the labor and birth you desire. You can also decorate the place with positive affirmations, have aromatherapy diffusers, or do whatever else you need to make it more comfortable for yourself.
What You Need
You don’t need much in terms of labor or birth. We advise getting towels that you don’t mind messing up, but everything is generally washable!
We will bring everything we need to help assist you in your labor, but here are a few things you might want to add to your shopping list:
- Light food or snacks to have during labor
- Refillable water bottles
- Pillows for comfort
- Ice chips, ice cubes, or Popsicles
- Comfortable clothing options
- Large pack of extra-large overnight pads
Is Clean-Up Difficult?
As far as the clean-up is concerned, don’t worry too much since:
- We make sure the birthing area is prepared, complete with protective layers on the bed.
- We use a trash bag to ensure privacy, and we take everything else with us when we leave!
- We’ll do all the laundry before leaving your house.
For any other concerns, feel free to mention them to us so we can help you take care of everything when the time comes.