PLease help me with my birth plan!

[Backgammon]

Hi there,

I'm doing my birth plan - would you mind having a look and letting me know if you think anything is missing? I haven't added anything about drugs - definitely want to have G&A and ideally nothing else, but obviosuly won't rule it out.

Don't want to deliver in the water, but would like to labour in it. This is all very flexible - I'm more than prepared to change my mind a lot! Just wondered if there's something I haven't covered that I should.

? Labour in water if birthing pool available
? Deliver on dry land (not lying down)
? Injection for delivery of placenta
? Vitamin K injection for baby
? Prolonged skin to skin contact after birth
? Breastfeed asap after birth

Thx

I'd put something in about pain relief - e.g. would like to have G&A (which you can do in the water) but will consider other forms of pain relief as appropriate

Also, do you have any feeling on 'managing' the labour, do you want to be helped re: different positions, told/not told when to push etc?

Do you want to avoid an episiotomy? (if so, I would put something about wanting to labour upright or as upright as poss from experience)

Monitoring: do you want to be monitored? What about continuous monitoring (which does restrict your movements)

Great, thanks effie - will add that about pain relief.

Not sure about managing the labour, told when to push I think would be a good idea.

Definitely want to avoid an episiotomy! Don't want continuous monitoring either. Will add those, thanks.

Should I put something about interventions? My friend wrote that she would prefer ventouse to forceps if it came to that and that's what they did.

No experience of interventions (other than epi) but if you have an opinion, put it in!

I would say a) make sure you have memorised your plan and are prepared to fight for it and b) make sure your birth partner has done the same. IME they can be ignored if you happen to turn up in the middle of the night during a shift change...

keeping it simple and fairly short is a good idea for all the reasons above

Excellent, thanks effie.

Looks like this now:

? Labour in water if birthing pool available
? Use gas and air ? ideally no other pain relief but open to epidural if necessary
? Ideally no continuous monitoring
? If absolutely necessary would prefer ventouse to forceps
? Would like to stay as upright as possible
? Deliver on dry land ? not lying down, would like to be told when to push
? Injection for delivery of placenta
? Vitamin K injection for baby
? Prolonged skin to skin contact after birth
? Breastfeed asap after birth

Sounds good to me

Who will cut the cord? My DH wants to so think about that?
Otherwise I'm nicking yours!

LOL at deliver on dry land!

Why do you want to be told when to push? If you do not have an epidural then your body will tell you when to push. It is no longer recommended practice to tell women when to push. As a midwife I reassure women during the pushing stage but do not tell them when to push, except when they have an epidural and don't have the sensation to push.

Out of interest - why do you not want to birth in water?

Have you got any good book to read about childbirth?

I was told to get my birth plan written today at the pregnancy assessment unit - I am 30 weeks and have silly blood pressure. Was also told to fill in my personal details .

Third baby - birth plan says: Go into labour and go with the flow

Birth plans are all well and good but you need to be aware that they are an 'ideal' and you need to be flexible

I don't actually think I have ever seen a midwife read a birth plan - someone correct me if I am wrong! I didn't even write one for DD2.

I know pgwithnumber3, couldn't think how else to put it!! It looks ridiculous, doesn't it!!

DH doesn't want to cut the cord, I don't think I would either if I was him.

No idea about being told when to push mears, hadn't thought of putting it in there til effie mentioned it.

Got tonns of books thanks, yes.

Yes popsycal, I am prepared to be flexible (see op) thought I should have a think about it now though and write down what I think I might prefer. Totally prepared for it all to be different.

also, even if your mw/doctor reads it, they may still, unfortunately, put huge pressure on you to do it their way rather than yours.

you need to be really clear about what you want and be prepared to fight for it if necessary which isn't that easy when you're in labour.

Sounds like a good plan and very much like the one I had. Unfortunately I don't think the midwives so much as glanced at it.

Yeah, I'm prepared for that Meg. But better to have one than not is what I figured.

didn't know that about pushing mears, i was told, which was a good thing as i had no urge
not sure if it belongs in a birth plan, but probably worth thinking about how soon you want visitors, and who!

I would definitely make your DH/DP/other birth partner memorise it too, they can help make your wishes known when you might not be too able to communicate!

re the pushing, I was told to push as I was by that time flat on my back being continually monitored and (surprise surprise) stopping getting the urge to push. Hence episiotomy, blah blah blah

so on my plan it will say 'do NOT tell me when to oush' as well as 'I do not want to lie flat under any circumstances'

ditto Meg, mws pretty much ignored mine too, which is why I recommend keeping it short and memorising it!

Thx starlight

I had a birth plan - it went out the window! - BUT it did help me focus my mind on what I ABSOLUTELY did want. ie. a) I would do absolutely anything they advised to keep the baby safe and b) I wanted DC to have skin-to skin contact (oh yes, and I wanted DH to tell me whether it was a DS or DD).

In the event:
a)I had an emerg cs (but agreed to not leave it to the "last minute" - which they offered - in case my body did labour properly).
b) I shrieked at DH to get his scrubs off and hold DC skin-to-skin the moment he was out - remember DH holding him upside down over me to show me his face - and getting told off for doing so.
c) DH forgot to tell me the sex - he just sat and gaped at "DS's huge red balls"!

Good luck with everything. One thing I would suggest post-birth is writing down your thoughts about your LO - and encouraging DP/DH to do the same. Days later you will be so zonked with tiredness that neither of you will remember those first moments!

I have written that I want to be carefully guided through pushing. Isn't it right that there are some points when you may feel like pushing but have to be careful, eg when crowning? I don't have a clear memory of my first time - I was pushing ten minutes so it was pretty mad - but I remember being told NOT to push and breathe at one point and that was tough!

Why do I keep typing thx? I've been on bloody ivillage today, that's why. Sorry everybody.

Thanks for these replies.

How sad that many of you have had the experience of midwives not looking at birthplans. I always talk to the woman first and then look at her birthplan to confirm that is what she has origially planned.

It is not the first time that someone has come in in labour asking for an epidural when they wanted a pool birth. I always bring them back to their first intention and offer them that chance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I would never deny a woman her choices in labour because they differ from a written birthplan.