Homebirth prenatals

[flowers]

I was hired by clients and midway through helped them navigate the change of provider to something they felt more comfortable and empowered by. This turned out to be a homebirth. While I'm thrilled to be involved with a homebirth (had two myself and was trained as a doula following a hb mw) I am a little at a lost what to go over at our second prenatal so she feels it's worth having me.

She is very well informed, took comprehensive cbe classes and is doing hypno session with another doula friend of mine. She has the best midwife, student midwife and the nurse who is hired by the midwife.

She is so on stop of things it seems there's little to cover. We've already done intake, get to know you, talk about ideal birth/fears. We've navigated through parents coming or not. We've talked about my role (early labor support and then additional support. I am also bringing my dslr camera).

We have one last prenatal next week. Any suggestions of what we could go over that would be fun, exciting and helpful???? (She's 36.5 weeks).

[novadoula]

I think I would just find out from her what she would like for you to do at the birth. Practice comfort measures lots of hands on stuff. the time getting more comfortable with each other is very valuable in itself. Sometimes I just ask questions and let mom talk.

[ms_quoted]

Even though you've already talked about fears/concerns- I would still ask how she is doing emotionally/mentally as the delivery nears. I know many times I will have clients who are very confident and informed but start to develop fears- some "irrational" as the birth of their baby nears and it is helpful for them to talk through it. Even if she says she is feeling great, excited about the birth, etc. that would still be an opportunity for you to encourage her.

[Goldie]

(NAK, sorry for any errors.)
Is the appointment going to be at her home? If so, you could have her show you around. Where are towels, cups, etc. Where could you plug your pump in for a birth ball? (assuming you have one)
Where does she want the pool set up? (again, assuming there will be one) What areas are off limits? Where might you be able to rest during non-eventful times?

Like Jessica said, this will also be a good time to bring up concerns again. New things may have cropped up, or she might need some reassurance.

Practice coping techniques, show her different things you might try to help with baby's position, go over what you typically do during labors etc. Perhaps ask if she has any favorite smells or something...

Good luck!

[DoulaCBE]

Breastfeeding. My last prenatal is always breastfeeding.
Review comfort measures, make sure you know where to find what you need in her home. Create a transport plan or at least talk about how she'd like that handled, etc.

[Nicole E]

I am looking forward to more ideas. My July client just switched to midwife care and is considering a home birth

[AnthroDoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicole E I am looking forward to more ideas. My July client just switched to midwife care and is considering a home birth

Also looking forward to more ideas!

It looks like my very first prenatal appointment as a doula will be for a home birth mom in just a few days. She wants to show me her home and discuss the homeopathy she'd like to use.

I'd like to be able to DO a little more at the prenatal, to show her I am competent (and also stretch my new doula muscles!).

Any more suggestions?

[flowers]

I ended up having a fantastic experience so I wanted to come back and share how it went. Because I was hired before they decided to have a homebirth and I then helped them get midwives phone numbers (and could tell them to say I sent them etc.) they were very happy to have someone help them navigate that change.

At the prenatal I brought a little check-list of things I wanted to make sure we talked about. I asked lots of questions about what they wanted, how they were feeling and how they saw my role. I brought a good selection of books and recommended a few and let her borrow some. I also recommended good websites and movies. I made myself very emotionally available and was the person she'd call/email when she was frustrated by all the calls/attention she got on her due date. We talked a lot about the misconceptions of homebirth and how to navigate your way around well meaning relatives and friends.

It was acknowledged that my job was more intense in the hospital (they were going in ready to fight for their rights) and I acknowledged that my role very much changed in the homebirth setting. I emphasized the way I would still be offering services. I offered to take pictures through out the birth and I edited them and put them together and presented it to them at the post-partum visit.

We decided I would be the first to come in early labor. I spoke to her a lot in early labor (from home) assuring her it was all normal. Then I went to be with them and ended up being the one to strongly recommend we have the mw come b/c she was progressing quickly.

It was a really great experience and they sent me the most wonderful thank you note, so all my worries were for nothing! I was glad to get this experience and would love to doula more homebirths.