January 2011 Moms
using a written birh plan?
My husband and I used the outline for the birth plan on this site and filled it out according to our plans. I'm feeling a little embarrassed to make copies and hand them out to everyone that enters the room. I don't wanna be that first time, over prepared mom that all the nurses joke about outside my room. Anybody feeling the same way or went through the same thoughts I am?
UGhhhh Thanks
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Re: using a written birh plan?
i know what you mean. i liked some of the things the bump's birth plan mentioned but i ended up not using their template. when we had our hospital tour the nurse said try to keep them short & to the point (like 1 page or less). she encouraged us to all make them, sometimes they need to know what you expect they offer to you, don't offer, etc (meaning do you want them to offer meds, never mention it, etc). she just stressed that things almost never go the way you "plan" so they worry when they see someone come in with 6 pages of a birth plan.
we kept ours to 1 page, i showed my midwife at my last appt & asked her if she felt like i should remove/change anything. she ended up scanning it into their system & said they could actually pull it up at the hospital, but to still bring 1 copy as a back up
Hm, well would it help if you changed the format? I wrote mine out in Word from a friend's template and it's less than a page long, divided into -labor, delivery, after delivery bullet points. Don't feel like you have to to get overly detailed, but also-don't feel like there is anything wrong with getting this documented and understood by your caregivers. I would ask the OB to put it in your chart so that a copy will accompany your info when it gets given to nurses in L and D. Then, bring extra copies to the hospital just in case.
And people who think they are a waste of time are not doing their job-try not to think nurses will have that attitude, go into thinking how they can help. YOU are the patient and you have every right to ask for what you want as long as it's safe.
We wrote up a short Birth "wish list", mostly because we have quite a few things on there that aren't the norm and I'm afraid I'll forget to mention them.
Thanks for reminding me I wanted to post it on my blog tonight.
Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3
Both my dr and hospital see birth plans (better titled birth preferences or birth wishes) as a way for the parents to communicate between each other and do not see them as any sort of medical directive and will not enter one into my chart. They prefer verbal communication and that sort of relationship rather than directives on paper that may not fit the situation. That said, our doula has worked at that hospital before and encouraged us to create one that is one page max, uses only positive language, and doesn't include stuff that is already standard. What she does it puts it on the computer/monitoring stand in the room where the staff enters all of their notes and checks things. That way, those who respond well to reading such a list can and those who want to talk about my preferences can do that instead. Since we have the doula there to help us remember to articulate our major goals when things come up (and life or death is not an issue), conversation seems like a more friendly strategy than a list. I am not in any way against a list, I worked hard on ours, I just have come to realize that it will not be our primary communication strategy--it is more of an articulation tool.
More Green For Less Green
I'm not using a birth plan - BUT - this may make you feel better. My hospital's 10 page list of questions that they ask you when you're admitted definitely included "do you have a birth plan?" It's nothing to be embarrassed about, they get them ALL the time.
ETA: I should add that they also asked a lot of questions that I'd think normally go into a birth plan. And I wasn't even there to give birth. Offhand I can remember being asked bottle or breast, are pacifiers okay, did I want him circ'd, and what were my preferences regarding pain meds.
~EDD Nov 18, 2017 with my IUI success story~
[spoiler]
We're taking the natural childbirth classes through the hospital, and they encourage a Birth Preferences list (one page or less). My doc was very open to it and told me to make sure we had gone over it together and she had signed off on it by 37 weeks. That way the nurses know my doc and I have discussed everything, and she approved it. Here's mine if it helps.
Birth PreferencesObstetrician: Dr. XXX
Pediatrician: Dr. XXX
Due Date: January 21, 2011
This list was created to help us communicate our birth preferences. As long as labor is progressing and mother and baby are not in distress, our goal is to have an unmedicated, low-intervention childbirth. We understand that complications during labor can arise, and we will be flexible. We trust our caregivers to help us make decisions on how to proceed if this plan cannot be followed. We appreciate your kind care and respectfully request the following for our labor and birth:
Labor:
? I prefer heparin lock in lieu of an IV.
? I prefer intermittent (rather than continuous) fetal monitoring.
? I would like to have the freedom to walk and move as much as possible during labor and use a variety of laboring positions.
? I prefer not to receive Pitocin to induce contractions or to augment labor.
? I would like to dim the lights and play music softly.
? I would like to be able to drink clear fluids with calories during labor for hydration.
? For pain relief, I?d like to try: heating pad (brought from home), birthing ball, rocking chair/glider, shower.
? I wish to try these methods before requesting pain medications or an epidural. Should I request Nubain for pain relief, I would like to start with a quarter-dose.
Delivery:
? I would like to choose the most comfortable position for pushing, as long as there is no fetal distress. I?d like to try to push instinctively rather than on command.
? I request that no episiotomy be performed.
After Birth and Newborn Care:
? I would like to hold my baby immediately after birth in order to have skin-to-skin contact. We request that routine procedures be delayed or performed at my bedside during this time.
? I would like to try to breastfeed immediately. If we have any problems with breastfeeding, I would like to meet with the lactation consultant as soon as she is available.
? We request that our baby not be bottle-fed or receive formula without our knowledge.
? We do not wish for our son to be circumcised.
? We would like to delay the hepatitis B vaccine until his first visit with the pediatrician.