Does your birth plan reference studies or ACOG recommendations?

[GoddessKristie]

If mine did would this be pretentious? I want to show that we are well-informed and that our decisions are not made lightly, but I don't want to be insulting. 

[slimkins]

hmmm.... I guess it depends on the personality of the persons you are getting. Maybe you could just say, "as per ACOG guidelines" and keep the references separate. But also with you in case you wanted to show them.

And I would keep in mind if you are following some, and 'not' following others. They might find hypocrisy in this, and it could further discredit you. You now....

[hildare]

if you wanted to include that you had done the research, maybe just write a blurb in the introduction?  personally, i think the simpler & more easy to read a birth plan is, the better off you are.  think bullet points.  but the intro can say whatever you'd like, so if it were me i'd include it there. 

[Kkrpata]

I just wanted to add that I would keep it to one page, make sure it's not too long with references.

[Maternalove]

Mine doesn't but we have a doula so I think that's a good buffer. Our plan is to "privately discuss" EVERYTHING that is suggested beyond the scope of our birth plan. Maybe you can get a friend to at least pretend to be your doula to have that extra buffer too?

Personally I wouldn't put in references b/c you kind of are at their mercy and I wouldn't want to piss them off unnecessarily. Good luck.

[GoddessKristie]

Thanks ladies. I'm trying to get it finished up before my first appointment with my OB tomorrow (transferring care). I ended up just saying things like "No augmentation of labor... to lower risk of uterine rupture." So they know that I know that those things can be harmful for a VBAC patient and am not just being difficult for no reason. I've printed out studies and ACOG bulletins to back all of that up and have it all in a folder ready to go. I'm taking it to my appointment tomorrow in case I feel the need to show any of it to the OB and I'll pack it in our labor bag (suitcase! lol) after the appointment so I'm certain I have it for the birth.

I did put that we had done a lot of research while making the decisions and I kept it to one page with bullet points divided into appropriate sections (First Stage, Second Stage, and After Birth).

I'm feeling pretty good about it!

[Maternalove]

yay! I'm glad it's all coming together for you. 

On another note, can the OB refuse you as a patient this late in the game?

[GoddessKristie]

I have no idea. 

[Maternalove]

Well I sure hope not for your sake! I mean they did schedule you an appt so that's good. I REALLY wanted to change with DD b/c my midwife was totally dismissing my concerns (which happened to be correct) but didn't think I could find a new dr at 35 weeks. I just ended up at some random hospital, with a random dr, for a c-section for a breech. 

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 right. LOL

[GoddessKristie]

It sure is! I wish I could go back and do things differently with my first birth, too. I did tell them all the worst things about me, and three of the four OBs in the practice take high-risk patients, so I don't foresee any issues. Honestly, my biggest concern is that they wont be as supportive or open-minded as I would like and I'll have to keep shopping.

[parsley]

I don't know if this comes too late but when I was introducing my birth plan at my transfer of care meeting I had page 1 be a bulletted brief and direct birth plan and then I had a second page that included full citations to back up what I was arguing for.  As an academic, it made sense to me to include the references for what I had been reading.  Also, it gave me a good starting point to talk about things with the OBs.  That approach might work for you too...  Good luck!

[Gunter]

Originally Posted by hildare 

if you wanted to include that you had done the research, maybe just write a blurb in the introduction?  personally, i think the simpler & more easy to read a birth plan is, the better off you are.  think bullet points.  but the intro can say whatever you'd like, so if it were me i'd include it there. 

I agree with keeping it short and simple with bullet points.

 from my experience as a doula, the nurses come in and look it over and get a good picture of what kind of client you are.  "Oh, this is our natural birther.  Great."  and sometimes a nurse who is more inclined to support a natural mama will seek you out.  but, honestly, the people in the room cannot recall and remember everything you want; I have found it helpful for it to be verbalized again while things are happening.  for example, as the babe is being born, someone should remind everyone in the room, "They want to delay cord clamping."  and again as the babe emerges, "They want the babe to go straight to the mom's chest."  "They don't want the cord cut, yet."  And then I say things to the parents like, "The cord is still pulsing."  just so they know what else is going on.  So many things can be happening all at once that it helps to have someone acting as the eyes and ears of the situation conveying to both care providers and the parents what is happening or what they asked to have happen.  What about the nurses or NICU staff who walk in at the last minute and have not seen or read your birth plan or your chart?  It's great to have someone by your side who really KNOWS your desires and can advocate for them in a gentle, kind but firm way.  Everyone has a job to do there and they will be focused on going about that in their normal way.  Hospital policies play a huge role in the way things happen even if your care provider knows your birth plan.  This has been my experiences and I hope it helps.  love.

[GoddessKristie]

I really like that idea, Gunter! I'm going to talk to my DH about maybe being vocal about things.

My appointment was this afternoon and I gave them my birth plan. She said it was well-written and she could tell that it was carefully worded. I had her go through it with me to be sure nothing was out of the ordinary and most of the things on there she told me were the hospital's practices, so I don't have to worry about a lot of it (they do have the Baby Friendly designation there, after all). I ended up not needing any of my backup research at all because the practice and the hospital are both right in line with almost every one of the things I listed!

Thanks so much for all your input, it really helped!