I will have only my husband. The lights will be low and I have a variety of music - some that makes me laugh, some classical, basically, the same basic combination that I usually listen to. I have a portable dvd player that I'll be taking with quite a few movies and some books. I'll wear the hospital gown. I want to be able to wear my clothes again! Really, the most important thing to me is that I can stay calm and happy regardless of what happens during the delivery. There is about a 70% chance that I will end up with another c-section and I don't want that to ruin my mood.

Do you have a playlist? If so what's on it?

Nope, I didn't the first time, and I won't this time. I was more interested in watching TV to pass the time (though my TV was stuck on HGTV or something like that), but that's because I had had an epidural and was just chilling out waiting to push.

How many people are you going to have with you? who are they?

Just my husband with me. There's nobody else I feel like showing my vagina to, not counting medical professionals who have to see it.

do you want it well lit or not many people?

I had regular hospital lighting. I think the lights were dimmed in the early hours of labor, since it was the middle of the night, and I was trying to rest, but for the big show, the lights were on normal (it was 10:30AM). I wasn't that concerned about lighting. Additionally, as many people as need to be there will be, as far as hospital personnel.

Are you brining anything with you to make yourself more comfortable?

Not really! I'll just be focused on giving birth

Are you going to use the hospital gown or your own clothes?

Hospital gown. It gets messy. Anything I wore would have to be thrown away, so my opinion is that there's no point in wasting clothing or money on a special birthing gown.

I know, I am so boring!!!

My birthing set up includes: Doctor's, the husband and both of our mothers in a room while I am in pain. As long as a doctor is there to make sure the baby and myself make it through safely, I don't care about my surroundings.

Why not let your son watch as well?

So I feel like I have about 20 different things I could make new threads out of, but for now I'll start with your birthing "set up." Have you all thought about what you'd like the environment to be like while delivering?

Do you have a playlist? If so what's on it?

I don't think I will be having any music but haven't decided for sure yet - I know I definitely want the tv on as a distraction but I'm the type of person that always has the tv on at home for "background noise" so for me, the tv is soothing

How many people are you going to have with you? who are they?

2 - My husband and our doula

do you want it well lit or not many people?

I don't mind regular lighting - as for the people, I don't mind people coming in and out but I made it clear that I do not want residents in the room. My neighbor had a resident botch her epidural recently so that did it for me.

Are you brining anything with you to make yourself more comfortable?
No, other than maybe a magazine to look at or something for early labor.

Are you going to use the hospital gown or your own clothes?
Hospital gown. Like others have said, I don't want to get my own clothes messy and honestly don't want to associate any of my own clothes with pain or trauma after I come home (I know it sounds weird)

And I'd love to hear anything else you plan to do to make the environment as loving and welcoming for your little bundle of joy...wow, I sound like a hippy

So I feel like I have about 20 different things I could make new threads out of, but for now I'll start with your birthing "set up." Have you all thought about what you'd like the environment to be like while delivering?

Do you have a playlist? If so what's on it?

How many people are you going to have with you? who are they?

do you want it well lit or not many people?

Are you brining anything with you to make yourself more comfortable?

Are you going to use the hospital gown or your own clothes?

And I'd love to hear anything else you plan to do to make the environment as loving and welcoming for your little bundle of joy...wow, I sound like a hippy

I'm not a big music person. I like quiet when I'm in labour so probably no music. It will be my husband and the two midwives who attend homebirths here and maybe my daughter if the labour is quick or at night. She's 4 but I think she would be okay with it. I don't swear or shout when I'm labouring so I don't think she would be scared. I would really like her to be first to know the gender of the baby, but we'll see. I'll have a birthing pool in my conservatory, and the midwives will be invited to sit in the adjoining sitting room until I tell them I am ready to push. I don't want examined to see how far I am dialated. With my first I was in the worst possible pain and was told I was only 3cm and it would be another 7 hours until I had her. It was very discouraging. Well I had her 20 minutes later, so I don't care how far dialated I am this time.
The conservatory lighting will be natural if it's day time and dim if it's night. I will wear a swimsuit top. No one will know I am in labour until I ring to annouce the baby had arrived. Last time we had to tell me in-laws I was in labour because we were due to go to a carol concert with them the evening Ivy was born. They text me constantly the whole time i was in labour and the bleeping of my phone was extremely irritating. It was much nicer just calling my family afterward and suprising them. No one to worry or annoy me!

With my first I stayed at home until I couldn't take it anymore and had her 45 minutes after arriving at the hospital. It was perfect!

I hope I'm this fortunate, we shall see! :-)

For us, we'll be at a military hospital so there's no students or resident nurses; just the OB & midwife on call and regular L&D nurses. For who will be in my room though, I've made it clear that I want as few people as possible and as few interruptions as possible (only midwife, my assigned L&D nurse, my husband and doula). The rooms are equipped w/dimming lights and they have a setup where the lights everywhere can still be dimmed during delivery as they have a small spotlight they can turn on and focus on that area without disrupting the ambiance in the room.

Haven't decided on music yet; many times when I'm focused on something or don't want to feel stressed or distracted I opt for no music and go for silence. We'll see what happens; if nothing else we'll have pandora if the room we've got has cell/data reception lol.

I plan to bring a few card games to pass the time (if needed, not sure how quick labor will go as this is my first but with me and my brother, my mom's was less than 5 hrs), a pillow as they're not plentiful nor as thick as I'd like in the rooms, comfy socks for the floor, and a disposable L&D gown that I've already tried on and really like/look good in (this is because subconscientiously I won't feel self aware and won't be worried about how I look in the hospital gown; usually I don't care what others think, but it definitely comes out in more "stressful" or "first time" situations).

We have a birth plan that's already in my records that will be reviewed by my assigned L&D nurse to help advocate to the midwife what I want (granted, if it's my midwife on call then it's not an issue at all!) so I hope to not have to remind anyone of anything - granted, that will be left up to my husband and doula as well - so I can focus solely on bring our daughter into this world