MN Bumpfest: Share your thoughts and experiences on birth plans – £50 voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

In the run up to BumpFest (which we're VERY excited about - get your ticket now! ) we’re looking to get a better understanding of the experiences Mumsnetters have had around different issues surrounding childbirth - in particular, the infamous birth plan.

On a previous thread on Mumsnet it seemed as if many of you found that writing a birth plan was not as useful as you were led to believe for your first birth. What were your experiences with using your birth plan during labour? Did you follow it and find that everything went like clockwork, or did things end up more, er, ad-libbed, shall we say

Was your plan consulted by health care professionals during labour, or not? If not, was this due to the birth plan quickly becoming redundant, or did you feel that health care professionals simply ignored your birth plan? Did you feel that your needs and wishes were listened to during the birthing process? Did you find writing a birth plan a useful exercise in retrospect?

We know that every birth is unique, with or without a birth plan. We'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts, and if you have any birth plan wisdom to pass on (even if it's "chuck it out the window and get stuck into the drugs"), please do share.

Everyone who adds their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks

MNHQ"

[moongirl76]

Overrated !!!!!

[phillie1]

no point in a birth plan, and just have to see how you are feeling when the time comes - may have good intentions to have a natural birth for eg, but until you experience a birth, you have no idea how you will be able to handle the pain.

[gamerwidow]

I found the birth plan useful because it gave me and my partner work out both what we wanted to happen in the best case scenario and what we wanted to do should everything not be straightforward.

I think having talked together about all the options before hand was helpful when the birth of DD did become difficult and it was clear an EMCS would be necessary.

[ilona501]

Prior to giving birth to my great grandson, my granddaughter did have a birth plan. In theory I like the sound of a birth plan. We certainly didn't have them back in the late 60s and early 70s. However, what you can't plan for are emergencies... which is exactly what happened. Baby's heart beat started to drop dangerously so an emergency caesarean was carried out. Have you heard the expression "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans... "

[Lu44cyHAN]

I had no plan. Experience was worth it in the end when she as born.

[clareycat]

I'm pregnant with my first baby and whilst i'm informed on all the available options i have never been in labour before so i have no idea what to expect or how i will feel. With this in mind i don't really have a birth plan as such just a list of escalating measures/options i can try depending on the situation. I have made my husband aware of these but fully expect them to change depending on the situation.

[funkyfish586]

I think as good as it is to write & have a birth plan, you have to prepare yourself for the unexpected. I had lots of things on my plan but ended up being induced so it all went out the window. For my second labour, i ended up not doing one & it went as perfectly as could be!

[maryandbuzz1]

I didn't have a birthing plan, in fact I wasn't asked to do one. As it happened my labour was very traumatic and ended with a caesarian so it would have been a waste of time, anyway.

[lhlee62]

I wrote one, but it just went out the window really. I said no drugs apart from gas and air- it made me throw up everywhere!!

To be fair though I only had 2 paracetamol and some local anaesthetic for the episiotomy. I don't think I even got it out of my bag!!

The second time I didn't even bother writing one which was fine as the baby decided to fly out after a couple of hours in the back of the ambulance!

[insertsomethingwitty]

I had a very vague birth plan with all of mine, baby number I would say it wasn't listened to at all, and when things started to go downhill I wasn't given any support to get things back on track by the midwives.

My second and third births were much better but that was mainly due to experience and feeling more able to speak up.

I think having a birth plan is all well and good but make sure that whoever is with you also knows the plans and is willing to speak up for you if you find yourself unable.

[jac22]

I made a birth plan both times. The first couldn't have been more different to what happened. The second said - give birth. I think it's good to have one, but be prepared to change it!

[KandSWh]

I had a lovely birth plan written out - and I didn't even look at it once I was in hospital!!!!

It's nice to write one, but quite often it doesn't happen the way you'd like it to!

[Oxfordgirl1]

Write a birth plan but not be pedentic about it. Go with the flow.

[ThemisA]

It is extremely hard to write a plan for something that you have not yet experienced, particularly a first birth. I read a lot, attended NCT, spoke to other mothers but this did not really prepare me. It made me feel more in control and confident before the birth but my plans to control the pain with minimal intervention soon went out of the window and I was begging for an epidural!

[littleme96]

Essentially a birth plan is a wish list of your dream birth. Great if it goes to plan, but if not you need to be flexible enough to realise that sometimes you have to go 'off plan'.

I was very lucky in that both of my births followed my birth plan, but to be honest I'm not sure my midwife even read it, let alone considered it! It's a useful tool to get you thinking about your preferences in advance though and so I would recommend doing one.

[kerryv]

Never had a plan. Go with the flow.

[becks2134]

I had a birth plan, but nothing went to plan whatsoever, I know they do work well for some people but I doubt I will have one next time, I will just wait and see what happens :)

[ckkj]

I had a birth plan and it mostly went to plan. The student midwife had definitely read it as she said things to me during labour referring to the plan. I had covered in my birth plan the possibility of a c section and what my wishes were should I have needed one.

[Pmliu]

I wrote a birth plan but everything happened so quick that it didn't go the way I wanted, I wanted a natural birth in a birthing pool but i got so hot in there & the air condition was non existent in the birthing centre. I had to get out of the birthing pool & the nurse said I couldn't have anymore gas & air because as soon as I got out of the pool baby started coming so had no pain relief but did get my natural birth I wanted though, but not in the way I imagined. Now I know for next time (which is soon because have another baby on the way) not to bother writing a birth plan or if I do keep it short & brief because it doesn't always go as you want

[Chopstheduck]

I didn't make a detailed birth plan. I think for me, personally I wanted to go with it, and see how things went rather than have the pressure of trying to make it go how I thought it should, if that makes sense! I was happy enough to see how things went and have pain relief if and when I needed it. I couldn't bear being in water, or being upright so an active birth never would have worked for me.

[cagsd]

I didn't bother with birth plans for my first two births, but with my third, I was really interested in a water birth. I didn't plan it as such but I thought I'd like to ask for one. But by the time I arrived at the hospital I was in full on labour and almost ready to push, so even if I'd remembered to ask for the birthing pool I wouldn't have been able to make it. I only remembered afterwards anyway!!
So I guess the best thing to do is, think what you'd LIKE to happen, and if at all possible write it all down and refer your partner to it. But don't be upset or disappointed if it doesn't go to plan. Some things such as intervention or pain relief just can't be predicted.

[Marg2k8]

My birth plans went totally out of the window with one emergency c-section and one Ventouse extration.

[Kathderoet]

I was never offered a birth plan for any of my children, it got as far as which hospital I wanted to give birth in and that was it. I don't see the point of them really, every birth is different, how can you plan? It was a case of going with the flow (literally when my waters broke) and doing what was necessary!

[happysouls]

I think its a really great idea to find out what your options are and think through what you'd prefer. But I also think its important to keep an open mind and not set your heart on everything happening just the way you want it to because until it happens you never know!

[SarahSnail]

I made a birth plan and had it wrote down to the finest detail. Once the time came and labour progressed, it went out of the window and I was happy to go with the flow to sail through labour. My baby arrived safe and I felt that I had a wonderful labour without stressing over the little details.