if I do write a birth plan will anyone give a monkey's?

[FloraFinching]

DC1 - tried for a homebirth. transferred in due to difficult positioning requiring forceps delivery.
DC2 - I have now moved 200 miles away, and for various reasons am less keen on HB for this one (although I am booked for one), mainly because of issues with the midwives covering this area.

so anyway, I was thinking about writing a birth plan. Nothing long, no requests for whale music or anything, but I do have some ideas of what worked well last time. But will the midwives/medics take any notice whatsoever?

I was very happy with the way the MWs stuck to my birth plan (wish DD had done the same!), despite circumstances meaning that I couldn't have a water birth or use the MW unit.

My birth plan was very concise and only included things like
-what to do in emergencies
-wanting a natural 3rd stage (didn't happen in the end but they let me try for an hour)

• DH telling me the sex of the baby
• wanting to go home as soon as possible after the birth

No requests for whale music I think I did request that the room wasn't too brightly lit but I ended up having my eyes shut most of the time anyway.

I think it's definitely worth doing.

I would definitely do it, it can't do any harm and may be helpful.
With DC2 I was so out of it, I had no idea what was happening, and was so grateful afterwards to the midwife for doing what I'd asked on the birthplan as I was in no fit state to tell her . I'd specified immediate skin to skin contact and leaving the cord until it had finished pulsing but the baby came so fast I was in shock and was just kneeling there like a wally with a baby on the bed.

thanks both for your thoughts
I might just write a few notes during the Archers.

I attended a birth this weekend (I'm a doula).

We handed the midwife the birth plan when she arrived and spent a couple of minutes discussing key things with her. I quote:
MW: 'This is a lovely plan. We'll stick to it unless something unexpected happens'

They did need a bit of reminding about key points, but the great thing about having a plan, making sure they've read it and then referring to it is you can say:

'As it says in my birth plan, which you've seen, I want X' and they won't be surprised.

Go for it!

ooh, this is all really positive! That'll teach me to be cynical. Perhaps I should even rethink my stance on whale music.....

Yup, midwifes read without prompting and followed to the letter.

It also helped me gather my thoughts, and really think about the whole process of birth and what I wanted from it.

Yep - asked me for it each time and stuck to it.

This is encouraging. I spoke to a midwife on the ward recently to clarify some points about how they'll manage my labour (VBAC). She wasn't very enthusiastic. Maybe I'll sketch out some panpipe requests and a lengthy description of the precise ambience I'm aiming for, just in case she's on when I go in

Sorry to hijack, but i was just pondering- how long is too long for a birth plan? Is one a4 page, typed with lots of bullet points ok?

Hello
Just a quickie to say do write a birth plan, I know so many people who said theirs was a waste of time but there is no point in writing it, passing it over and hoping they read it. you need to make sure you do. I've had three births, two in hospital and one at home.

In hospital as soon as I arrived I asked to go through it with the mw and my partner, we discussed it all. When the staff changed my partner went through it with the new mw, at my home birth i talked with my mw about it previously and each one I saw through the pregnancy, at the birth when she arrived we talked about it again.

The midwives were fantastic and with everyone they stuck to my plan and helped me have the births I wanted. You need to remember its your birth and your choices (unless of course medical). Your birth partner should know you plan inside out so they can answer or direct if you are too in the zone to speak.

good luck!!!!!!

by the way i fitted mine onto one page and bullet pointed but like this:

Name,
Previous birth (rounded up in a paragraph)
Kind or birth I want
Early stages: what I want to happen pain relief wise eg. keeping active/resting, massage, being able to eat
First stages: tens machine, birthball, keeping active/resting, hypnobirthing techniques, breathing techniques, etc
Transition stage: tens/birth pool/gas and air/breathing techniques etc
2nd stage: birth pool or other positions recommended by mw
After birth: would like to discove sex myself, would like dh to cut cord/happy for baby to receive vitamin k, etc.

it was obviously more detailed than that but i did keep it very plain, clear and easy to read, dont waffle and do put a smiley face :) and a thank you at the end... just to show you appeciate it!

can you tell i'm bossy!

you dont get if you dont ask

excuse terrible spelling, baby crying for feed.. bad mummy on mumsnet

I wrote a birth plan

had dd - midwife came back when she was filling in post birth paperwork (birthplan was with my notes) and said 'didn't read your birthplan but looks like we stuck to it'

to be fair on her dd made her appearance 15 mins after I arrived at the hospital!!!

Still glad I wrote it - it prepared me for the birth even if the birth was too quick to be necessary.

well i wrote a birth plan (2 A4 sides) but when it came to the actual big day it didnt even make it out of the bag (induction followed by emergency c-section - total time on labour ward = 50 mins before heading off to theatre)

In fact everything that i didnt want to happen did happen but in hindsight atleast DS arrived safely and in the end that was all that counted

I didn't write a birthplan but ds arrived so quickly I don't think they would have read it anyway. I'm still annoyed that they made me lay on my back to push and didn't let dh cut the cord, those are the only things I felt strongly about and had intended to tell them but was obviously in no state to talk coherently! It can't do any harm to write one, I definitely will next time

you've convinced me .
Main points are that I want enotox ASAP as I had a very quick first stage and getting to 10cm on 2 paracetamol was no fun.

Also I want to be as free to move around as possible, so no continuous monitoring. And I will be discharging myself as soon as I feel well enough to go - this caused quite a stir amongst the junior midwives last time, but the midwife in charge did not bat an eyelid.

I think a birth plan is useful and midwives do try and follow it provided it is reasonable. For example my birthing position was whatever was advised by the obstetric physio as I had SPD.

Its best to be open minded, people with very rigid ideas can end up with postnatal depression when their ideas go out the window.

The problem with giving birth is that its sometimes impossible to plan for all eventualities. No one plans to have a postpartum hermerage. If the baby is going need neo natal intensive care then your DH will not get to cut the cord.

You have no idea what level of pain you are going to experience and what your pain threshold is. Even if you have given birth before, no two births are the same.

I say do it, my MW's said they really like birth plans (like you I was synical that they are read) my MW said that they are. I found on the day that it was read and followed, and in fact like someone said above I changed my mind about having a psychological third stage (too bloody tiered to wait about for the f'ing placenta to show up after 45 mins) and my MW tried to encorage me to carry on as she knew it was in my plan.