Anyone using Bumps birth plan?

angelinthepit23

FTM and was wondering if anyone else was using Bumps birth plan? It seems to cover the items I've thought about but keep thinking I might be missing something.

CarrieOct15

Tbh, I'm not creating a birth plan. There's a few things I prefer, such as delayed cord clamping, but I'm going into labor with a pretty flexible mindset. My OB & her partners are not ones to jump to unnecessary medical interventions, so I trust them to make the best decisions for the health of my baby & I. We talked about my preferences at my last appt, and I was satisfied with everything she had to say. My mother is an L&D nurse, so I know how quickly things can change when you're actually in labor, and things don't always go according to plan. 

You can always have a chat with your OB and ask questions about labor, which may give you the insight you need to finish your birth plan. 

JLW0504

I didn't have a birth plan for DD1 or this one. This pregnancy, I wasn't really given an option, I have to have a c-section since my placenta is covering the cervix. 

With DD1, I figured what will happen will happen, any birth plan will not prepare me for how the actual birth will go. 

You can have preferences, but LO will come when and how s/he wants to.

tayzav

No birth plan for me. I feel my doctors and nurses will take care of me and baby the best way possible and don't feel the need to make any sort of "plan." I feel as soon as you make a plan something is going to happen so you can't stick to it anyway. Seems like way too much thought and demands on something you have no real power over. My only request is the epidural. I'm not about to be in awful pain for hours just because. Not the time (for me personally, and only my opinion) to try to be tough. Pass.

fitmama89

My birth plan is simple... Have a healthy baby. Worked wonders for DD. I 100% trust my doctor and my body. Anything more than that in my eyes is simply a "wish list".

jamiem522

Having a birth plan is an extremely smart idea. It is you're responsibly, not your doctors, to be in charge of your body and your baby. Even if your birth plan is simple, it gets you in a mind set of educating yourself about the decisions you will be faced with. Birth isn't a one size fits all and to think your doctor is going to do what's best for YOU specifically isn't necessarily true.

oliarnmom1517

I just asked for unmedicated and for the baby to get out safely and if he needs to come out via c section then that's fine (obviously c section I'll be medicated) but I want to do vagina unmedicated if possible.. I have a bunch of guidelines for afterwords but that's different!!

TeamPink1111

I haven't even looked at the bumps birth plan or sample birth plans. Like some others mine is pretty simple... do what is needed for baby and I and delay cord clamping, and rub in that white stuff, not off because it helps protect the baby. Other than that I haven't thought about "plans" the way I see it, whatevers gonna happen is gonna happen lol

Bettytteb

I've just started thinking about making my birth plan (holding off on really doing it to see if my low placenta has shifted at my ultrasound next week). I'm an obsessive over planner/control freak, so even though I know there is a big possibility that things will change and may not go according to plan, I want to be prepared as possible. This is the template I think I'm going to use. It's super comprehensive:

https://blog.earthmamaangelbaby.com/birth-plan/ 

grapesoda1111

I filled out partly, kind of just to make sure of what I want. I will go over it with my midwife, but she is knows what I want and what is best for baby/me at the time!

dmiller1213

As others have said my "plan" is pretty simple- do what I have to do for the safety of my baby. Pretty much the only plan I've got...

irsikb

I printed it and will use it as reference for my own. I have talked to my doctor to help me make the decisions, so I'm not necessarily worried about communicating with her. I am however trying to have something in case my doctor isn't there when the time comes, if there is another doctor on call or something... and for my husband to be able to know what's going on, I don't want him to be surprised by anything going on and to know what people are takin about when they refer to "delayed cord clamping" "skin to skin contact" etc. He is also traveling close to due date for work so in case somebody else needs to step in, they may be asked questions. It's probably not something you will necessarily use but it's nice to have something written down just in case. Can't hurt to have it...But ultimately the other ladies are right, you can't control everything.

Kitta+1

I found the Bump's template the most reasonable - not too long, and not too short.  However the very mention of having a birth plan (regardless of what's in it) has been the subject of much scorn from family and medical professionals alike.  I'm so glad everyone else is so knowledgeable about what is right for my body and my baby - it'd be a horrible thing for a FTM to actually be allowed a say in her own birthing  process. *cue eye roll*

Seriously, though - it's a great template.  Even if you don't use it, look it over- there may be options or rights you didn't know about, and it can give you some subjects to research.

sallyoz75

I'm definitely having a birth plan but not worked out which one yet!! My hubby has been constantly grilled and questioned by me to make sure he is on my page in the delivery and can curse at anyone deviating from my birth plan... Lol!!! I figure as long as he knows what I want then I'm in safe hands, but it does help that he's as into this birth as me

tayzav

I wish everyone with a "birth plan" would report back here letting me know how thatttt goes. I'm genuinely curious how many people will actually get to stick to it, especially 100%. Things happen, and if you go in refusing to corporate or differentiate from your birth plan, even in the slightest, you never know what could happen. I know someone who did this, refused a c-sec and the baby ended up dying. As far as I'm concerned get my baby out any way possible making sure she's healthy and safe and I'm healthy and safe. :-? :-$

Kitta+1

Going in with a birth plan doesn't mean you are determined to have your birth one specific way and refuse to consider any others, and if you don't advocate for yourself these days don't expect anyone else to.  There are a lot of 'routine' things done in US L&D's that are not the norm in other developed countries and are not supported by modern research at all.  If you feel comfortable not knowing anything about what they are doing to you and your baby and what they are putting you at risk for, then by all means enjoy your experience and good luck but I am so tired of the derogatory attitudes towards those trying to make informed decisions about their health and their baby.

tayzav

Has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with not being informed about what could or would possibly happen, (and thanks, but I know my options and all the different possibilities I have that may or may not occur) it's about accepting the fact that chances are, not everything is going to go exactlyyyy to your birth plan. Things happen. Things change. But hey if you don't trust your doctor enough to know what's going on with "your body," and your baby, and don't want he/she to make the best possible, safest decision for you both (if something unplanned were to come up), including making a change to your oh so important birth plan, that's on you. And I'm not saying you directly but there are people out there that refuse to budge or change the plan. It's just that, a plan, plans are often subject to change. Like sallyoz75 says, she grills her hubby so he knows he can cuss at anyone deviating from her plan...and she knows if he knows what she wants she's in safe hands. Umm I didn't know your SO knew what was best if an emergency arose, unless he's the delivering doc that makes zero sense. Like whattt?!

Kitta+1

There are delivering professionals out there that do stay current on the research, and if you have a working relationship with a doctor whose philosophy on birth is congruent with your own it helps that doctor-patient trust immensely.  Doctors did go to school for this, but in the US especially even the schools have an old school approach that treats birth like a disease process instead of a natural one - they are trained to look for problems and try to solve them as if they were symptoms of a disease and much of the modern research is showing that sometimes digging for indications of a problem yields false results and leads to interventions that were not necessary or even beneficial.  Take the whole pictocin thing - there are times when it can be useful, sure, but these days if you don't progress to their formulated standard they give it, even though the research shows there is actually a lot of variations in the length of a healthy labor and delivery.  Take the lithotomy position - I've had two hospitals say that that is just the way it's done and resist allowing alternative positions, even though that position is the worst for delivery - it can reduce the size of the pelvic pathway by as much as 30% because it puts pressure on the tailbone and forces you to work against gravity.  This leads to an increase in c-sections because of the shoulder dystosia, even though alternative positioning and maneuvering may have been sufficient to allow the baby to pass without surgical intervention.

Doctors are not imbued with some divine wisdom at the completion of their degree - they got their info through research, and you can do that, too.  In a perfect senario you have researched your options, discussed them with your doctor, and can feel comfortable that you and your provider are making sound decisions as a team.  However that is rarely the case - in labor and delivery I hear so much about 'policy' and what they 'allow' us to do when in reality it should be the mother that has the right to allow or disallow procedures.  We have rights when it comes to our healthcare and one of the most important rights is our right to informed consent - to have things explained and reasoned to us and to give or withhold consent based on the information present.  Though I believe a provider can be a useful assistant I cannot just give them an across the board OK to do whatever they feel like, especially when so many seem to have a complete disregard for the mothers in the delivery process.

I think either extreme if foolish - to have an inflexible plan that cannot be adjusted as events occur is a poor idea, but I also believe it's equally as foolish just to shrug and say, 'well he's the professional so he's got to know best.'  It's optimal to be able to approach birthing as a team - doctor, patient, and support system all on the same page.  It just doesn't always happen that way.

dramaphile

I'm not too worried, I will be at a birth center, and their philosophies align with mine very well as far as minimal intervention, allowing my body to do what it needs to, etc. The only think I will probably put out ahead of time is that I want to delay cord clamping, if possible. I am going to tour the hospital that I would be transferred to if I can't deliver at the birth center, so I will have an idea of what to expect if that scenario happens and I need induction,
intervention, or a c section. I am confident if I end up needing interventions, it will be because I have reached the limits of what my body is capable of.

Plans can change, and a healthy baby is the priority. It's ok to plan if there are a few things that are important to you, but also be flexible because you won't be able to control everything.

Kitta+1

Oh, and thanks Tayzav for not jumping down my throat.  I know my previous post came off a little catty - I've been dealing with unsupportive family and medical professionals all week so the subject just hit a nerve.  Any more crap from my doc and family and I swear I'm going to slip off and give birth under a bush somewhere like my cat did, lol.

tayzav

@Kitta+1 Haha, no worries. I've had a week myself so I apologize if I came off harsh too. I think the idea of having all that knowledge you have is great. I really do, we just have a bit of a difference on opinion. I think for me just knowing the girl that lost her baby because she refused c section makes me wanna scream. Plus my best friends little guy came out dead last November. She went in for a routine apt and they had to do an emergency c section on her to try to save his life. It took just over five minutes to bring him back, and she ended up watching the whole thing and had ptsd for a long while afterwards. It was hard watching her go through that. He's 100% healthy now, but so scary. It was just the fast actions of the doctors that made him survive, so I guess I'm just a little biased haha.

WeirdAlice

I'm leaning towards a second c-section so the most I have to plan out Is for after labor, pain meds,
who can and can not come back to visit and how often they can visit
.. etc, those kinda things.
So for a basic guidelines I might use the bumps b-plan,
I didn't have to do any of this with my first as it was just my ex and I for the first 3 months alone with baby due to a different state.
This time im back home with almost all my family.

Kitta+1

Women who refuse interventions without considering them bug me, too.  Not just in L&D, as a nurse I've seen so many patients that could be doing so much better for themselves - like non-compliant diabetics, CHF patients with a "big gulp" soda, etc.  I could see where your biases come from for sure!  My biases come from working with doctors and nurses and hearing some of the negative attitudes and derogatory comments they have made about patients in their care.  Things like, "Just put them in for the minimums, they're not going to pay anyways."  

I think honestly we're kind of on the same page, we just lean in opposite directions, lol.

Bettytteb

In general I think it's naive to believe that hospitals have the mother/baby's best interests in mind. And even trusted doctors are part of a broken health care system (at least here in the US). A quick look at C-section statistics in my area (NYC metro) makes that perfectly clear. Women have been giving birth since the dawn of mankind, and no other country shares the US's highly pathologizing perspective on the treatment of pregnant women and the delivery of babies. For me, having a birth plan is not about being rigid and stubborn, it's about advocating for myself and the best interests of my baby within this broken system. I am choosing to deliver in a hospital IN CASE something goes wrong. In the event of complications I understand that I need to deviate from my plan and I'm glad to know that I'll have options available to me. Ultimately, it's about having a healthy baby & being a healthy momma. However, I think that's more likely to happen by doing research, considering options, and forming a plan than by just going with the flow.

Kitta+1

Bettytteb - the teaching hospital down here - the one that TRAINS our doctors - has a 62% c-section rate. Its really is scary.  The midwives around here seem more up to date and knowledgeable than the docs do, unfortunately.  The US has the highest C-Section rate of any developed country and Arkansas is always at least in the top 10 states at that, so I feel ya.  I've lived in other states though that are progressing.  The US medical system is slow to update and accept change, but we are moving in the right direction ... slowly.  Societal attitude works against us with this, though.

Bettytteb

Kitta+1 said:

Bettytteb - the teaching hospital down here - the one that TRAINS our doctors - has a 62% c-section rate. Its really is scary.  The midwives around here seem more up to date and knowledgeable than the docs do, unfortunately.  The US has the highest C-Section rate of any developed country and Arkansas is always at least in the top 10 states at that, so I feel ya.  I've lived in other states though that are progressing.  The US medical system is slow to update and accept change, but we are moving in the right direction ... slowly.  Societal attitude works against us with this, though.

62%?! That's insane! Most of the hospitals around here run around 35-40% c-sections which is still crazy high! You know with stats like that it's about the hospital/insurance companies not about mothers/babies. So sad. 

dogsombrero

Birth plans haven't proven to be very helpful for me. I made sure to find a hospital and practitioner that had similar views on birth to mine, that's what worked for me. My hospital believes in the golden hour of skin to skin list birth, delayed clamping when possible, only offer rooming in (except NICU), birthing stools, midwives as well as doctors etc. this time with twins I know I have a much higher risk of csection, I don't care just get them out safe. So to all the FTMs yes you can make a birth plan and it is helpful to know what you'd like but it's far more important to have a medical professional you trust and a hospital with ideas that align with yours.

urby87

I have a few things I would like to happen, but I'm aware that circumstances out of my control could arise that might change those things.  I want unmedicated, I want my husband to be my only "helper" in delivery outside of medical staff, and I want delayed cord clamping.  If I require an induction, or meds to help work through the pain, it's not the end of the world.  If Baby needs to be whisked away due to a complication and delayed cord clamping isn't a possibility, so be it.  Things don't always go according to plan, and I'm pretty laid back, so whatever happens happens.  As long as I get a healthy baby in the end, I'm good.

eamarat

My OB told me that when I come in, me and LO are her responsibility and she takes that seriously and is going to do what needs to be done to keep us both healthy. I've looked up points on a birth plan and have gone over them with her and we've discussed pro and cons and in an ideal situation what I would like to happen. My husband will know things as well but I trust her to make the right decisions. So nah, I'm not doing a birth plan though I have seen several samples and TB's looks pretty decent.

thefithuntress

Maybe it's just me, but shaping a birth plan gave me a little reassurance and confidence. Beforehand I had no idea and after doing some research, listening to stories, and having conversations with OBs, midwives, and my doula I feel much more empowered. I definitely believe that a little knowledge goes a long way and having the tools you need to make an educated decision and support it is key. Although things happen and you have to be open to all outcomes there is certainly a difference between acceptance out of complacency versus understanding.