What to put in birth plan

[aswellasyou]

I feel like I'm forgetting something important. The sections I've done so far are:

Decision making
Where I would like to give birth
Induction
Who I would like in the room during labour
Pain relief
Monitoring
Positions
Assisted delivery
Immediately after birth

This is my first baby so I don't know if there's something I haven't thought of that I might think was important after I've given birth.

Can anyone advise me please?

My first one was very detailed.

My second one was very very brief. Something like;

I want gas and air and then pethidine for pain relief.

I want the baby to be put to breast immediately after birth and would like help to breast feed.

That was it really.

IME just keep it brief and put the stuff that really is important to you only.

Uh oh, ok. Maybe I'm getting carried away. I'll stop before I end up with it not being read at all! Thankyou for your response.

I would say try to keep it on one page of A4! if you can

second the keeping it brief. You just want to highlight the things that are most important to you.

Mine was
outline of my health probs and medication I take (had to do this as could affect birth)

that I can't breastfeed due to medication

vitamin k injection

placenta delivery injection

preference for pain relief

request for dh to do skin to skin if I am incapable

happy with students.

Midwife said it was one of the best

Basically they aren't going to have ages to read through and remember everything. Just make brief notes of the things that are
a)most important to you
b)that they are likely to ask you.

It can all change anyway depending on what happens.

You want to write down anything that you want that isn't 'normal/standard' and that you think someone might need to know while you're too far out of it to communicate for example I wanted my DS to be put on my chest unwashed and before the cord was cut. I also mentioned that i wanted to keep the placenta....

It was definitely shorter than a side of A4 already! I'd highlighted the key points but I've now done a brief version so it can be read quickly by a midwife, and then my Mum (birthing partner) can read the longer version so she has more detail on each point-there's a lot of 'if I can't have this, I'd like this' and 'if I have to have this, please do this'.

Did you eat the placenta?! My Dad told the midwives he wanted to eat ours (two because we're non-identical twins) and they were horrified. He was just winding them up though.

aswellasyou nope didn't eat the placenta (men mustn't eat palacenta BTW) we wanted it to plant beneath a tree

2 things I didn't know
1 why can't men eat the placenta?
2 I thought skin to skin was to help with b/feeding - so why would a DH do?

I think I put no students but tbh I wouldn't caer less by the end of it!

Skin to skin is just nice for a baby when born - not just to encourage breastfeeding. Mothers do it even when not breastfeeding. Is comforting/warm for a baby just out of the womb.

DH did it when ds was born as I was losing conciousness and would like to repeat it again if I can't again.

ah- okay thanks. Feel a bit thick now

I believe the hormone levels in the placenta might be an issue for men? I've never heard they can't have it, but I do know one of the reasons for doing it was the hormones it contains help the uterus shrink and milk come in or somesuch.