Birth Plan

equinedoctormama

I’m not super picky but am thinking a birth plan is prudent to put together. What sort of things are people putting on theirs? Any mamas with experience with birth plans in the past? Are they worth it? 

mindless09

I didn't really have a birth plan and when I got to the hospital they had me fill out a paper noting what I wanted like delayed cord clamping, immediate skin to skin, if I wanted a mirror to labor in front of, and who all was allowed to be there. My doctor was going to do delayed cord clamping and immediate skin to skin regardless.

rac2718

Discussions ahead of time can be helpful in the path of your birth plan and also knowing that things can change and being flexible is helpful (for example I never pictured myself getting an epidural but I had to be induced and getting the epidural ended up being a great decision). Things that may be helpful in advance: in what circumstances are c-sections necessary vs when might they be recommended but a vaginal delivery is still possible; who manages the labor- your ob or midwife or labor delivery nurses; pain relief options; delayed cord clamping; immediate skin to skin and a golden hour; repairs after birth; lactation consultants

knottiec1bd6c5399b4642a

Most of my birth plan went out the window last time. This time, it will be shorter. I want to include important medical information just in case, for example that my baby has a VSD (small hole in his heart), and I need an MMR vaccine after delivering (apparently, I don't have any resistance to measles left from my childhood vaccines).

I also want to include things like delayed cord clamping, waiting to bathe the baby for 12 hours, no pacifiers, and wanting a visit with a lactation consultant asap. 

Expect that you and your partner will have to verbally reinforce the things you put in your birth plan several times throughout the delivery process, but it's helpful to have all your preferences written down in one place.

00kim00

@knottiec1bd6c5399b4642a why wait 12 hours for bathing? I haven't heard that one yet

knottiec1bd6c5399b4642a

@00kim00

I'm not sure where I heard about it originally, but this article explains the reasoning: https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/why-you-should-delay-babys-first-bath/

Here's one quote: "In 2010, researchers at the Boston Medical Center increased the wait time for newborn baths to at least 12 hours after birth from its standard two to four. They found that delaying bathing a newborn was associated with a significant increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates, which may be due to limiting stress following delivery, when infants are working to stabilize their temperatures."

00kim00

@knottiec1bd6c5399b4642a Interesting, thanks! I didn't even realize that 2-4 hours after birth is the norm. The hospital near me has a birth plan form they give out early in pregnancy, and it has the option to be handed the baby directly for skin-to-skin or to have the baby cleaned up first.. So I thought it was either right away or sometime after the first feed, but didn't really think about when. And also whether it's a full bath or just a wipe down to get all the birth gunk off of them... I'm not sure I was even expecting anything other than a sponge bath/wipe-down in the hospital!

rac2718

When I told the nurse not to bathe my first born when they were ready to do it, I feel like she thought I was crazy. I didn't even know any of this research, I just knew I didn't want him having a bath so soon. This is a great addition to birth plans!