Birth Plan- template/sample??

[Leilababyno1]

I am 37+ weeks and haven't written a birth plan yet.

I know this 'plan' will probably go out of the window once I get to hospital, but I would like to have some rough bullet points- so I can feel a little more prepared...

Has anyone got a template/sample they could post a link to, as don't know where to start?

Thanks!

I'd suggest having a read of the homebirth.org birthplan. Only because it's very detailed and helps to think about what aspects of the birth are most important. Eg for me i really wanted to delay cord clamping andonly have injection for 3rd stage if there was a problem.

My partner and i talked through the birthplan and then i used the birthplan template on nhs choices.

For what it's worth my birth didn't go to plan( he was a hospital birth not a home water birth) but i ended up with a good birth and the important things happen. Eg delayed cord clamping.
Good luck
Also i have an unusal name so put a big front cover on my notes saying my name is pronounced haz-chem. As i knew having people say my name wrong in lbour would drive me crazy.

Here is mine! I think you need to keep it brief, direct & easy to read. Ideally one side of A4.

Toobreathless- birth plan

Please do whatever is necessary to keep me & the baby safe.

Ideally I would like as natural a birth as possible but am open to all options.

IM Vitamin K for the baby is fine.

Active management of the second stage is fine.

I would like the midwife to actively guide the head out to try & prevent a tear.

I am keen to be involved in the teaching if student midwifes in any way possible & am happy for a supervised student to deliver the baby. However, being a doctor I would prefer not to have medical students present.

I also have a second sheet with basic details/allergies/NOK etc on that to keep the actual plan uncluttered.

Hope this helps,

Keep it flexible. Mine was used despite the birth changing so much. If you have definite prefernces if you do end up needing interventions, CTGs, a CS or even SCBU, then put them down.

Birth plans that go "I want a natural active birth and don't want drugs" will get scrapped in most cases IMO.

I did mine yesterday and it's basically a list of bullet points, covering first and second stage, plus post-birth.

eg. I would like to use the birthing pool.

• I would like monitoring of the baby to be kept to a minimum unless there is cause for concern.
• In addition to the use of the birthing pool, I intend to use hypnobirthing relaxation and breathing techniques, as well as massage.
• Although I intend to use the birthing pool, advice will be welcome at all times, and I am open to considering other pain relief options if necessary.
• I wish the cord to remain attached and unclamped until it stops pulsating.
• My husband would like to cut the cord.

Also - something else to bear in mind - my sister is a midwife and explicitly told me to make sure it was no longer than one side of A4, and also to avoid saying things such as, "wanting to rest between contractions" , "wanting information on pain relief before it's administered" and "appreciating support and guidance from my midwife" as you are more likely to offend said midwife than inform!

VivCliquot - how would 'wanting to rest...' 'wanting information...' and 'appreciating support and guidance' be offensive? That's sounds perfectly polite i think.

toobreathless, firstly (and I don't mean this personally, it is simply a general point) if you don't trust the people looking after you to want to keep you and your baby safe you are on to a loser from the start! Secondly, do you mean active management of the second stage or the third stage? The second stage is usually taken to mean from full dilatation to delivery of the baby, the third stage is delivery of the placenta & membranes. Thirdly, all midwives will try to avoid a tear, it's kind of what we do. We really don't want you to split from top to bottom if we can help it. On that point, please no-one put that they wish to avoid an episiotomy. They are extremely rare now (unless forceps are used or baby is in distress) it is not 1975. Fourthly, all student midwives are supervised.
Penelope58, it kind of offends you that the people who you are caring for have no trust in your professionalism I think, and also that they feel they have to communicate in writing, rather than speaking to you. It's like handing a note to your child's teacher saying 'I want you to treat my child with kindness, teach them to read and write and not lose them somewhere.' Of course they will do that, it's obvious! Well, to most midwives, wanting to rest between contractions (not sure what you think we will make you do, brew up possibly? Write a poem?) and wanting information and guidance is obvious too! Of course you need to tell them if there is a problem, but it's the kind of assumption that we are on one side and the parents are on the other and it's sort of combative at times.
Also, don't think that whatever is in writing is set in stone, you can re-evaluate as things progress, you should be discussing things all the time with your care providers.
Please don't laminate it. It really isn't a good idea to take it so seriously. How about rocking up to the labour ward/birth centre/your own lounge and saying to the midwife 'I'd love to do xyz but really don't like the sound of abc, what do you think?' Talking is good, and talking openly and honestly is even better.

I found this site really useful alongside the homebirth one already mentioned:
birthchoices.co.uk/how-to-write-a-good-birth-plan/

reikizen re episiotomy. Not that rare IME? I was given one during my son's birth 7 years ago when he wasn't in distress not did I have an assisted delivery. Then then numpty mw who stitched it up managed to do it wrong (only 3 stitches FFS!) and it's caused me loads of trouble since. That section of current birth plan is rather detailed as a result

Reikizen.

You have raised some interesting points with regards to my birth plan- thank you!

You're right I meant active management of the THIRD stage not second. Have checked the plan and it does say 3rd. I clearly just had a dappy five mins earlier, but I am overdue!

I do totally trust the people looking after me which is why my first point pretty much just means 'get on and do what you have to, I trust you and am happy to not be particularly involved in the decision making process.' I may reword this point!

I do disagree with you slightly about delivery of the head. I'm not a midwife or trained in Ob/Gyn but I did have to witness 30 (it was actually more that that) vaginal deliveries to qualify in my chosen career. I vividly remember two occasions when the head was delivered while the midwife was sat down writing notes! One home water birth and one birth in a midwifery led unit. One of these ladies had a second degree tear. This wasn't that long ago either, about eight years or so.

lunafire, I have never seen an episiotomy performed that wasn't for an instrumental or fetal distress, perhaps I just work in a good hospital (also, don't forget that your episiotomy may have been the only one performed in that year!- not that it makes it any better for you of course!) I doubt that you only had 3 stitches as we tend to do continuous sutures, so there is only one stitch as it were, and each layer has to be sutured. She may not have been a numpty, she may simply have tried but not achieved a good result for whatever reason. Suturing an episiotomy is not something I would volunteer for on a regular basis.

Well 3 stitches is what I was told. It was only a small cut and healed very quickly so in that respect she did a good job I suppose. It was just sown up far too tight . My DH ended up with 3 times as many stitches when it tore his frenulum many months later after we resumed dtd, so I've learnt my lesson and will be requesting a surgeon performs any stitches next time, even if that means transferring in from home.

Thank's all for your feedback and opinions.

I have decided to go with the template on hipp.co.uk as tunnocksteacake suggested..- Ta!

It's a 'to the point' yes, no form that is simple and easy to read.

One question though for anyone that may be able to advise- I have asked for an episiotomy to only be done, if the MW thinks I am going to sustain a tear that is higher than a 2nd degree level or if essential for an assisted delivery. Have I made the right choice??

What's preferable (obviously NONE) a big tear or an episiotomy??!! I have a friend who sustained a 3rd degree tear as she refused an episiotomy, who now wishes she had opted to be cut...

Personally I'm going to leave all decisions re: epiostomy up to the midwife. I'd rather have one than a second/third degree tear!

They will only do one if they deem it necessary & they are the experts!

Zoedee.

Simply because I work in the same hospital & my job involves teaching medical students. I suppose they could also at some point be colleagues. I just wouldn't be comfortable with someone I'd taught (they all rotate) a few months ago watching me give birth!

I freaked out a work experience girl by stripping for a VE right in front of her!

"VivCliquot - how would 'wanting to rest...' 'wanting information...' and 'appreciating support and guidance' be offensive? That's sounds perfectly polite i think."

Sorry - only just seen this. My sister says this is because that is by the very nature what midwives do and is one of the basic skills of their job - to assume that any midwife wouldn't give you support or guidance seems a bit rude, non? Equally, why would any midwife encourage a woman in labour NOT to rest in between contractions?

Oops. Just read the thread properly and see that Reikizen has answered your question a lot more comprehensively than me!

Zoedee

I did observe a fair few births as a student. It was at least
30 as that's how many I had to have 'signed off' but it was more that that.

I remember feeling very, very honoured to be present at each birth & can still remember a couple of the births clearly eight years later! I'm sure the students you had felt the same way! It is very special to be present as new life begins.