Have you or did you do a birth plan?

[Rootatoot]

A lot of people mention these and there is a page at the back of pregnancy notes to write one, but when I mentioned it to my MW, she said 'what's a birth plan?" I think she was being a bit facetious but I took it to mean they're not interested in having one in my local area.

So did you write one? Was there any point? Did anyone at hospital take any notice? What went in yours if you did find it useful? Thanks.

Mine was pretty minimal:
I wanted to stay off my back, pref on my feet as much as possible (in the event this was impossible as I couldn't stand up, let alone walk! but I was allowed to remain on my side, not my back until the last push)
I wanted the baby washed before he was given to me - this happened
I wanted to be allowed to use my hypnobirthing CD and stuff as much as possible - I didn't even get the portable CD player out, I couldn't bear the idea of headphones anywhere near me. The learning I had from the Hypnobirthing helped though...

I had already worked out that there wasn't much point in getting worked up about it because things so very rarely went to plan - and that was before I'd even joined Mumsnet!

I had other ideas - like not wanting intervention unless absolutely necessary (thankfully it wasn't); avoiding epidurals and the like because my back is already a mess and I didn't want to mess with it (was warned off one when I enquired because of the likely need for further intervention as I'd been induced) - but didn't have them in my plan because I knew that things could change so quickly.

My mw sat me down to write one and I decided not to. I didn't see the point in writing a plan when every birth is different and not something you can choose to control. I decided that my plan was 'to go with the flow' and I'm glad I did. The only thing I wanted to try and do was have baby at home so when my waters broke I stayed at home, unfortunately he got stuck so I ended up in hospital with a c section. I think because I didn't have a set plan in mind, it was a lot easier as we just went with it as it happened and in all I had a really positive and enjoyable (yes I know that sounds mad) experience.

I didn't have one with either. both times the mws asked me the impoertant points during each stage like

• do you want the resuss table in the room
• do you want skin to skin
• breast feeding
• internals
• vit k
• managed 3rd stage

-dh cutting the cord

• calling out gender

so basically they covered everything already.

those of you who don't want students: I had a mw student who just startd to accompany the regular mws. she was great. and it had the added bonus that the mw explained everything that happenend very clearly.
plus, I never was left alone at all during labour, at least the super lovely student was there all the time. even if she didn't really do anything apart from asking intelligent questions, she was fab at back rubbing and just beeing there :)

I wasn't sure whether DH was going to be there or not, I had a plan which explained this, and gave some basic information about his attitude to hospitals and operations, as I thought I might be in no fit state to introduce him and the midwives to each other if he arrived late! I've just had a look back on it, I can see I'm also trying to introduce myself a bit, probably anticipating arriving alone and unable to speak!

Just to say, thanks for all the posts. They've been helpful, thanks.

I have decided to write a plan but I'm going to wait till after my antenatal class on labour and birth or till I've finished my book on birth! I think most of it will be quite loose but a few things will be good to write down and won't change. I chatted to MW at hospital on the tour on saturday and she was v helpful. Said they welcome plans but just re-iterated to be open minded, which I am. Also, said it's helpful to put stuff down like my allergies, which I know will be in my notes but as they now resemble the phone book, I can't expect a busy MW to find every detail in there and if I'm in the throws of labour, I won't remember to mention it.

i had nct class and they are big advocates of the birth plans, i wrote mine out exactly what i wanted to achieve, what my pain relief plans were, what i wanted for the baby after it was born. i walked in to my birth room and handed it to my midwife. she glanced at it put it down and did not look at it again and to be fair it was a big pile of horse crap.
i think it is suppose to help you feel in control but realistically you cant plan for everything that is going to happen in your labour and you just have to go with the flow. you need to be flexible and setting up a rigid idea of the way things should go doesnt help i dont think. there is nothing wrong with having the basics planned out for your own comfort but be prepared for some surprises.

after seeing my sister's meticulously planned home waterbirth turn into a week long hospital stay, including failed induction, c-section, blood transfusion, plus god knows what pain relief (AND in civilian life she's tough as old boots) I am well cynical about birth plans for myself, though maybe I'll write one, just to feel like I've tried.

The one thing that has stood her in good stead is an exceptionally robust sense of humour - I may have to concentrate on copying that ;)

I'm sure some people get to follow them though!

But a birth plan isn't meant to be ridgid. It should be a framework of your wishes which take into account the likely range of things that can happen during birth. For instance I specified I did not want to be offered pain releif but would ask for it if I wanted it (I didn't). I didn't want to be coached to 'push' but would follow my bodies lead. The MWs were really supportive and despite me being monitored the whole way through really tried to leave me too it as much as possible. If I hadn't had a birth plan that stated I had planned a homebirth I am not sure they would have understood how important it was to me.
Even if you end up with a c section you can still specify skin to skin, low lighting even your own music. If an HCP had bern so dismissive of my wishes I think I would have asked for someone else to look after me. But then I can be proper bloody minded when it comes down to it.