r u doing a birth plan?

mommyaudra · April 2010

hey ladies just wondering how many of you are or arent doing a birth plan...just came back from the hospital tour and they reccomend it so you get the experience YOU want and everything..so just curious to see what yall say about it! thanks!

sarahbear · April 2010

My OB office provides a one page check the box birth plan sample. That's enough for me. Anything more than one page is overkill, in my opinion. I have major things I want done a certain way, but after that I am flexible and open to what happens.

MeanMommyLady · April 2010

I did one with DS and will be doing another.

That said, my birth plan with DS pretty much asked for an intervention free labor/delivery, I was allowed to go with that until the labor process got stuck, then I did 7 hours of pitocin and ended up with an un-scheduled c-section. I did however get my wishes about post birth (DH announced baby's gender as we were team green, DH stayed with DS, minimal baby messing with until I got the chance to BF, etc). It was two pages with all the things broken into categories and bulleted.

My birth plan this time is going to focus mainly on the post birth baby stuff as I will be having a repeat c-section (the reasons for my non-progression last time are related to a hereditary hip/pelvic abnormality I have so a VBAC is not likely although I am otherwise a good candidate).

BNBB08 · April 2010

I'm giving birth at a birth center so the MWs already know exactly how I want to deliver. However, I've heard horror stories about hospitals completely ignoring your birth plan or "forgetting" things. My advice is to make sure your DH knows EXACTLY what you want and he can advocate for you so you don't have to deal with labor and fighting to have things the way you want them. Hopefully your hospital will actually do what you want them to do though.

lms_bride · April 2010

sarahbear:
My OB office provides a one page check the box birth plan sample. That's enough for me. Anything more than one page is overkill, in my opinion. I have major things I want done a certain way, but after that I am flexible and open to what happens.

Something like this, if anything. I didn't have one last time and everything was fine.

CD+AL · April 2010

I did one of the fill in the blank type birth plans when I was pg with DS. In the end, it really was more of a framework for discussion about a lot of important issues with my OB and to help me make sure I had researched a lot of things that could come up during L&D so that I was informed if I had to make a decision.

In the end, however, it wasn't really something that I actually used when I was in labor. I mean, it definitely influenced me when a decision needed to be made b/c I had the opportunity to think it over in advance after talking to my dr and doing my own research, but it wasn't a be-all-end-all. For example, I had decided in my birth plan that I didn't want an episiotomy, but in the end, my dr and I decided that with the real-time circumstances that we were working with, the epi was a better choice than the tearing that was about to happen naturally b/c it was going in a really bad direction.

I'm not doing one this time b/c I feel comfortable with my knowledge of the process, issues, etc. b/c I've been through it before (relatively recently), but I definitely think that it is a great thing the first time around, especially if you look at it as a framework or something that is fluid and may change depending on the circumstances that actually arise when you're in labor.

bakedlaurabean · April 2010

Nope. There's not that much that I want and anything I do want, I'll be talking to my Dr about. Basically, I want as intervention free of a birth as possible. I don't think I need to write that down anywhere.

vegandy · April 2010

Yep. Definitely necessary IMO since I'm going for a natural birth & also have a lot of things I want done a certain way. Doesn't mean it will happen but it is good to have it written out....who wants to explain themselves to everyone who comes in during active labor?

maggie515 · April 2010

I completely forgot that I needed to print mine off the computer for the dr visit I have tomorrow so that I can go over it with her. thanks for posting this, it was a reminder for me! I didnt do one with DS and everything turned out fine but I was pretty flexible since it was uncharted territory for me, this time around however I want to get the birth experience Im hoping for so Ill be doing everything in my power to do so. including a birth plan.

marriedinaugust · April 2010

vegandy:
Yep. Definitely necessary IMO since I'm going for a natural birth & also have a lot of things I want done a certain way. Doesn't mean it will happen but it is good to have it written out....who wants to explain themselves to everyone who comes in during active labor?

This exactly. My husband will be in charge of making sure it is all followed, my doctors have gone over it as have the nurses at the hospital.

plainjanie1 · April 2010

I'm starting mine next week! There are a lot of great sample sites out there you can use to make your own. Personally, I think they are essential... but be aware that not everything goes according to plan, so make a birth plan that includes different options.

KRISTA555 · April 2010

no, but we go on our hospital tour at the end of May. If they suggest it, I probably will. I really don't have that many preferences though.

I'm a pretty outspoken person, so if I get there and they are doing something I don't like, I will definitely let them know.

jenirvt · April 2010

I don't really have a "plan" and did not have one for DD either (but with her I ended up being induced at 41w4d, she apparently did not want to come out on her own!). What I hope will happen, is that I'll go into labor at home, go to the hospital, get an epidural and have a relatively smooth delivery. I do not care one way or the other about an episiotomy vs tearing....whatever needs to happen can happen, as I know that those kinds of things are usually decided on-the-fly anyhow and differ from birth to birth. My "plan" is healthy baby, healthy mom, and whatever they need to do to get us both there is ok with me. Although, if I was planning on an unmedicated birth/tub birth/etc, it would probably be very different.

We do have our "plans" regarding circumcision, BF'ing, pediatrician, etc all set out though...if those "count" as part of a birth plan.

BlueRidgeMama · April 2010

Yes! I'm going natural and I have to make sure everyone dealing with me (OB, nurses) knows that.

earthycrunchymama · April 2010

I'm doing a birth plan and a medical protocol.

Birth plan will be focused on the delivery itself.

Medical protocol is for both me and the baby as for what is medically safe / what treatments we cannot have / what lab work we both need and what needs to be monitored etc... Also, no vaxx at birth for her (yet) til initial newborn screening is back and we see how she's doing metabolically. People with my disease tend not to tolerate vaccines well at all. One vaccine nearly killed me as a kid, and my friends son stopped breathing for 40 minutes after his Hep B at birth. The risk is too high for her to start at birth til we wait it out and see how she's doing since she has a 50% chance of having my disease. Tongue Tied

mysticporter · April 2010

No. I didn't have one with DD and found it was just as easy/effective for DH and I to advocate, and we ended up with the intervention-free birth I was aiming for. That's the first time I've heard a hospital asking for one, I might reconsider in that case if it was part of their normal procedure...with DD they strongly recommended knowing your preferences/thoughts and making sure your labor coach did, as well, but were honest that the nurses/doctors on duty at the time would not have time necessarily to read through a long written plan (and that they found sometimes it was disappointing to those with too fixed a plan if the plan didn't end up working).

Lauryn216 · April 2010

Yes, we are. And someone posted this yesterday and it was REALLY helpful to me, so feel free to check it out!

Top 10 Do's for Writing a Birth Plan: Tips from a L&D Nurse

JDodds · April 2010

We are doing a plan because I want to go completely natural and I want it in writing so everyone knows not to push anything on me.

carole&clark · April 2010

I'm not. I don't see the point. Baby's going to come and things are going to happen regardless of what your plan is. I just had a conversation with my doctor about if I want an epidural and what pain meds I am comfortable with and I signed something giving them permission to do an emergency c-section if necessary.

Want a personalized experience?

r u doing a birth plan?

Re: r u doing a birth plan?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards