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Original poster

Birth plan 2nd child?

20 replies

Allboxedin · 01/10/2011 20:22

Anyone done one?
I am coming up to 38 weeks and havent done one nor has anyone mentioned it to me. I'm not all that bothered really as I will be on the consultant led ward so I probably won't have a huge amount of choices to make anyway.
Last time I kept my options open to most things anyway.
Or should I be bothered?

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IwishIwasmoreorganised · 01/10/2011 20:25

I just tweaked the one that I'd done for ds1.

I had spd the second time round, so the changes were really because of that.

I'm not sure anybody looked at my first one, but the mw definitely had a look at it with ds2 (though not until after he was born as we'd only arrived at hospital 5 minutes before he was born!).

banana87 · 01/10/2011 20:26

My birth plan this time will just be the definite dos and donts. I.e. I do want an epidural, I don't want to be on my back the whole time, etc. Like you, I'm consultant led as well.

I learned from last time they are generally a waste of time as anything can happen and most mws don't even read them anyway Angry.

pozzled · 01/10/2011 20:27

I did one but it was much shorter than my first. And as it turned out, DD2 was born 20 minutes after we arrived at the hospital, birth plans were the last thing on anyone's mind!

I would probably just run through your wishes with your birth partner and if you think they are likely to forget anything then jot a few things down. Is there anything that's really important to you, like bfing immediately, or not being pressured to bf if you don't plan on doing so?

Original poster
Allboxedin · 01/10/2011 20:32

I don't think they do take much notice anyway unless you are maybe having a natural birth/homebirth maybe. Like you say you never know how it will turn out. The BF thing could be handy to write down though pozzled.

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Caz10 · 01/10/2011 20:33

At about 39wks with dd2 I asked mw when we'd be doing birth plan (had separate apt with her to do the one for dd1) and she looked at me like I was mad and told me to write down whatever I wanted!
Wasn't going to bother tbh but now glad that I did- like someone else said above, dc2 came along v v soon after I arrived at the hosp, all a bit panic stations and things were well underway, I wasn't in much of a state to chat! But the mw was able to glance at my (very brief) notes and I got the things which were important to me (birthing pool, delayed cord clamp, natural 3rd stage)- if they weren't written down it might've gone differently. As it was I just nodded and grunted accordingly when she asked questions based on my plan!

Caz10 · 01/10/2011 20:36

Oh x-post, yes I wrote that I wanted to feed straight away so dd wasn't whisked off anywhere too quickly!

bilblio · 01/10/2011 20:37

The notes my MW writes has questions attached which basically form my birth plan. I've completed them.

I wasn't sure if my plan was read last time but DH said the MW did look at it, I was a bit too drugged up to notice. :) It was stuck to mostly, but complications in the birth meant there had to be a few changes.

Original poster
Allboxedin · 01/10/2011 21:09

I'm getting a bit worried about this 5 minutes stuff. Did you ladies wait too long at home or did it all go so quickly?

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Caz10 · 01/10/2011 21:42

A bit of both I think! They said to wait till contractions were 5 mins apart, mine started at 10, then 9, then 8 etc, so at 6 we started heading off, almost immediately they jumped to 2 mins apart! Missed out 5,4 and 3! Arrived to be told I was 7cm.

bilblio · 01/10/2011 21:56

TBH Allboxedin I'm a bit worried about it all too, waters going the whole works, I didn't have any of that last time.... well I did, but didn't realise. I ruptured my waters falling off a chair the day before I was due, didn't realise (really hurt my back so thought my pelvic floor muscle had gone. Blush )
Contractions started 2 days later, first 2 were 7 minutes apart, then 5 mins. I phoned the hospital told them my suspicions about my waters, they said to come in straight away. I was there half an hour after my first contraction an I was 5cm dilated.
I'm midwifery led this time so they'll come out to me and tell me when it's time to go in.

What did you do last time?

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 01/10/2011 22:21

I was induced with ds1, so didn't have a lot to go on!

I stayed at soft play with ds1 home until things got a bit much to bear, then we headed straight off, sropping ds1 off at the IL's en-route.

I never got round to timing any contractions!

Original poster
Allboxedin · 01/10/2011 22:35

wow!
Well last time with me I had been having contractions on and off for a couple of days so knew it was coming on, I started regular ones at 4pm ish and my husband phoned in and we went in, I was 4cm then and it took until 7.30am though for her to arrive so it was all pretty slow.

This time the consultant has told me to go in at the first sign of labour though so they can keep an eye, so I am hoping it won't be so bad!

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Original poster
Allboxedin · 01/10/2011 22:36

bilb when are you due?

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pozzled · 02/10/2011 23:46

I think I waited too long at home. I had a really long 1st labour so settled down to wait for my contractions to get regular and they never really did. Finally decided I'd better go as it was a bit painful and then took a while to get stuff together and hand DD1 over to my sister. By the time I actually got in the car they were only 2.5 minutes apart and we had almost a 40 minute drive to hospital (rush hour traffic, very uncomfortable!). So I'd definitely advise leaving sooner rather than later!

Hope it all works out well for you.

Original poster
Allboxedin · 03/10/2011 07:13

Thanks pozzled......was just a bit painful?! Grin
I'm at the nervous stage now!

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bilblio · 03/10/2011 20:30

I'm due on the 24th Allboxedin, 3 weeks today.
We're lucky we're only about 5 minutes from the hospital, 15 in rush hour. Plus however long it takes the taxi to get here, DH doesn't drive. But my parents are an hour away and we need them here to look after DD, we have put the neighbours on standby just in case.
I'm sure we'll be fine (I keep chanting to myself :o )

Original poster
Allboxedin · 04/10/2011 07:47

Biblio make sure the taxi firm will take a labouring woman beforehand because I know some don't. Its so close, I keep feeling really unready and yet so fed up with being pregnant! My feet are killing me and swollen at the moment so not able to do much :( keep us posted! :)

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TimothyClaypoleLover · 04/10/2011 12:37

I think it is important to have a birth plan if you have strong opinions on certain aspects of childbirth. For example I put in mine that I did not want to be cut, and did not want forceps/ventuse unless absolutely necessary. My midwife did read mine but didn't make a song and dance about reading it, it was just obvious she had read it when labour was happening. Granted, lots of birth plans go out the window when it comes down to it but I still think they can help you achieve the birth you want. IMO it also helps focus your mind on the whole process and the more you understand it the less anxious you are.

GreenandBlacksAddict · 09/10/2011 16:29

I wouldn't bother , use it to light the fire on bonfire night. My first one said for DS1 no pethdine, no epidural, home birth, no epistomy ....HA ! Ambulance to hospital, pethadine, epidural, forceps delivery epistomy. They have to do what they have to do - I think you would be better off taking in a large box of choccies for the midwives !

Wurg · 09/10/2011 17:35

Oh god, I'm mortified just thinking about my first birth plan. It mentioned aromatherapy Blush

This one might just have "GIVEMETHEBLOODYDRUGS (please)"

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