Anyone else NOT making a written out birth plan?

amybrewster

I know this may sound crazy to some...but I dont think I'm making a written out birth plan to take with me to the hospital. I plan to really make decisions as they need to be decided. Anyone else taking this approach? Or am i insane to be thinking this way?

MommaA117

nope. My Dr knows what I would prefer. I know things don't always go as planned and I'm pretty sure we all want the baby out with me and her healthy...that is the plan.

DuckysDoll

I never wrote one with my 1st or 2nd... or this one! LOL I think there is no reason, because chances are, unless you can see the future, you wont know what will happen. EVERY pregnancy is different. You can dream about what you would like, but there is a huge chance it wont work out that way.

amybrewster

Thats what I keep thinking... I hate to make a strict plan to follow and then get there and the situation arises and the plan has to be completely ignored anyway.

nic5606

I am not. I do not care how he gets here... epidural or not, natural or not, c section or not.  Healthy delivery without complications is all I care about.

calgal1683

Nope. Didn't with the first and won't with this one either. As long as he comes out healthy I don't really care how he comes out. Plus I will most likely have to have a c/s this time so I guess it really doesn't matter.

simbaby

nic5606:

I am not. I do not care how he gets here... epidural or not, natural or not, c section or not.  Healthy delivery without complications is all I care about.

Yep, this^

sunset+skies

My doctor and I are going to hash out what I want to do at my 36 week appointment, and then she has it all on file on her computer and on her pda, both of which she can access at the hospital.

I may ask her to print out a copy for me on the off chance that she can't be at the birth, but I'm not going to make one up separately.

LexGator

I'm not. I've talked to my doctor some about what I do and do not want, but she is very open to anything and going with my wishes as long as the baby is not in distress. I don't have a lot of specific demands, so I don't see a need for one.

supermom83

No written out birth plan for me. I know what I want and so does my doctor. We have discussed in detail what I want during my delivery. Me and my husband will be telling nurses what is ok and what is not. 

I've heard that most nurses do not read or care about birth plans and actually roll their eyes when they get one. I wonder if that's true at all. Are there any nurse June mommies out there that could spill the beans?? )

I find it hard to believe that nurses and/or doctors would do that, but I've been hearing it and reading it for a while now.   

kattyleigh

nic5606:

I am not. I do not care how he gets here... epidural or not, natural or not, c section or not.  Healthy delivery without complications is all I care about.

This exactly. Had the same "plan" with DD and her birth was perfect. I go with the flow.

akayf

Didn't have one for DS and won't have one this time either.    The nurses ask you almost everything that is on the birth plan when you first arrive on the floor anyway.  They have a whole form that they go over with you.   I don't see the point of having one.   

ishka338

I'm not making one.  I trust my doctor to deliver my baby the safest way possible and I can hopefully make decisions there.  My hospital does skin to skin contact and encourage BF right after birth and they wait on all of the testing until about 2 hours after baby is born, so that's what I would prefer anyway.  Other than that, I don't really have anything specific that I want to put into a written birth plan.  If my dr. would prefer anything written down, then I will, but I'm not planning on it.

LauraOTR

nic5606:

I am not. I do not care how he gets here... epidural or not, natural or not, c section or not.  Healthy delivery without complications is all I care about.

This.

M&M227

DH asked me if I was making one and my response was "the birth plan is to give me the epidural and get the baby out."  How any of this occurs I don't care.  I'm pretty easy going and know if I plan there's a good chance it will need to change for one reason or another.

However, if I were doing a natural birth I would seriously consider writing one.

TessieF

It's always seemed a little over the top to me.  My birth plan is "give me an epidural and keep my MIL out of the room."  I don't think I need to write that down.

muriel & eder

I still don't know if I am. I was thinking of just printing the birth plan checklist from the bump and check it off. Like someone else mentioned, I would hate to write one and not get followed.

For our wedding, I didn't sleep the 2 previous days working on it and other things, and the schedule was not even followed. Just thinking about it, and looking at my huge bags under my eyes in our wedding picture makes me upset.

So, with that said, I might not even do one or just doing the checklist and just add or delete what applies to me. 

karantony47

I don't plan on writing one, but I think it's a personal choice.

EmmysMom08

nic5606:

I am not. I do not care how he gets here... epidural or not, natural or not, c section or not.  Healthy delivery without complications is all I care about.

Me too!

This is how i felt with DD. We had a c-section with her and i plan on going the same route. I think i said in a different post that my only plans are that No visitors until we are moved into our room. And DD is to be the first visitor. When she arrives DH will go to the waiting room to get her and then come back for my parents (or whoever it may be) to come visit. DH is in charge of making sure the nurses know this and my tape allergy (which i should be in my chart anyways) and we figure its easier for him to tell our nurses when we arrive then to give them the written out 'plan' have them read it and then discuss it. 

MrsEmilyS

LexGator:

I'm not. I've talked to my doctor some about what I do and do not want, but she is very open to anything and going with my wishes as long as the baby is not in distress. I don't have a lot of specific demands, so I don't see a need for one.

this 

MommaG123

I'm not.  DH and I have talked about what we want and have discussed it with my doctor and that is all.  I don't see the point in having a written birth plan personally.

MustanGTbaby13

Having a natural, no intervention birth is very important to me. With inductions, inerventions, and c-section rates at a staggering high, It is important for me to be able to convey my wishes. I feel that giving birth isn't just about "Getting the baby out"...it is an experience. One that I feel is very important for both myself/DH and for our little one. Although I am not sure how detailed I will go with my birth plan, I am having our baby in a hospital in Ontario with a MW (ie, no hospital staff at all, unless I need a x'r of care). They are on board with my plans to hypnobirth, delay cord clamping, no IV, and to have a water birth, I hate the idea of being strapped into monitors and having to give birth on my back in a bed. I might write one up in case, to specify that we don't want our baby (if we have a boy) to be circumcised and that once my MW leaves if I am not discharged within a couple hours after giving birth to not have the baby given a pacifer or bottles or formula unless medically necessary and at our discretion.

Jaytee501

AprilLynn09:

My Dr knows what I would prefer. I know things don't always go as planned and I'm pretty sure we all want the baby out with me and her healthy...that is the plan.

Same here.

cvl105

I'm not planning on it. I will discuss any specific wishes with my doctor ahead of time and the nurses once I get to the hospital.

justme04

Me!  I'm not going to bother with it.  My doctor and DH know my wishes.  And most of the people I know who did write one out have had to throw the whole thing out the window because birth isnt exactly planable.

earl&pearl

You're not alone. My birth plan is a healthy baby. However that needs to happen is okay with me. I of course have preferences, but nothing that I am putting in writing and making the nurses stick to. I feel like the majority of birth plans go out the window anyway. 

jellybeanjean

supermom83:

No written out birth plan for me. I know what I want and so does my doctor. We have discussed in detail what I want during my delivery. Me and my husband will be telling nurses what is ok and what is not. 

I've heard that most nurses do not read or care about birth plans and actually roll their eyes when they get one. I wonder if that's true at all. Are there any nurse June mommies out there that could spill the beans?? )

I find it hard to believe that nurses and/or doctors would do that, but I've been hearing it and reading it for a while now.   

 

No eye-rolling at a normal length, normal request birth plan.  The eye-rolling only happens when it's three pages, typed, and laminated (I'm not even exaggerating).  The running joke is that will land you right in the "back" (aka the OR)...it's strange how often it's true, though.  I don't know if people that are that stressed/anal to literally type out every.single.detail of their intended birth are just too tense to progress or what, but that's how the cookie crumbles a lot of the time.

But again, a normal "this is what I would like if possible, realizing it may change, and putting the health of myself and the baby first and foremost" birth plan shouldn't get an eye-roll from any nurse.

 Also -- I work at a high-risk, busy hospital that, although not crazy with interventions, is definitely not a birthing center.  Those women that come in and immediately start refusing every single thing that is hospital policy and routine...not invasive at all...create a lot of frustration for themselves and the staff as it puts everyone in an awkward situation.  It's so much better when you know what hospital policy/your dr's routines are before you go to deliver...just my thoughts.

MammaBear81

DuckysDoll:

I never wrote one with my 1st or 2nd... or this one! LOL I think there is no reason, because chances are, unless you can see the future, you wont know what will happen. EVERY pregnancy is different. You can dream about what you would like, but there is a huge chance it wont work out that way.

This, all of my L&D's went well, but one can never tell what's going to happen.  I guess some people want to be "kept on track" but I found no problems concentrating on what I wanted and what I didn't want when I was in labor

pregarella

I don't have a problem speaking up for myself in the moment, so I don't see a need for a written out birth plan.

monkeysmama62

We're not making a written birth plan either. I would rather make the decisions when they need to happen. That way I don't have precise expectations about how it should go or get myself worked about it if it didn't happen according to the plan.

Turtle143

Not sure if I'm making one either. DH and my OB know what I want.

cookierlr1

Nope, none here. My doc fully supports my decision and I know the basics as does DH. The only thing I have "planned" is how to keep my mom out of the room during delivery lol

MommaA117

supermom83:

No written out birth plan for me. I know what I want and so does my doctor. We have discussed in detail what I want during my delivery. Me and my husband will be telling nurses what is ok and what is not. 

I've heard that most nurses do not read or care about birth plans and actually roll their eyes when they get one. I wonder if that's true at all. Are there any nurse June mommies out there that could spill the beans?? )

I find it hard to believe that nurses and/or doctors would do that, but I've been hearing it and reading it for a while now.   

yep! One of my clients is a nurse at the hospital I will deliver at. When I mentioned birth plans to her she straight up told me they laugh at them..

LaRue86

Nope. My doctor's office gave me a birth plan at my first appointment. They also make you sign a contract saying that you will not have a doula. They feel as a practice that a written birth plan and a doula can create a more stressful environment and may also compromise a healthy delivery for both mom and baby.

I really feel that my doctor is an advocate for the patient and that based on the birth plan provided by the doctor, that every attempt will be made to have a natural delivery, but that for a variety of reasons one may end up with a c-section. 

 

gymnst1013

Having a birth plan isn't about planning every last detail of the birth and how it must go.  It's about making your preferences known so you don't have to make game time decisions about things.  Obviously you can't cover everything but there are some things that are very important to people and if they are written down and a choice needs to be made to do that or something else, everyone knows up front what you want. 

You can hash things out with your doc ahead of time, sure, but your doc is there for very little of the process.  It's mostly the nurses and other staff.  And they may not know what you talked to your doctor about.  If you have a birth plan, the nurses also know what you want and don't have to ask you.

The birth plan is also not just about labor and delivery.  It's about what you want done with your baby after he is born.  If you don't want them to give formula or sugar water, if you want skin to skin, if you want rooming in, if you want to delay or skip vaccines or eye gel or whatever.  If you don't let them know what you want, they may not ask at all about those things and just do them.  You'd never have a choice about them.

My hospital actually makes a short birth plan for you if you arrive without one.

gymnst1013

LaRue86:

Nope. My doctor's office gave me a birth plan at my first appointment. They also make you sign a contract saying that you will not have a doula. They feel as a practice that a written birth plan and a doula can create a more stressful environment and may also compromise a healthy delivery for both mom and baby.

I really feel that my doctor is an advocate for the patient and that based on the birth plan provided by the doctor, that every attempt will be made to have a natural delivery, but that for a variety of reasons one may end up with a c-section. 

 

Wow, they won't LET you have a doula?  That's kinda ridiculous in my opinion.  What business is it of theirs?

kate05

I am doing what you are doing.  I told my Ob practice what I wanted and they seemed totally on board.  My plan is to see how things go.  I suspect I will have to have a C-Section for various reasons but you never know.  I plan to take things as the come and decide based on how I am feeling since this is my first child.

lil_shocker

I am not. I know who I'm going to contact and when, and my husband is aware. My thought is that when I go into labor, my body and the baby take over. I don't have control over how my body is reacting and what's going on. I know my preferences, my midwife knows my preferences, and I know that things don't always go as planned so I know that i need to keep a flexible mind.

It really isn't something that I need to write down. But some people feel better with it written down. I don't think it makes much of a difference, unless you have really strong wishes or there is a very real potential for complications/issues.

brobin01

gymnst1013:

Having a birth plan isn't about planning every last detail of the birth and how it must go.  It's about making your preferences known so you don't have to make game time decisions about things.  Obviously you can't cover everything but there are some things that are very important to people and if they are written down and a choice needs to be made to do that or something else, everyone knows up front what you want. 

You can hash things out with your doc ahead of time, sure, but your doc is there for very little of the process.  It's mostly the nurses and other staff.  And they may not know what you talked to your doctor about.  If you have a birth plan, the nurses also know what you want and don't have to ask you.

The birth plan is also not just about labor and delivery.  It's about what you want done with your baby after he is born.  If you don't want them to give formula or sugar water, if you want skin to skin, if you want rooming in, if you want to delay or skip vaccines or eye gel or whatever.  If you don't let them know what you want, they may not ask at all about those things and just do them.  You'd never have a choice about them.

My hospital actually makes a short birth plan for you if you arrive without one.

 

And I would like to add, what if your doctor isn't available? What if you end up with an "on call" doctor? You have no idea what state of pain you will be in (you may not even be able remember everything you previously discussed), so it is good to have maybe some notes on specifics that were discussed with your doctor. I also think a birth plan can include small things that you may forget about, as gym mentioned above. My hospital does not have a birth plan avail for me, so I will just have a small list of some of my wishes.