Did your birth plans go to plan?

[MillieMoon94]

Just that really, I was wondering if anyone had any weird and wonderful stories to share? Just curious.

My first birth was pretty straight forward, had a show when I got up at 8am, followed by gradually worsening contractions throughout the day. Went to the hospital at 4pm and DS was born at 6:20pm, 10 days before due date.

DD was due on Christmas Eve just gone (so badly planned 😂). I was playing in the snow with DS on 11th and everything was fine, then the next day on my way back from taking DS to nursery I started getting contractions. We’d planned a home birth this time, but when we called the midwife at about 6:30pm she said she would be delayed due to snow. Long story short, DD was delivered by my boyfriend on our living room sofa at 9:10pm, midwife arrived at about 9:30pm 😂

I wanted a natural birth based on hypnobirthing techniques and in water.

I had an epidural due to excrutiating pains. That wore off due to labour not progressing (baby was back to back position), ended up having a spinal, rotational forceps, episiotomy, a water infection and incontinence. It was horrendous I won't lie but my little boy is 6 months old now and just amazing. Totally worth it and I am fully healed too.

If there is a next time my only plan is for a CS!

Yes. Birth plans were to avoid intervention wherever possible, waterbirth if possible, skin to skin and delayed cord clamping.

1- induced via pessary then waters broken due to fetal heartrate dips, delivered in the pool with paracetamol for pain relief. BUT, 3rd degree tear which then required 2hrs surgery.
2- Hospital waterbirth. MASSIVE POO, so big my husband thought it was the babys head floating up and was horrified thinking its head was detached or something. I mean, I pooed in all 3 labours but this was obscene. Even the midwife commented. Hahaha!
3- Homebirth, waterbirth. 2nd degree tear. Taken to hospital afterwards as they thought it may be another 3rd but it wasn't. Longest labour of all 3 and spent most of it clutching onto the bar of the baby's pram in the living room

Nope.

I mean my plans werent demanding or much anyway but....

1. Water birth - was induced as movement reduced more than 3 times in a few weeks so wasn't allowed this.
2. Remain as calm as possible - this was more a personal one and by all means I achieved this right up until pushing time when things went haywire.
3. DP to tell me the sex of the baby - the doctor lifted baby up to show him and DP completely froze amongst tears and happiness. All I heard was 'its a, its a...' 😂 so i looked (and tbf I looked just as DP recovered himself enough to say)
4. Do it all on gas and air - I went over and above this, I threw the stupid thing away. Useless. Take the drugs. (I certainly will if I'm stupid enough to do it again)

I kept my desires short and sweet as I had heard so many stories of things not working to plan and people being disappointed.

I was given a birth plan template at antenatal which I used as my plan... though essentially mine came down to have a baby, maybe use a pool! I figured I'd never done it before and had no idea how I'd react so it was best to keep an open mind.

I had a pretty good straightforward labour, woke up around 5am with contractions, managed at home until 11am, went into MLU 8cm dilated, few hours in pool with gas and air, he was born on dry land 4.16pm.

Baby did need assistance at birth which meant he was quickly whisked away, it wasn't until the midwife apologised for not doing delayed clamping or giving OH the option to cut the chord that I even remembered putting it in the birth plan! (DS was fine, just born very mucusy!)

I'm not sure if my (very lovely) midwife actually looked at the plan bit of my notes, but she asked what I wanted to do and made sure I felt in control each step of the way so I was happy. I get the want to cover all eventualities but I'm not sure how practical it is to expect everyone to be able to stop and read it if you've written an essay, as well as setting yourself up for disappointment.

Didn't go to plan - what should have been a water birth in an MLU, with a birth plan that reflected that, turned into assisted birth with epidural because of high blood pressure and extended hospital stay. I'm waiting for a debriefing appointment because of how it was all handled. I was expecting the baby but not the PTSD.

We're expecting no 2 now so looking at the possibility of taking several birth plans so we hand over the one that reflects the situation we find ourselves in as we may have pre-eclampsia again, or may not, and I'm not being badgered into the same situation again.

Mine did go to plan, I wanted no other pain relief other than gas and air and to have a water birth which I got. The labour was very quick as I had my DS in 1hr57mins my midwife was very shocked quick it all was and said she wished all labours went like mine My experience was very good and was extremely happy with the care I received.

SeeK debriefing appointment? How do you go about this? I am struggling to come to terms with my birth experience, and it's on my mind more and more as time goes by (instead of fading from memory) I keep replaying things and trying to fill in the blanks. I sometimes wonder if I have some form of PTSD.

I had a vague plan for each; MLU, no epidural if possible, delayed cord clamping. I was very lucky both times and had pretty much identical labours, waters broke, contractions started, baby in arms in under 5h. I tore with both a little and needed stitches, but both had massive 37cm heads so I'm not sure how avoidable that was.

Nope. I wanted a relaxed minimal intervention birth on the midwife unit attached to the hospital.

I ended up with my waters breaking on a friday the 13th which set the tone really. 75 hours of back to back labour, failed forceps and an emcs which I hallucinated through, ds needed NICU, I thought he was a doll spying on me and a few other fun things.

Currently pregnant again and the plan is for elective section under GA. Hoping this one goes to "plan".

With my first I didn't have a plan, I didn't get chance to write one as DD arrived 3 weeks early.
With my second I was lucky and it went to plan, but my plan was: pain relief will see how it goes
Cow and gate baby milk please and 6 hours discharge if possible.

well it went to plan in that all I really wanted was my baby to be okay... and he was. The birth was horrendous though, I felt really out of control. Id had no plans at all and had hoped to just go with the flow but I think in hindsight that was a bad idea for me.
This time I have a more formal plan. Im well aware things could vary massively but I think for me its important to have some idea of the things I do and do not want, so that I feel like im actually giving birth rather than im helpless and having something done to me.

OnNaturesCourse contact the Midwifery Matron at your hospital and ask whether they run a debriefing service. Ours is run by 2 part time midwives who will definitely be getting back to me later this week (cough).

Mothers comments online suggest that you do often have to be persistent to get access to these services, and sometimes it's really helpful and sometimes it's an exercise in them protecting their back, but it's worth persuing.

Big hugs to you, it's a grim situation to be in. There are Facebook groups for mothers who've had birth trauma as well, Unfold your wings, Birth Trauma Association etc. which you might find useful in the meantime.

Thank you SeeK I will look into that, I think it will help. X