Birth Plans

mrshall10210 · January 2013

I feel like I ask a lot of questions here! Hope I'm not too bothersome.. It just seems like the closer it gets, the more things I think of. That and you ladies are very helpful!

Anyway, I'm delivering in a hospital with whoever is on call. Hopefully it's one of the midwives, but I get who I get. I asked the midwife (who I've seen more than anyone else for my appointments) several questions at my last appointment to get a feel for hospital policies and how natural birth friendly they are, and I pretty much got the answers I was hoping for... induction no earlier than 41 1/2 weeks, labor at home as long as possible, intermittent monitoring, heplock only, freedom to move around, etc.

I'm wondering whether I should have a hard copy of a birth plan to take to the hospital with me when I deliver. I don't want to be one of those people that all the nurses think is obsessive and crazy or anything. I don't want them to laugh at me or think I'm being silly for having one. DH is a nurse, and I trust him completely to be aware of what's happening to me, even if I'm not, and advocate for what we want. I think I could just address things as they come, and politely decline things or ask to have the options explained. I'm afraid the birth plan will cause them to have a bad attitude from the start.

On the other hand, I don't want ANYTHING done to me without my (or DH's) knowledge and consent, and I don't want to be repeatedly offered the epidural. I'm not sure how important it is to have things in writing.

Has anyone gone natural in a hospital, and taken a birth plan? How did the staff react to it? Did you feel judged?

Annaeliz84 · January 2013

The nurses I talked to at my hospital encouraged me to write a birth plan. I'm going to call it my birth "wish list," keep it short, and say please and thank you!

AmyRI · January 2013

I went in for both deliveries with no birth plan.

Hospital policy was what I wanted intermittent monitoring, hep lock, allowed out of bed and to shower, use their birthing ball, delayed cord clamping, chance to breastfeed right after birth... I wasn't going against anything so I didn't write a plan. Their policy is to ask once on admission what your "pain management plan" is and alert the anesthesiologist if you say you want an epi. Both times they used that exact phrase. I was never offered meds of any type.

If there's something specific you want that they don't normally do, I'd write one. Otherwise just skip it.

runrinserepeat · January 2013

We wrote one, but forgot it in all the hurry to get to the hospital. It was fine. I told them only once that I wanted to go med free, and they didn't hassle me too much. DH did a great job of keeping an eye out for me, but I have no problem speaking my mind (especially when I'm uncomfortable). When we do it again, I doubt we'll even write a birth plan.

starlightstef · January 2013

Our hospital encourages expecting couples to do schedule a "birthday wishes" appointment. We'll be meeting with a nurse to discuss our plan/wishes. I think most hospitals and staff appreciate seeing your plan, as long as it's not super pushy or obnoxious. If you're respectful of their expertise, I think they'll be respectful of your wishes.

Also, I think it's helpful to have it in writing so that when you're in labor you don't have to worry as much about making decisions or explaining your wishes.

luvmyducks · January 2013

Yes. My doula helped me condense my birth plan to a one page bulleted list for the hospital and I only gave the detailed one to my OB. She said that if I brought the detailed one in there was a good chance it wouldn't be read.

nosoup4u · January 2013

It's not a bad idea to take it with so you remember what your
requests are, but chances are someone will ask you all the stuff on it. I've had a written birth plans both times I was pregnant, but didn't end up needing the hard copy either time.The first time, I went in for a BPP, and the nurse on call put in all my birth plan requests in my file. The hospital was very lowintervention, though, so they were used to seeing medfree births. The second time, I gave a hard copy to the MW for my file before I went into labor, but never saw it again. DH and I went through our requests with the nurses while I was liteally pushing with DS2.

OldGlory · January 2013

I'm intending to do a home birth with a doula and Midwives. My doula actually recommends having a birth plan with more information based on if a transfer is necessary.

As long as it's worded as a wish/desire versus a demand, more places are going to be more accommodating*. (*per my understanding)

tokenhoser · January 2013

I don't think my birth plan made it out of my bag at my last delivery, BUT I laboured at home until 10 cm and had both my doula and DH who were aware of my preferences and made them known in the moment (like a reminder for delayed cord clamping).

I found writing a birth plan to be a good way to nail down what I wanted with my doctor ahead of time (but my odds of getting her were very good), DH, and the doula. It wasn't just a list for the nurses, it was a way for me to work through my choices.

If I get a nurse with a bad attitude about birth plans or natural birth, I'll ask for another one. I really should have last time, but I was too far along to give a crap about her.

AimnJus917 · January 2013

Annaeliz84:

The nurses I talked to at my hospital encouraged me to write a birth plan. I'm going to call it my birth "wish list," keep it short, and say please and thank you!

I think this is a good idea. If I remember correctly I think I used The Bump birth plan which is a bunch of check boxes. I had no idea I might be mocked at the time and thinking about it now I could care less. We gave it to the nurse in triage and she actually read it and gave it to the OB on call and other nurses that were helping me. I didn't feel judged or anything but they did give me a hard time about the intermittent monitoring (I had no clue what their policy was before I walked in the door) so continuous EFM it was for me. I'm not really sure having a birth plan was "necessary" but I did think it helped everyone (nurses, OBs, etcs) be on the same page as me as far as interventions.

This time I am seeing midwives and at first I didn't think I needed a birth plan with them, but then decided to do a really short bulleted list of what I wanted (mostly after the birth) just so they are aware ahead of time.

I would definitely do one if I was having another hospital birth, but like pp, I'd make it short and direct, but polite and be somewhat flexible.

sthomas1222 · January 2013

I'd definitely have one with me. Keep it 1 page and really simple. As your DH knows, nurses are busy and the wordier it is more likely they'll miss something b/c they're going to be skimming over it. Also, DH is going to be focused on you not on the nurses. And L&D is completely different than any other kind of nursing so unless that's what he does he may not be familiar with their shorthand for things and whatnot. I loved L&D and that's what I want to do when I finally get an RN job but when I talk to my other RN friends they don't remember anything from L&D and still ask me to explain stuff to them lol.

ETA: I personally don't give a crap if the nurses think I'm crazy or judge me. This is MY birth and this is how I want it. I know things won't go as planned, that's why the paper says "birth preferences" but if it's a true emergency I know you won't calmly be standing there discussing stuff with me.

PansyPants · January 2013

How you present the copy of the birth plan will set the tone for the nurses. If you give it to them and let them know that you wrote down your preferences in case they have questions, that makes it as though you're just trying to make things easier for them. At the same time, do know that if they don't listen or take things seriously you will need to verbalize your desires and be comfortable not wavering in your desires. They can't do anything you don't consent to, all they can do is badger you and make things stressful. Just use the birth plan as a way to encourage a cooperative relationship between the staff and you in order to minimize the possibility for difficulty.

aylafsu88 · January 2013

I did. H and I brought a copy of our birth plan because I used a practice with 8 OBs. For delivery I got the OB who happened to be on call. H and I did not want any confusion during L&D so we brought a copy of our plan. I had never met the OB on call but he was great and knew we wanted a natural birth from my file. He honored our choices and we had a great birth in the hospital. The nurses at my hospital are starting to become more natural birth friendly. They read my plan and asked only 1 question as I had said I would allow a Heplock. I refused becuase I was in transition when I arrived and did not want to deal with it. The nurse was OK with that and did not harass me about it. All of my wishes were respected and the staff/OB was great. I never felt judged by anyone during L&D.

jessonadventure · January 2013

Try not to worry about how the nurses will perceive you (laughing, thinking you're crazy, etc...). You're there for you and your baby, not for them. You run that show, as long as you are confident in your choices and advocate for yourself! Best of luck!

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