Prenatals for homebirth clients?

[jessa_bee]

Dear Doula Sisters,

Help! I have several clients who are planning homebirths and I'm looking for your advice/wisdom/input about helping them prepare prenatally.

How many visits do you do with your homebirth clients, what do you cover, what do you focus on, do you do a plan (thread)?

Many thanks!
Jess

[betterbirths]

Homebirth clients need much of the same information as clients that are birthing in the hospital:
Position changes
Positions in labor and second stage
Coping strategies
Eating and staying hydrated
When to call the midwife
When to call the doula
Who else will be present and what their role will be
Plans for what to do after the birth of the baby

Things to discuss with the client are regarding homebirth:
Where they plan on birthing (bed, tub etc.)
Find out where they keep linens and towels and such for bed changes
List of supplies required by midwife
What they plan on eating and drinking in labor and where those things will be
What their plans are in case of emergency transfer
What their plans are regarding children in the home and their place at the birth.

Those are a few of the things I can think of of the top of my head. I have only attended one home birth but it was the greatest.

[doulafava]

I agree completely with the above poster, and wanted to add that just as hospital birth mamas have preferences about interventions and procedures, so can home birth mamas. Some things I mention are privacy, perennial support, vaginal exams, cord cutting, 3rd stage management..... midwives all have different ways of dealing with these things, and I encourage my homebirth clients to figure out what kind of style their midwife has, and to express any desires and preferences.

Just thinking of myself here as an example, but I don't want anyone touching my vagina at all during my birth unless I ask. If we decide on an attended birth, this is something I would want to discuss with the midwife and have my doula and partner support me on.

I do 3 prenatals with home birth clients (3 so far), and discuss a lot of the stuff the OP suggested, with a focus on emotional preparation.