Birth Plans?

[MacKinnon]

Just wondering who already has a good idea what their plans are going to be? We are most likely going with a great free standing birth center staffed by CNM's that is about 45 mins away. The drive worries me slightly, but they will come to us if I don't think i can make it, and there is a hospital conveniently located in between our home and their center. It is a true free standing facility, with two beautiful birthing suites and tubs, beautiful wooded setting, yet only about a 8 min. transfer to the areas leading hospital.

I had my last two children at what I really consider to be the ideal hospital situation. My midwife was my sole care provider and worked in a partnership with one other midwife, but they attended their own patients. They had their own big corner room in a smaller community hospital where they were left alone to do their own thing and ignore hospital protocol (like starting an IV site, running a 20 min. tape, antibacterial eye stuff, etc.). I had two beautiful natural totally uncomplicated births there. However, my midwife has since left, and I really don't feel very comfortable with her former partner. Plus, they don't have birth tubs, and with this most likely my last, I would prefer to have the option of a water birth.

What are your plans?

[mamakaikai]

My birthplans are similar to what I had planned for my first birth. I want to birth in my home, with my partner and the midwives. Other than this, I don't want anyone around. Except that I have my dd now, and I would love to have her with us for the birth, or the moments just after the birth. But I will need my partner's undivided attention, so if I want dd there, I will need to have someone there to care for her, so I will need to put some careful thought into who this person will be.

When I last gave birth, I surprised myself by how much I *needed* darkness and quiet and solitude. I had a great doula lined up, and excellent midwives, but I essentially birthed alone with my partner and didn't allow anyone else in the room until it was time to catch the baby. I had planned a birth with people around, had a photographer waiting outside but this is not at all what I *needed*.

The other thing I imagine really wanting for this birth is water. I spent most of my labour in the jacuzzi at the hospital and am wondering what I will do now with no big bath. I may find a way to get a big kiddy pool or an aqua doula. The birth center has lovely jacuzzi tubs, but my preference is to stay home this time.

Other important thing for me is delayed cord clamping.

I can't believe this journey is starting again!

[Burnindinner]

I think I've been planning the next birth ever since the last one! DS was born at home in 8.5 hours, which felt very fast to me. My sisters (3), my mom, my doula, and a midwife were there for me and DH. I expect all of them will be there again, though this time I want to actually make it to the birth tub. And my doula will now be my midwife.

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to DDC crash. I'm so used to being the last month in line...

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

if i get a bfp this cycle my plan is home waterbirth, i still have my pool from caitlin just need a new liner for it and a hose pipe and water pump.
i'm just undecided on wether to have a mw or go uc, my last 2 births were very hands off no internal examinations, very little monitoring with caitlin and none with caden and with my water birth with caden i caught him myself
i will probebly have mw care for my pregnancy read as much as i can about uc birth and brush up on infant cpr etc and make sure i have the things i need and then decide how i feel when i go into labour i could always just wait till the pushing stage to phone the hospital/midwife unit so that way he/she will already have been born by the time the mw gets here.

eta this time i'll be wanting to film my birth was going to with caden but didn't have a video but at least even if i can't get a video camera my laptop camera can do long hours of filming even if not the greatest quality will do the job

[bjorker]

Nothing elaborate planned and not much to say. I'm just planning a homebirth with a midwife. I'm not so sure about waterbirth, however I want to use my hot tub (turned down) to labor in. IF I can get DP to empty it out and thoroughly clean it close to my EDD, and then fill it up when I'm in labor (so we don't have to add any chemicals...). It's outside on our back deck, but it'll be July, right? I may not even like it... otherwise I'd just do the birth pool thing.

I like the idea of being alone in the dark too. heh.
I think I'll fill my iphone with songs that make me feel good. Music is always a big thing for me. I have multiple stereos I can hook it up to in my house, or use headphones.

In any case, I just want to stay home this time. That's all I really care about at this point.

[*KaiMom*]

We are planning our second home/water birth. We've moved since our last was born so it will be interesting finding a new midwife that has a good vibe and we trust.

[CorasMama]

We're going to use a very popular area free-standing birth center, with CPMs. There's a part of me that might be a little more comfortable with a CNM, but none of the non-hospital-based CNMs in our area deliver at any birth center that's close enough. And I don't want a homebirth, because just in case of emergency transfer, our closest hospital is T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. Also, I don't like having people in my home. But these CPMs come highly recommended, including by the CNM I had wanted to use, so I'm really very happy about it.

I haven't decided whether to use something like Bradley, or hypnobabies/hypnobirthing, or go for a middle ground like Birthing From Within. There are a million classes around her based on those 3, so we really have our choice.

I want a waterbirth, and I picture it with DH supporting me from behind, with DD helping to catch the baby (she'll be 12, so it's not like entrusting that to a toddler).

I want several people there, but not necessarily in the room the whole time. Luckily, the birth center has a very nice family room. I'd like to have my sister, my bff, (with one of them being Cora's support person), and of course, DH. I do not, however, want my stepmother there, and since she'd probably be my sister's ride, I don't know how I'm going to tell her that.

[maylea_moon]

naturally in the hospital with midwives. no interventions unless it's a true emergency.

i would do a homebirth but as my daughter was born after less than an hour and a half of active labor i'm too worried. (the nearest HBMW is 2 hrs away from me) also, i just don't think i can afford it.

[canadianmummy]

We are planning our second midwife-attended home birth I *just* got confirmation that I have a spot with her!!!!

Our first 2 babies were born at the hospital - the first with interventions (epidural, augmentation, episiotomy - yuck!!) and the second was intervention-free. Our 3rd baby was born in water at home and it was wonderful!! So we are looking forward to another fabulous home birth for our 4th (and last!!) baby

[mummy marja]

My dream birth: At home, with DH and my kids (7 &5) there if they want to be (I think they will). A water birth would be really great, I'd like to experience that. I've only laboured in water and it was amazing. I think I'll want to be mostly alone, but with my sisters and mom in the house, so I can feel their energy and have them with me if I want. I'd like to do as much on my own as I can, including delivering the baby myself. The kids' job will be to find out their new sibling's gender and announce it! I want the hours afterwards to be as quiet as possible--my first two births were a little crazy, with all the people, and the phone calls that somebody thought had to happen right away. I want it to be just us 5 and the midwife.

What may happen: I don't know yet if my midwives will consider a homebirth out here, an hour's drive to the hospital. It will be good weather, though, so I'm hopeful. It may be a rush to the midwive's clinic and their labour suite, where I will 'unexpectedly' give birth because there was no time to transfer.

[canadianmummy]

Originally Posted by mummy marja

The kids' job will be to find out their new sibling's gender and announce it!

That was my daughter's job when #3 was born!! She was 5 at the time and was so excited to announce the gender. When baby was born the way I was holding him in the tub she couldn't get around to see, so DH picked her up and plunked her down in the water - in her pajamas!! When my son came DH stripped him down and put him in the tub too!! We have an awesome picture of me and the 3 kids in the pool and DH right behind us

[maranapanda]

Homebirth!! This will be my first one. With my 1st I had a hospital birth with an epi at 9.5 centimeters. Nice. With my 2nd had an Amazing waterbirth in a free standing birth center, with a doula and midwife. I always wanted a homebirth, but didn't feel empowered to it, financially, emotionally. This baby is a surprise, like a HUGE surprise. We were trying to avoid, apparently we weren't trying hard enough. So now..... I get my Home Birth!!! Oh, please body, baby and universe, let me have this homebirth!

Oh, and in the water, either her tub or mine, I don't know!

[TopHat]

My plans are the same as for my first: UP/UC, possible water. I wasn't sure if I wanted a water birth, but I had 30 hours of back labor, so the water was great. As for my next one, if it's shorter than 12 hours, I'll probably stay on land, but if I need to I'll have a tub as an option.

I've considered having a midwife on-call for stitches only if I happen to need them, but we'll be moving in the spring/early summer, so I can't really get that going yet.

[Landover]

With DS I had a traditional hospital birth, and with DD I wanted something totally different. I went with a great midwife who does mainly waterbirth at the hospital. I waited to long though and ended up UC'ing.

Who knows with this one.... gotta think on that.

[veesmimi]

Everyone's plans sound so amazing! Homebirth, waterbirths, those aren't in the cards for me... so I plan on hanging on your every word of planning

[Yaliina]

I'm planning my first HBA2C!! It'll be my first "all the way" birth- since both my others were c-sections after long labors. So I'm kinda nervous about it, but very excited!! I'll definitely get a birth tub. I have terrible back labor, so I'm thinking it will really help.

The biggest difference this time (different from my last attempted VBAC) is that I'm going to be relaxed and not rushed this time. No family gatherings, and no pressure. I don't care if it's the 4th of July, we're NOT planning to have people over, and I don't care if I have prodromal labor for 5 days. No pressure!!! And not planning to go to the hospital will make a big difference, too, I think.

[ScarletBegonias]

we will up/uc again, in the event of something really weird, we'll hire a hb mw.

[slgt]

We had a fantastic birth at the birthing center at our nearby hospital, so will stick with that. We live rurally, and I also had a lot of bleeding last time around, was quite dehydrated - and was really thrilled with the care that we received...so, if this baby sticks, we'll go with the same plan.