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2nd Trimester
KateLouise
member
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
Birth plans and natural births...does it seem that...
KateLouise
member
the birth plan examples and people who are most interested in them are those who are most keen to have as natural a birth as possible.
I just had a browse through the examples and none of them said: I want an epidural, and episotomy and to lie on my back the entire time.
Is it because to get that kind of birth you don't really have to write it down? It's pretty much what the hospitals give you?
Or is it because most people do plan a natural birth?
Or is it because these examples come from groups that advocate the non-medicalisation of birth?
Thoughts
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Birth plans and natural births...does it seem that...
I didn't have a written birth plan, but my doctor knew ahead of time that I wanted the epi and to "lie on my back the entire time".
I think that people that DO NOT make written birth plans are people that are open to an improvisational birth as opposed to being somewhat of a control freak about the details of a very hard to control situation.
No offense meant to anyone with some elaborate birth plan.. I just learned my lesson about "what to expect" vs. " what to accept" when it comes to pregnancy and child birth.
I made my own based on some birth plans that I saw. Mine pretty much stated that DH wanted to cut the cord, and that I was to BF and have baby room in. Just pick a few things that are important to you (DO NOT make full sentences in paragraph form, just bullet key points if you make one) that aren't hospital procedure. Of course anything can happen and your birth plan might be followed to a T or it might get completely denied, it's just stating your wishes for certain things. I knew that things on my plan might have changed and I made sure to tell my OB that I knew that (so he didn't think that I would throw a fit or anything, he knew I was being realistic).
Wow, that got long and rambly, but you get the idea I guess. BTW, I did have and epidural, episiotomy, and laid flat on my back the whole time.
I'm thinking along these lines. I think there are people who have a very specific idea of what they want their birth experience to be like, so they have a very elaborate birth plan.
I personally am open to whatever, and therefore don't feel like I need a birth plan. My plan is to get the baby out.
If you're open to the procedures that are "standard" at your hospital (epi, lying down, etc etc) then a birth plan isn't as necessary. I still personally think that it's a good idea to have discussions with your doctor about how things usually go and what hospital policy is, but not everyone feels the need to have that information.
If you are trying to do things that are a little different then you might feel like it's a little more important to organize all of your thoughts ahead of time. This does not necessarily make you a "control freak," though certainly some do use their birth plan as an attempt to control an unpredictable process.
I am not writing a birth plan down. I have had enough discussions with my doctor to know that the few things that are important to me will not be an issue. If I had chosen a doctor who wasn't really on the same page as me, or if I knew that I might have some difficulties with the hospital, things might be different.
You may not have "meant" offense, but this is actually highly insulting.
Having a natural birth (and not just "med-free," but natural) in a hospital can be incredibly, frustratingly hard, and is why many people turn to homebirth instead. When that is not an option, and you will be instead in the hospital, it can be a constant battle against procedures that are not necessary, are not part of evidence-based care, and make med-free birth very, very difficult.
A birth plan can be the first defense against these procedures. It is not an attempt to be a "control freak" (
) - but an attempt to exercise your right to the birth experience that you want in the absence of real medical complications.
Obviously, if you want to check in, get on the EFM, get an epi, and just listen to what the docs and nurses tell you.... you don't need a birth plan. But even then, you may still want to have some say in newborn care - also appropriate for a birth plan.
riiiiight, well with my first pregnancy I took the Bradley classes, hired a doula, made an elaborate plan of what I did NOT want under any circumstances to happen during my labor/delivery.. and guess what?
At 42 weeks, with NO progress, no dilation, no effacement, and the baby carrying way up high, measuring ahead by 6 weeks.. and an estimated birth weight of 11 pounds.. my dr encouraged ( not forced, not mandated, not demanded, but suggested out of the best interest of myself and my child) that I have a c section.
When My son came out weight 10 pounds 12 ounces i knew I made the right choice at 42 weeks.. and it was NOT a choice that was on my psychotic, micromanaged birth plan.
Why would this mean that people with birth plans are control freaks? No one is saying that a birth plan is a binding contract. It's just a "plan." Plans change sometimes...that doesn't mean that making them is an exercise in futility.
I don't understand what this is supposed to "prove." If anything, it reinforces that you are misunderstanding what a birth plan is.
"Plan" is really the wrong word for it anyway - it's just what it's come to be commonly called. "Preferences" would really be better. A list of things you do "NOT want under any circumstances to happen during labor/delivery" is nothing but hubris. Again, the plan is your list of preferences in the absence of compelling medical reasons to do otherwise. You obviously had compelling reasons to do otherwise - but if you hadn't, many of your preferences may have happened.
I'm not sure what is so hard about this concept.
I think this is somewhat offensive too. Yes, it's a hard to control situation, but if you don't make any effort (eg, a birth plan) you'll be stuck with what the hospital does by default, which might not be what you want. It's not about being a control freak at all. It's about taking charge of your birth, and that should be admired.
Would you say that people who chart are control freaks about their cycle and/or conception? They can't control whether or not they get pregnant, so maybe they should just improvise and trust nature?
I didn't mean to start anything about whether or not to create a birth plan means to be a control freak.
I was just curious as to whether a birth plan was generally only created when a certain type of birth was aimed for.
I'm more interested in understanding all the various procedures, options so that when the midwife says, what we want to do is x y and z. then I'll understand enough to have an opinion then I am in having a specific plan.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
This. IMO most of the people who are not interested in birth plans are the ones who are just comfortable following whatever the dr and nurses suggest. So there's no need.
The nurses at my hospital were actually the ones who suggested a birth plan. They prefer having a good cheat sheet of your preferences. Then again as soon as I showed up to L&D the nurse ran through a list in her mind, do want X? Y? Z? So they were just overall an extremely supportive and organized group. They never assumed for a moment that anything was standard, but actually took into consider each woman as an individual patient from the get go. I love them so much.
Personally, I think that if I waddle into a hospital in pain and scream for an epi, they will give me one, if I don't they won't...The birthing plans that I see written up make me feel like they want it written down that they don't want one more to confirm it than to ban it...As far as plans go for me, I'm going to do the most I can for my comfort while bringing this baby out safely I hope and the staff is usually thinking the same way. I've never done this before so I have no clue what I want to do yet and I am relying on a relatively competant staff to help me figure it out as I go...I think natural births get planned a little more because usually it is something the mother feels pretty strongly about and wants the reassurance that if at all possible (excluding any harm to baby or mom) a natural birth is preference and having all the staff even at a shift change know that would probably set a mind to ease a little bit than to have each shift nurse ask if you want your epi yet...lol
As one who has never gone through it and will likely not walk in with a specified plan other than to get the kid out at that point I can't be sure that I am at all right...(good enough disclaimer?)
Oh I wasn't criticising any birth practices. I don't care how anyone gets their baby out and I don't have any plans for my own birth at this stage.
I picked out those three things because they were something that was common to all the birth plan examples that I looked at that people said they did not want. Or wished to avoid.
Which made me think about what the norm is. ie people don't need to ask for those things because they are what commonly happens.
I don't believe I put any judgement statements in my OP but I can see how it could have been read.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
I think the majority of women want what is considered "routine" or "standard" (ie: IV, epidural, feet in stirrups etc), and there is no need for a birth plan.
It's when you DONT want the "standard procedure" that a birth plan is helpful. Women who dont want an IV, an epidural, who want to get up and walk around, to eat, get in the shower, etc- they often have a hard time advocating for themselves during such a vulnerable time as the throes of labor. A simple, to the point birth plan is very helpful just to have in the chart.
And you can tell your Dr what you want, but the Dr is rarely even there until you've already gone through your entire labor and are pushing the baby out.
I do think that people planning unmedicated/low-intervention births tend to be the folks who write birth plans. Often because they ask for things that are not standard - Hep locks instead of IVs, freedom of movement, intermittent monitoring, freedom to eat/drink during labor, etc.
I think people don't understand that there is a difference between a birth preference list and a birth script.
Birth scripts (what I think a lot of people think birth plans are) are an exercise in futility, generally too long and unreasonable. I even remember reading one that requested a Diet Coke with bendy straw and three square ice cubes within 30 minutes of delivery. Er, no.
But birth preferences - well, I personally think those can be important to go through, whether you want an unmedicated birth or not. I think it's important to understand all the options and consider them in advance (while understanding that things can change in the moment, either of medical necessity or because your own feelings change) and discuss them with their doctor.
I have, in fact, seen birth plans that were comprised of "Get epidural asap, get baby out safely." That's totally fair. But it's worth talking with your doctor to understand a few things - when will your doctor/hospital agree to administer the epidural? Some won't before 5 cm. Or before 7 cm. Or after 8/9 cm. Is there an anesthesiologist on call 24/7? Not all hospitals have that available - and it would suck to find that out at 3 in the morning when you are in serious pain and haven't any preparation to cope with it, you know?
I think it is important for everyone to know what to expect in L&D (fear and desire for ignorance and reliance on doctors/medical personnel be damned), and to discuss the plans with the doc up front, so you know what to expect and can prepare accordingly. Everyone should have some basic pain coping techniques under their belt in case the epi doesn't work, or it can't be gotten right away. Everyone should understand what precipates things like amniotomy, vacuum assisted delivery, use of augmentation, etc.
Plan in advance for how to handle those scenarios, understanding that scripting it in advance is futile. But what does it hurt to know going in what polices and procedures the doc/hospital has and how to work within those?
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
This - you really don't need it. If you want to go against the grain in the hospital, a birth plan and doula is your best bet.
I don't know- I've made it clear to DH what sort of things were important, because I know in the heat of the moment I'm not really going to care, I'll agree to anything to get doctors to leave me the hell alone. I'm not going to listen to what they're actually asking. Haha.
If I wrote any sort of a birth plan, I would state it was PREFERENCES. If it needed to be changed for any reason, that's ok. As in "I prefer a natural birth, but my health and the baby's health come first. Medicate only as necessary." (I'm not afraid of modern medicine, I just dislike the groggy feeling that any pain meds give me.)
I think the only big point for me is DH is diabetic, type 1. So he WILL need food if labour is at all long- and they are not to harass him about it under any circumstances, because even pre-pregnancy I had no issues pitching a fit if someone gave him smack about his injections or eating. I can only imagine the contractions and that will make it worse if someone tries to remove him from my side.
I provided a link to a blog in a previous post, talking about the dos and donts of birth plans. One of the examples given was a woman whose husband was diabetic - she made sure to put in there that if her husband started acting "off" or "drunk," that the nurse should offer him some juice or food (before calling security, lol!). You might want to think about throwing that in there - it could come in handy!
edit: here is the link: https://nursingbirth.wordpress.com/
here is what she wrote:
?My husband is a type I diabetic and at times suffers from episodes of hypoglycemia where he does not have any warning signs or symptoms. So if my husband starts to act inappropriate or seems ?out of it? or ?drunk? please offer him some juice!! I am afraid that if I am in the throws of labor that I will not notice and this is something that I am very concerned about!?
This is very useful information! Thanks so much
My husband does have signs and symptoms, but she's got a point- I may not notice. DH's mother (barring unforeseen events) will be in the waiting room, I'll have to talk to her about his symptoms to see what she thinks about staying prepared. All she really needs is to fill her purse with some goodies and leave them there. Hmmm. You've given me something else to think about, thank you!
This is very useful information! Thanks so much
My husband does have signs and symptoms, but she's got a point- I may not notice. DH's mother (barring unforeseen events) will be in the waiting room, I'll have to talk to her about his symptoms to see what she thinks about staying prepared. All she really needs is to fill her purse with some goodies and leave them there. Hmmm. You've given me something else to think about, thank you!
I looked at birthplan.com and it was pretty easy to pick and choose what you would like. It seemed to be helpful and brought up new issues that I hadn't thought about before.
There are some things I would like to happen during labor and delievery but I understand it could change at any moment.
First, let me say, that I didn't find any offense at all to the way you asked this question!
You are correct - a lot of birth plans out there are focused more for people who are hoping for a natural birth - but there are some out there for people who are not.
In one of my pregnancy books (The Mother of All Pregnancy Books) there is a VERY good sample of a birth plan in the back of the book. And to be clear - it is NOT a defined plan - it should really be called a birth preference form.
It includes things like: your desire to move around or try different positions for comfort during labor, the order in which you would like to try different interventions (ie: I would prefer to try cervical gel to induce labor before trying Pitocin), the involvement you want for DH (ie: I would like DH to cut the cord, or in the event of a C-section I would like DH in the room and would like DH to hold the baby until I am able to do so), breastfeeding preferences (ie: I want to try to breastfeed immediately after birth), etc.
I will have birth preferences - and not because I am a "control freak," but because I think it's a good way for me to educate myself about what choices I may be presented with during labor and to know how I feel about them beforehand. And while I will be discussing all these things with my doctor, having them written down will also be a good way to communicate them with whoever may be on call at the time I deliver.
I definitely don't think you have to be going natural to have birth preferences (or a birth "plan"). You may just have to look around a little harder to find a sample plan that isn't tailored for the women who want natural births - because those are the most prevalent ones out there.
Good luck!
Well, here's the problem, silly!
Birth plans are for priorities that are outside hospital policy... not for being psychotic and micromanaging.