I know this isn't very helpful, but we didn't bring a written birth plan with us. Talking through the birth plan was a good exercise for us to get on the same page though. I avoided writing down a birth plan because I worried that overvisualization on my part would lead to major disappointment if things didn't go as planned. And so much of how you labor goes depends on how it begins, and then really you can only adapt plans from there.
Ultimately, I delivered at a very mother/ baby friendly hospital. And had a wonderful, WONDERFUL doula (I highly highly highly recommend hiring a doula. Worth every penny. I would have cut cable for a year to afford her). After my water broke and we checked in, we old the nurses that our birth plan had two bullet points: 1) I wanted to go natural as long as I could stand it; 2) bodily fluids were funny and I wasn't worried about being too uptight; this should be as fun and lighthearted as possible.
... FYI, my experience (normal vaginal, epidural, moderate tearing) was not lighthearted. That labor and delivery shit is SERIOUS!
Mine was in the other thread; I don't think the nurses ever saw it at the hospital, but I did go over everything before with my doctor and my doula. The doula kept things going how I wanted in the moment, and my doctor respected my wishes. It was great to get me thinking about what I wanted if I had the luxury of choice (and I'd say everything on my list I got, aside from my private recovery room).
I discussed things that I felt strongly about with my DH and wrote them down for his reference, and told him that it was his job to advocate for me and baby.
Our birth plan is to get the baby out and have a healthy baby and healthy mom at the end of the day.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Dec 31, 2012 22:40:11 GMT -5
We did a simple one page with our picture at the top. Or childbirth educator for the hospital class suggested a picture, as it helps personalize it a little.
W had it in the file of our midwives for whichever was in call, and our hospital asked for it as part of your pre-registration.
It consisted of:
Plan to avoid pain medication, please do not offer it Prefer to avoid an iv or hep lock if at all possible (my hospital did not require them if you were med free so this was not a problem) Prefer to labor in tub if possible (they had rules like no meconium, 5 cm dialated, etc, the biggest sinker issue was there was only one tub so first come first served). Prefer to labor in different positions, not just on the bed. Please suggest anything you think might be helpful for pain management.
For the baby: Skin to skin immediately if possible (std unless baby is in distress) Do not cut cord until it stops pulsing No eye antibiotics No vitamin k shot assuming everything is fine with the birth. I would have gotten it if there was any difficulty. No hep b vax, we chose to wait on that as we were not a risk for baby contracting hep b anytime soon.
Everything went perfectly according to plan. I felt like it helped to communicate what I wanted ahead of time. I got assigned an awesome nurse who was a former lay midwife and natural birth advocate, and I felt really comfortable with her and with all my choices. I also had a doula, mostly for pain management assistance, but also in case we needed help advocating. I didn't expect to have that problem since my midwife practice was very much in line with my birth preferences, but it was 600$ well spent for the peace of mind, since I was fairly specific about how I wanted my birth experience to go. And yes, emergencies happen, healthy baby is all that matters, blah blah blah, but I wanted to do anything I could to decrease the chances of having an emergency or an intervention I didn't want. Maybe the birth plan helped, maybe it didn't, but it certainly didn't hurt, as my hospital was very in favor of them, as were my midwives.
Why do we have to say the whole "healthy baby healthy mom" thing? Of course everyone wants that.
Wanting more than that isn't a bad thing. Some people get it, some people don't, but it's okay to aim higher than "alive".
IME, a busy L&D nurse isn't necessarily going to have time to read or remember a lengthy birth plan. Thus me putting DH in charge of my wishes.
I certainly am aiming for higher than "alive" too, but at the end of the day, that is my top priority (because, you know, if you labor too long at home and don't get 'alive' it kind of sucks).
jmho, but I think that detailed birthplans are sometimes hyped too much on the Internet. It is good to know what you want, but it is also good to be flexible. For as much as everyone is welcome to post their grand details, I am just sharing my perspective that I am completely ok with going with the flow this time. At the end of the day, who the heck cares if baby sucks on a pacifier for five minutes before mom notices and is able to offer the boob?
I've never done a written birth plan. I have discussed my preferences with my doctor ahead of time, and DH is aware of my preferences as well in the event that I am unable to advocate for myself. I asked my nurses to please talk with me before administering any meds or doing any procedures on me or the baby, but that is it.
FWIW, I felt fully capable of expressing my preferences and advocating for myself during both of my previous births, and I was always asked for consent prior to any interventions. I recognize that there are situations where it doesn't work that way, but I think in many cases you do have the opportunity to actively participate in decision-making as things progress.