Share your Birth Plan? « Back to Group Discussions

[justKate]

Well here's what I have so far.  As you can probably tell, I don't have super high expectations for my birth--I really just don't want to be separated from my baby for hours like last time.  Feel free to critique!

[NCMtnMama]

Looks good. Nothing you have in there looks out of the ordinary, and it's concise and well laid-out. 

This is something I'm working on today as well, and I may borrow your format. 

Last time, a lot of unnecessary interventions happened that I hope to avoid this go-round, so mine will mostly be what I don't want. I hadn't thought of putting the verbiage in there about no episiotomy, I think I'll do that also. (I don't think my midwife EVER does them, but since it was such a traumatic part of my last birth, it's seems worth it to emphasize.)

[thomatuttle]

I'm going to have to find mine from last time.  It was pretty similar to JustKate's.  A few things on mine that weren't on kate's: minimal cervical checks, want to labor in the water/walk around/labor in whatever way feels best to me, prefer oral fluids to IV fluids.  In relation to this one being a boy: NO circumcision or retraction of foreskin.  When I find my old one, I'll post it.  I hope I still have it!

[prettyisa]

Ok, I've stolen some of your stuff, Kate, and pared mine way down. It does (barely) fit onto one page. And we're planning to use the natural birthing room, so a lot of it is probably fairly unnecessary, but I figure it's better to have it in writing just in case. Are you planning on putting in anything chatty? Something about how you expect to act during labor? Elaborate thank yous to the nurses for doing what you say?

[justKate]

I think if my birthing situation were different, my birth plan would be more friendly and include more "desires" than "orders."  But it is what it is, so I will have one of eight midwives and/or six OBs, depending on when I go in.  I'm going to rely on my doula for things like environment (dim lights, temp, noise) and my DH for minimizing health care professional interference.  I'm a VBAC, so I know I will be on continuous fetal monitoring (and they don't have telemetry units) so I'm accepting that with the exception of short breaks, I'll be within five feet of that bloody machine the entire time.

After my last birth experience, I've decided to only loudly protest the things that REALLY matter to me--like being able to have my baby asap, keeping bottles out of her mouth, and avoiding pricks/pokes/vaxes.  Sigh.

Re. minimizing cervical checks--they're going to have to get me on my back with legs up to do it, so I feel like I'll have an opportunity to say "no" if I need to.

Interesting unrelated thought--a girl at a Birth Circle last week told her birth story, and we all got a good laugh.  Her experience was awful (at a hospital that has a good reputation, surprisingly), but the funny part was, when she was ready to push, the doctor came in and told her to get on the bed so that he could deliver the baby.  She said she wanted to squat.  Doctor said he didn't know how to deliver a baby in that position, and she responded that she didn't know how to deliver a baby lying down. (This is her first birth.) Proceeded to push her baby out in squatting position. I don't know why I found that so funny.