This blog is for you if you’ve chosen to have a hospital birth or for those whose birth plans have changed and hospital birth is now on the cards.
How can you make a hospital birth feel more homely?
Well, that’s exactly what I’ll be covering in this blog and I’m going to break it down into our five senses.
If you’d prefer to listen – Head here to the Audio Version of this blog
Let’s begin with sight
The room you will be birthing in, how can you make this look more homely?
Decorate the room with positive birth affirmations (you can make your own or buy ready-made ones and scatter them around the room)
Use tea lights and or fake candles
Fairy lights are a gorgeous way to decorate the room
Bring photographs of loved ones who can’t be with you.
Dim the lighting (some birth centres have coloured lighting!)
Take some sunglasses to darken the room for yourself!
Then comes smell…
Have you considered using Aromatherapy essential oils in a diffuser?
Popular oils to use are clary sage or lavender
Massage oils like peppermint oil can be used to ease nausea when massaged into the skin during labour.
Add oils to flannel and smell it like sweet orange oil, a refreshing scent (here’s a quick link to some oils used during labour)
Your own pillow from home
An item of clothing or blanket that just smells of home!
Next is touch…
Why not bring a piece of fabric or clothing that you love the texture and feel of.
You might love to bring crystals or gemstones to hold
Maybe wear a necklace that you can grip onto.
If you feel like you’d love to be touched, consider saying yes to a massage (hip squeezes, massage lower back and neck)
Using a cool flannel for your brow and neck is super soothing and calming
Bring a comb with you to hold, you can use it to help block pain signals during labour – (See here)
Use water, is there a shower in the room, bath or birth pool?
Holding hands with your birth partner
Would you prefer to be naked or in comfy clothes?
Following on from touch is Taste…
Be sure to bring enough of snacks for you and your birth partner and keep hydrated.
Bring sweet or savoury snacks (whichever floats your boat)
Lucozade is a great high-energy drink!
Drink plenty of water
Either bring our own drinking container which has a straw-like feature or just pack a straw
Devour fresh or frozen fruits (try frozen grapes or watermelon!)
And Jelly is another good one!
and finally hearing…
Why not make a mixed playlist of all your favourite songs
Consider using hypnobirthing audio
Listen via the Bluetooth or take some headphones
Listen to the voice of your birth partner
Remember to use the brain tool (here it is!)
You can ask that everyone in the room speak quietly and softly
Finally, listen to your baby when the midwife checks your babes heartbeat.
and that my dear reader concludes my top tips for making your hospital birth feel more homely!