30+2 and thinking about birth plans

[Stoosh2020]

Hi all,
With less than 10 weeks to go and the fast approaching due date of my first baby, as well as being locked down, working from home, and having to do all of my baby goods shopping online, I've been thinking lots about my birth plan.
My partner has childcare responsibilities for another child as his mother is a key worker, doing shifts in the medical profession he can't be around 24/7. I don't see my community midwife for another 2 1/2 weeks but I just wanted to put the question out there as to whether it's possible to request a planned induction in order to ensure we can plan for him to be present for the birth (as long as baby doesn't turn up early)? I really want him to be there and my back-up birth partner (Mother) lives over 350 miles away so that's not looking to be an option in the current climate.

I was planning to ask my midwife the same next week- I am a bit closer to birth though. The problem with induction is that it can take a couple of days for anything to happen- a friend was recently induced and the baby only came some 30 hours later. So still hard to plan. I never considered planned EMC and dont even know if they are doing it under the circumstances, but am panicking now about the situation and wondering if this could be an option for me maybe?

I don't know but agree that planned induction can take a long time - with my first I went to start my induction on a Sunday and my baby didn't arrive until Friday night (I was not allowed to leave the hospital once it had started)! There was a woman sobbing in the bed next to me whose induction had taken 8 days and had not progressed and had been given the option of trying again or a C-section.

It can also be not a particularly pleasant process (mine was not, because I was in labour for the best part of a week strapped to a bed). AND it's pretty resource intensive - if the hormones don't get you going and they move you to a drip you need constant supervision by a senior midwife and the hormones are strong so the contractions are extremely painful.

Of course it can be much quicker for a lot of people but I'd be surprised if given resource concerns it's an issue. I'd also caution that it's not a particularly nice way to give birth (very medicalised) and doesn't necessarily happen on schedule. I didn't know it would be like that before my first child so it was a bit of an eye-opener, and really hoping that for this baby (I'm 32w) I don't have to be induced.

inuinnit
Thanks for sharing, it's all pretty scary at the moment, the fear of the unknown... and that's my letter just arrived to say Antenatal classes have been cancelled as well so no guidance on that front.

It's a bit rubbish isn't it! I was feeling quite sure of myself before with this pregnancy and much more mentally prepared, but now CV means I'm just trying to keep and open mind and be positive (which is pretty hard as usually the way I deal with anxiety is to plan and research etc).

Sorry to hear your antenatal classes have been cancelled. Would recommend reading Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better (Siobhan Miller) - it pretty much covers all the same ground the NCT classes around birth, but a bit more efficiently and with fewer group exercises! I found it a bit more helpful in preparing for birth than antenatal classes in the end.

Thanks, I’ve heard a few people recommend that so I’ll give it a go. Thankfully I have done an 8 week course of Yogabellies prenatal yoga (before that also got cancelled) so that gave me some insight. Best of luck with your birth plan, when your time comes.