Birth Preferences

[Elsa123]

I've just written out my birth preferences. Does this sound ok?

Labour Preferences:

• Active
• Please discuss procedures before performing them.
• Please limit the number of VEs- I have a history of vaginismus so need to relax!
• I'd like to try water pool if available.
• Open to any pain relief options.
• Happy to have a student midwife present but not multiple students or student doctors.

Delivery Preferences:

• Normal!
• Would rather go straight to CS than try trial by forceps if all not going according to plan.
• Would like skin to skin with the baby or if I cannot please give the baby to my husband if the baby is ok obviously.
• If the baby is not ok, please let my husband accompany it and explain to him what is going on.
• I would like a managed 3rd stage.
• We would like the baby to get Vitamin K.
• My husband would like to try and cut the cord.

Afterwards

• I plan to breastfeed.
• If I need to stay overnight, we have booked a private room.
• If possible I would like to go home ASAP with breastfeeding established.
• I would like Anti-D as am Rh-.

It fits, handwritten onto the birth preferences page within the maternity notes.

Sounds all completely sane! :-)

One thing, sometimes the baby is too far down to do a C section so forceps might be needed instead.

Why are student midwives okay but not student doctors?

I delivered a number of babies as a student doctor and was with the mother throughout. I did have on my birth plan that students were welcome, just as long as they didn't just come in to catch the baby at the end! In the end, I gave birth at home with a brand new midwifery student present who just watched (it was her first home birth). She didn't do anything but I was glad to be able to repay some of the experience that mothers had graciously allowed me.

Sounds like you are leaving things quite open while knowing your preferences (much better word than birth plan given that we can't really plan this!).

Good luck. Hope it all goes well.

Another thought on student doctors - not directed at you but just as I ponder this!

There is definitely a justified feeling here on MN that doctors have a higher perception of risk of childbirth than is perhaps warranted. I certainly found that with my doctor friends when I spoke about planning a home birth.

There is also sadly quite a bit of, I think unfounded, prejudice about having student doctors rather than student midwives at births. That means that student doctors often only get to see the births that doctors are having to attend because there are complications, so they see a skewed version of childbirth, rather than the uncomplicated ones that most of us will have, which might go to perpetuate the risk that doctors attribute to childbirth because they only ever see the complicated ones.

Does that make sense?

Very true! I'm hoping to be in the MLU of the hospital I'm going to and there it seems to be more common for student docs to be in 'gangs' and get wheeled in to observe the 'exciting' part whereas they have a more holistic approach with student mws letting them be present for as much of the process as possible, actually fully shadowing the mw. Its my first baby I did not particularly want more people in than necessary, but then I may not care .

I understand that forceps may be required if the baby is far down. I wanted to avoid a failed high forceps attempt that was then followed by CS. If the baby is far enough down then forceps does sound better than CS as it wouldn't be a trial as CS would be too late?

Thank you for looking at it MrsGangly!

That's a shame if that's how the student doctors are used in that unit. I was very fortunate to do my Obs and Gynae block in a small hospital where we did just hang out with the midwives for our delivery unit shifts and worked with them like one of their students.

I had a student MW deliver my first (under supervision obv!) and she was lovely. Can still picture her face and remember her name 13 years later.

Had a student dr all the way through my last (3rd dc). He thanked us at the beginning as he was used to only seeing the emergency stuff.

Don't think he was thanking me by the end - he came in for as much stick as DH did!

Oh, forgot to comment on your plan!

Sounds v sensible. Remain openminded at all times. My third plan was this:
'no episiotomy please'

End of!

LOL!

I guess the thing is that birth plans are not about opposing ideas. Limiting VE means only when alsolutely necessary rather than doing them every couple of hours (which is my experience). Other than that, I can't see a lot of unnecessary stuff.

There a lot of things which we nowadays take for granted are 'normally done'. It ain't necessarily so... I think it's wise to be as upfront as possible about everything you feel strongly about.

Hence my brief plan 3rd time around!

I'm happy to deliver my baby or birth it! Makes so odds to me! I don't think the mws will pick me up on my choice of prose . Thank you all for the thoughts, I did not know what the 'routine' is for VEs and I did not want to sound too prescriptive. Buttonmoon your birth plan sounds like my mother's!