Birth plan

heatherperkins14

What is everyone planning on doing and how did you come up with the plan? I feel like my doctor should discuss options but that hasn't happened yet, so I guess I don't know where to start.  I'm interested in a water birth but not even sure if the hospital I'm going to offers it or if my doc would approve. I can't even decide if I want natural vs epidural. Lost. Anyone have a good resource for info?

aesthyerin

My plan is to have the baby. I think trying to be too specific beforehand causes a lot more stress

vcabbyw

I just did a rough draft of mine. I made sure I met with my midwife first, went on the hospital tour, asked questions on their policies and then confirmed it with my midwife. Then I took it all to my doula and we've been discussing it. My hospital encourages it and has a special area just for them. They are also already known to be very baby and mother friendly (i.e. No nursery, no baths, delayed cord clamping is already their policy). 

My doula, however.. Wants me to keep it:
one page, bullet points, and to not list anything that's already policy. She just wants me to hit on the main things I want to do differently. And she also knows what we will have the most issues fighting against and what is a big deal breaker to me. 

Also, as a second time mom, I also know now to keep an open and flexible mindset towards labor. 

Heres mine:

Birth vision:
Planning an unmedicated birth. 

Please don't ask pain level. 

Not interested in routine dilation checks unless medically relevant or asked by mom.

Heplock placed above wrist instead of hand.

Intermittent Doppler monitoring after triage check in. 

Option to labor in water.
Need tub room.  
Birthing ball needed. 

After baby care:

No hep b shot

No eye ointment

Vitamin K OK, please wait.

Pku Heal prick OK

PLEASE LEAVE ALL Vernix on. No rubbing or scrubbing vigorously with towels. 

Delaying any and all procedures for baby for at least 1 hour as long baby is medically stable. 

strickland8052

I would recommend getting as much info as possible and then if you still don't know, play it by ear. Take a birth class to learn more about pain management options. Go on a tour of your hospital to see if water birth is an option and what their policies are. Do make decisions in advance about things related to the baby (circumcision, cord blood banking/donation/delayed clamping, vaccines, eye ointment). However, don't feel like you have to decide what song should be playing as you are crowning. Some people are comforted by planning every detail; others aren't. My doula tried to get me to plan out whether I want the lights dim or aromatherapy or this or that, and I just said I have no idea until that day. Can we just bring it and see how I feel?

My birth plan is pretty simple. An epidural, Blood cord donation, and a giant cold cut sandwich when I'm ready to eat again. Aside from a healthy baby, those are my only wishes for now.  

ibabyloveb87

@strickland8052 I'm with you on the giant cold cut sandwich 

Mine is pretty simple: heathy baby, healthy mom. Want an epidural. Our hospital is already baby friendly with no nursery, delayed cord clamping, skin to skin (as long as nothing is medically necessary of course).

Most of my desired plans are for DH/nurses to help enforce my wishes for visitors and such. 

sportiegrl1213

Praying for the best outcome...epidural, healthy mom, healthy baby!! Keeping my placenta to turn into pill form. That's the only crazy thing on my list. 

NicholeL16

We started ours with our midwife yesterday. The birthing center is med free only so that was easy. I left my options open about where I want to labor but asked for the room with the biggest tub because I see a tub birth as a possibility. We declined the eye ointment but said yes to vitamin k. We chose delayed cord clamping. Daddy is going to help catch and then we will have skin to skin right after. There are a couple things left to decide on. There are parts of my birth plan that I really want to stick to but if at any point something else is needed to deliver my baby safely that is exactly what we will do.

mizzkbrat

My plan is to have a baby. That's about it. 

ashleyp625

mizzkbrat said:

My plan is to have a baby. That's about it. 

Same! Do what you have to do to keep us both safe. The end. 

waterfall213

I like the phrase birth preferences more than birth plan, because let's face it you can't really plan this stuff. Go into it with an open mind. With my first I said I wanted to go without pain meds as long as possible, but was open to the idea of an epidural if things got too tough. I got the epi at 7 cm. I also didn't want to be given pitocin as long as I was progressing on my own. Other important things to me are skin to skin right away as long as both of us are stable, and being able to try to breastfeed right away. 

MKJeffrey2002

@mizzkbrat and @ashleyp625  that's pretty much my plan. I want to experience the minimal amount of pain and have a healthy baby and healthy mama.  

serenaxo84

We have a planned c section- I am going to ask my doctor about holding the baby while they close me up- something I didn't do with DS1. But I doubt I will be able to do some expected complications...so I am basically just trying to have a healthy baby with no complications.

But do some research, see what your hospital provides, figure out what you want and then talk to your OB about it. But keep an open mind. Birth is unexpected. What you want now might now be what you want in the moment.

mommathoner

I'm trying to find a balance between making my preferences known and being able to go with the flow. With my first, I had a plan but never showed my doc because I was afraid I would be seen as too demanding. But I felt sorta our of control during the labor process and wish I would have spoken up a little more.  So this time, I wrote out something that addresses what I want but allows for flexibility. I started with goals ...

1. Healthy baby!
2. Vaginal birth
3. Unmedicated birth

Then I went into a little history of my first labor/delivery (So I hopefully don't have to repeat it 1 million times ...), and then I listed our other preferences under three categories: 

1. Extremely Important: Things like being free to move around or change positions, breastfeeding
2. Sorta Important: No pain meds offered, skin-to-skin (I'd rather do this after he's all done with tests and cleaned up so we can be left alone)
3. Nice, but not necessary: Room with labor tub (only two available), dad cuts cord (didn't have the option last time)

queen_frostine

My basic plan is to get the baby out with as little damage to me and baby as possible. Obviously if one of us has to take the hit, I volunteer. I do want to somehow politely state that they need to talk to me about anything before they do it, barring a life or death moment. I have heard of nurses just shooting you up with pitocin without telling you and I am afraid of that.

I'm going to have an incredibly detailed plan that I go over with my husband, thoroughly, and make him have a copy and memorize it. Then something very brief for the staff perhaps. I want my husband to be knowledgeable and alert so if he sees someone about to inject something in my IV he can say "hey, what are you doing there" or remind them "don't clamp the cord yet" or whatever. Since I probably won't be fully functional.

F47

You first need to do a tour of the hospital and talk to your doctor. If it's a hospital, it's highly unlikely that a water birth would be possible. I toured a couple of hospitals in my area the first time around. Some had tubs in every room, some had one tub and you could ask if it was available upon arrival, some had a couple of tubs. But, the policy in each of those was the mother had to come out of the water before pushing (some had a centimeter/dilation cut off). I have no idea if that's the case in every city, but it was where I live.

I wouldn't expect your doctor to initiate this conversation. You need to decide what you want. I wouldn't recommend trying for an unmedicated birth without doing research first. A birthing class like Hypnobirthing, Bradley Method, etc. (there are a lot of "methods" out there) is ideal, but not 100% necessary if you don't have time/can't afford it. But, you need to be knowledgeable about the birthing process or you're setting yourself up for a shock and potential disappointment.

I'm sure your hospital offers a tour, so sign up for that asap. They will give you a lot of information that can help you start your decision-making process.

ignoscemihi

Some good advice on here already.  One thing that might help is just doing a Google search of "birth plan templates" just to get an idea of what kinds of things people put in birth plans.  Here's one from The Bump: https://images.thebump.com/tools/pdfs/birth_plan.pdf  It's probably too long to give to the hospital, but it and other templates might be a useful starting point for thinking about what's really important to you during and shortly after labor.  Like others have already said, you can't control everything, but having a written plan to give to your doctor and the hospital might help you get more of what you want than trying to communicate your wants and needs when you're in pain.

Blonde1817

We're delivering at a birth center that is part of a hospital.  With the registration they give you a birth plan with a bunch of questions and options for each.  Maybe see if your doctor or hospital has a birth plan form that they often use?  That said, I would have had no clue how to answer any of the questions without the classes I took (also at the hospital where I plan to deliver), they were extremely helpful.  Although I imagine some books would be helpful resources too.

I get what everyone is saying about "I want to have a baby" or "healthy mom/health baby, that's it,"  and while I agree that flexibility and not getting too stuck on one particular thing is essential, I also have learned that there are a lot of options that really have no right answer.  So I think it's important to learn what the options are ahead of time so you can choose what you personally feel is best for you and the baby.  

Piperella

Here is mine... I wanted something simple and visual for those who will be looking at it in the hospital.  It was highly suggested in the confident childbirth classes I took to create one (and understand that a plan is just a plan.. nothing written in stone because things come up during l&d.. but at least it shows your preferences).  Pinterest had a large number of templates to use.  This is where mine came from.

heatherperkins14

Thanks for the direction ladies. I know there is nothing written in stone when it comes to birth. And I feel like everyone's priority is healthy baby/ mom. I was just feeling overwhelmed by all of the options. Hypnobirthing, water births, meds/ no meds, clamp the cord or delay. It's just so much to think about. 
I think I've decided my birth plan though. The stork can drop off the baby anytime between noon and 7pm on my due date. haha. Good luck to all still trying to decide. 

Mintz1982

I plan on pushing out something the size of a watermelon out a hole that expands to the size of a bagel. Behind that I'm sure I'll scream I'm sure I'll cry I'm sure any plans I make will change since it did every other time. Only thing I know is by October 17th 2016 I will have a baby.

booksandicecream

I am still waiting to find out if I will need a c-section so can't contribute yet, but I have a slightly off topic question.
What are your reasons for denying the eye drops? @vcabbyw @NicholeL16 @Piperella

NicholeL16

@books&icecream The use of erythromycin, the eye ointment, is primarily to prevent the transfer of bacteria found in certain diseases the mother might have to the baby. I have been tested and am negative for all of those diseases. For that reason it's an unnecessary intervention for my baby. I was given the option to decline so I did

mothernorth

I'm just going wing it, as usual. 

My sociology professor is a creep and is actually hoping I go into labor during class... she wants to be able to observe how my classmates react to a situation like that 

booksandicecream

@NicholeL16 Thanks! I'll look into it further. 
@AllyTheKid  Um, what?!?! I mean, granted, cool experiment, but couldn't she just use an actress?? Same result without potential danger and discomfort for you... 

Piperella

@books&icecream I'm not denying the eye ointment, but I am trying to protect as much skin-to-skin time with my LO right after birth.  That is why I don't want to have anything done during that first hour, unless medically necessary.  I'm all for the eye ointment, but after the first hour.  It was a suggestion by the nurse who lead our classes.  She said waiting an hour or two would not harm the baby while still allowing you to have the baby on you at all times.  

mothernorth

@books&icecream I admit it would be incredibly interesting, BUT, I would definitely rather not be a variable in that experiment! I would gladly participate with an actress though, that would be something worth experiencing for sure.

mkc3888

I don't have much of a birth plan.  Go to the hospital and get an epidural.  Preferably no episiotomy and no tearing, but I think I'd rather tear over being cut.  I'd also like her to flip and not be breach.  So a c-section is a possibility if she doesn't flip.  So not much of a plan other than I want a healthy baby and as easy recovery as possible.  I guess I need to talk to my OBGYN about all the decisions I'll have to make in the hospital.  

mkc3888

@AllyTheKid  That's not an experiment I'd want to be a part of either.  Crazy stuff, I hope you're not in any class when you go into labor.  

mothernorth

@mkc3888 Even if I did go into labor during class, you can bet I'd be calling somebody and not just hanging around to see how everybody responds haha

von1976

For those denying eye ointment, be aware that there are bacteria in the vagina that they don't test for that can still cause bacterial conjunctivitis. It's your child and your choice, of course. But for me, I feel it's safer to delay the eye ointment rather than refuse it entirely. If you do refuse, please know the signs and symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis so it can be treated early if your LO develops it.

mothernorth

I view the eye ointment thing the same way as I view vaccinations: Preventative measures are being offered, why NOT take advantage of them? That's just me though, different strokes for different folks.

Kittens22

Here's mine that I'm going over with my doctor on Tuesday:

-Epidural, no matter what.
-i don't want to see anything going on down there. Neither does dh. No mirrors, try not to tell me if I'm crowning, or if there's a bowel movement. Go ahead and cut the cord too, that's not our thing.
-Tell me what you're about to do before doing it, preferably with a bit of notice if possible. I'm a processor and it would help a lot.

Hospital already ensures that the hour following birth is for skin to skin and breastfeeding which is so nice. I'll add getting me a Filet O Fish burger to my hubby's list;) 

queen_frostine

I hope we all go into labor at more convenient, rather than less convenient times... but isn't it usually a lot less dramatic than television? I mean, sure, your water could break and you could be wracked with close contractions immediately... but also you could not be sure if they are Braxton Hicks again or not at first, and then decide to wait longer because they aren't that close together yet... a lot of people pack their bags, clean their houses, make/eat food, etc. while in early labor. My mom went with us to the Fall Carnival (alternative Halloween) the night she was in labor... I was six and remember being very worried about her but she was pretty chill. (And she knew she was in labor, because I knew.) (Also, that was her third child, but I was her first and she went to work the morning she was in labor with me! She said the contractions just weren't that close together yet.)

mothernorth

@RainMira9e We had tons of spare time when my water broke with LO. FI and I had time to take a walk, get stuff packed up, figure out what we were going to do with the older kids, there was really nothing dramatic about it at all. With DD, shoot, I didn't even go into labor by myself. We had to induce after it became pretty clear that this kid just wasn't going to get things going unless we made her. 
That's how it was for ME anyway, but everybody is different. Watch me get stuck somewhere this time because I didn't take it serious enough... 

ashleyp625

@allythekid That's my feeling too. I'd rather take the precaution and not need it than have to treat something that could have easily been avoided. 

ignoscemihi

@rainmira9e I think for most people, labor is a long process and you have a lot of warning.  I was lucky enough to have one of those dramatic labors - water broke at 10 pm, got to the hospital an hour later already having very strong and long contractions, had a baby on my chest at 3:48 am.  But maybe it's genetic because my mom said my dad barely had time to park the car before I was born.

vcabbyw

I decline the ointment, as Nicholel16 said, I've been screened for STIs and I'm in a very secure marriage so my risk for contracting them in the mean time is very low.  With that said, I realize that it's possible for a newborn to contract an eye infection from the bacteria in our vaginal tract. However that possibility is so extremely low (forgot the statistic that was given to me) that I don't see it being necessary to do it. 

I am also very wary of giving any type of antibiotic unless necessary, due to the overuse of antibiotics. 

Theres been a study that showed it can temporarily hinder their vision for a few hours. There's a small window of newborns being very alert after birth. I use every oppurtunity,
as soon as possible to iniate latching, and breastfeeding before they get sleepy again. 

Interestingly, Australia and the UK do not automatically give the ointment to newborns. This practice started in the 1800s, as routine STI screening wasn't possible, and it was causing newborn blindness. 

vcabbyw

I started having contractions on a Friday, went to dinner. Freaked my waiter out. But they were 10-15 mins apart and maybe 20-30 sec. Went to sleep and they went away. My labor tactic is denial and attempting to sleep it off. 

Woke up Saturday, no contractions but needed to bake a carrot cake for a BBQ we were attending. Totally messed it up being distracted by contractions again more frequently. Went to the bbq, had family stare at me LOL and went to bed early. Woke up at 2am with the real deal, contractions 3 mins apart lasting a minute. By 6am Sunday I was 7cm, that's when I accepted it was labor. 

See? Much less dramatic then TV. Quite boring actually. I plan to ignore it all as long as possible. 

JaJuanY

My hospital gave us a birth plan, which was really a "this is what we plan to do to you" type of plan, but it did have a space at the end that we could write our preferences, so this is what I plan to write.  
The ultimate goal is a healthy baby and mom, but unless the health of the baby or mom is at risk we would prefer:
-Midwife to deliver baby (at our hospital you are delivered by whomever is on staff that day, they always have an OB and usually have a midwife as well, we'd prefer the midwife be assigned to us)
-No pitocin, cytotec, or artificial membrane rupture
-No epidural
-Intermittent monitoring only
-Ability to walk around, get in the shower, and labor in different positions
-Ability to eat light snacks and drink throughout labor
-Ability to push in different positions

Everything else we want, as far as immediate skin-to-skin, early breastfeeding, rooming in, no routine episiotomies, are already standard practice at the hospital so I won't write them down to keep the plan simple.

It's a delicate balance between not wanting to seem inflexible but still making our preferences known, but I have learned throughout my appointments that if I don't ask about things, they simply won't tell me.  Healthcare providers are not mind-readers, and given that the majority of women want epidurals, I don't expect them to assume that I don't.  Luckily my husband is not afraid of speaking up, and I have a doula as well, so I'm feeling fairly comfortable about being able to advocate for myself.

ByeBabyBunting

I labored at home for 12 hours with DS. Showered, ate, packed, called  my mom and told her to get in the car and on the road. I was only at the hospital for 2.5 hours though. 

I'd like to try to be med free, I'd like to delay cord clamping. I didn't get everything I wanted with DS but it never bothered me so I know I'll be fine with whatever happens. I'm terrified of a c-section though, I choose my OB and hospital based on their low rates of c-section.

BabySunshine4

Both my previous labors were induced due to low fluid. Once I was administered pitocin, labor was very fast it didn't even give a chance for my doctor to make it to the hospital . They had to delay a  C-section labor that was scheduled before me because the baby was ready to get out. 

I'm pretty nervous if I get to go on labor on my own this time. As for my birth plan; I just want a an epidural and for the doctors to keep my baby and me safe during the whole process.  The hospital is "baby friendly" so they already encourage the skin to skin and breastfeeding right after birth.