Creating a Space for Birth

Labour and birth is such a special time for all those involved. Wherever you choose to birth your child, ideally you should make the space feel special, calm and beautiful. Homebirth is something that is very important to me, being surrounded by familiar people, things and smells ensures I am in a place that will help me to feel safe, and to be honest, I'd rather the baby's first sights (other than me and people I love) be the surroundings of our home- a safe and beautiful space. Of course there is always the possibility we may need a hospital transfer and I would never hesitate to do this if it was necessary, but however things turn out it will be nice to be able to labour in a space that is calm and relaxing until my baby is born or until things need to be moved to an assisted environment.

We are lucky enough to have a really big bedroom so setting up the birth pool in there was easy. To me this room is more than a bedroom, it's my sewing room, yoga space, reading room and it even comes equip with a couch and coffee table so I can knit and drink tea. I have prepared a pile of things we will need during the labour and after the birth so that everything is in reach when we need it. I have the baby's first clothes, a cord I made to tie the umbilical cord after the placenta is born, an icecream container to store the placenta in until I am ready to bury it in our backyard, fluffy towels for when we get out of the pool, waterproof liners to avoid any mess during and after labour, a stack of paper and pencils for India to record the baby's birth in pictures, candles, oil burner and lavender oil. We will also have the camera nearby to take pictures. It's such fun to prepare the space and I feel so calm and centred whenever I'm in there.