If your pregnancy goes well and you are healthy then it is safe to give birth at home. We have everything with us that we might need.
Once labour has started, we will stay with you from the moment it is necessary for you. So this can vary from person to person.
You can also choose to give birth in hospital under our supervision. This is an outpatient birth in your preferred hospital. You then rent a room in the hospital's obstetrics department, so to speak. Childbirth does start at home then. It is also important that labour is really well underway before going to hospital. Otherwise, the change of location and the car ride may cause the contractions to subside again. This is why we usually head to the hospital with 4-6 cm of dilation. In hospital, you can use the shower or the delivery bath. We stay with you as much as possible for supervision if you feel comfortable. Depending on your health insurance, you may have to pay a personal contribution.
Things we need for a homebirth:
- 2 empty buckets
- 1 garbage bag
- 10 underpads
- 10 hydrophilic nappies (also if you do not want to give birth at home)
- 2 baby hot water bottles with hot water bottle bag (also if you do not want to give birth at home)
- Digital thermometer (also if you do not want to give birth at home)
- Hospital bag
- 1 large maternity mattress
- 10 cellulose pads (5 if you do not give birth at home)
- 1 cord ring or umbilical clamp
- 2 boxes of sterile gauze
- 1 bottle of alcohol
- 2 packs of maternity pads
- 1 bag of cotton wool
- 10 sterile gauze swabs 10×10
Practical
Make sure your bed is always on bunks by the time you go into labour. So even if you are going to give birth in hospital on an outpatient basis. Preferably from 37 weeks. This way, both we and the maternity workers can do our work properly. The bed should be raised, with the top of the mattress at least 80 cm from the ground. If it is not possible to raise the bed using chocks (or beer crates), please consult with us. We may advise you to make sure there is an extra mattress in the house to raise the bed with. If you give birth in the living room, a bed can be made by placing this mattress on the dining table.
It is very important to have your maternity kit in the house before you give birth. Even if you want to give birth on an outpatient basis. The maternity kit is provided by your health insurer, but you can also buy it at a chemist's or pharmacy. The maternity kit should contain at least the following:
