Birth Plan Tips

[ZeldasMom]

I'm planning a home birth, but am writing a birth plan in the event of hospital transport. I am going to try to make it as short as possible (I figure they won't read it if it's too long) and as positive as I can in tone (e.g. I am labelling it "birth preferences"). I'll paste the issues I'm addressing below.

Would love to hear what others are including/have included in theirs, birth plan writing resources you like, and any tips you have. I read one once online that had a really nice piece at the beginning thanking the hospital personnel for their participation in this important life event.

Birth Preferences

-Envisioned Labor Positions/Activities/Coping Style
-Envisioned Birth Position
-Keeping Hospital Delivery Bed Intact
-Self/Partner to Help Catch
-Delayed Cord Clamping
-Self/Partner to Cut Cord
-Baby Immediately to Chest
-Vitamin K—Oral or Injectable
-Erythromycin Eye Ointment
-What to Do with Placenta
-Time and Place of Baby’s First Bath
-Photographs—Internet and First Photo in Hospital
-Who Would Accompany Me to Hospital
-Early Discharge from Hospital
-Cesarean Birth Options—Awake, Photos, Skin-to-Skin Recovery
-Stillbirth Options—Photos, Momentos, Taking Baby Home

It is understood that in the event of a necessary assisted birth or emergency, the above preferences may be modified.

[Benji'sMom]

-Cesarean Birth Options—Awake, Photos, Skin-to-Skin Recovery

I included something about a low horizontal incission, instead of verticle. I think most of them do it horizontal unless it's an absolute emergency, but it's nice to make sure.

[mightymoo]

If the purpose of the birth plan is to take it with you in the event of transfer, I like to keep those birth plans as short as possible - literally removing anything that I think I will have time to discuss with the doctor/nurse before it would be done and keeping it to things that are generally done routinely at a time when I may be distracted. For me this comes down to - things to worry about right after the baby is born and in the case of a c-section.

It's also a good idea to get an idea of what the hospital does routinely - if they already do it, its just taking up space, kwim? Also, it makes you seem silly when you are requesting things they consider matter of fact. (I had a few of these things on my birth plan and when I ended up with a hospital transfer the doctors kinda gave me a 'ugh, of course we will do this' look for some of them)

[NYCVeg]

Perhaps you could divide it into separate sections, each on its own page--i.e., labor/post-partum or early labor/late labor/delivery/post-partum--so that, in the event, you could give them just the pages relevant to the time that you're there?

[captain crunchy]

We have a birth plan in the event of a hosptial transfer...but we wrote this out and signed it as well...my mom has a copy, my midwife, my husband... just so there is NO confusion... it may be helpful to you, I dunno...


ATTENTION HOSPITAL STAFF:


We, Jason _____, and Tara _______, being the biological parents of Baby ____ state the following:

Having fully researched our legal options, we have decided that our baby, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is to receive antibiotic eye drops, as the mother, Tara ____ has been tested negative for all STD’s.

We request that NO vitamin K be administered under ANY circumstance, unless in the extreme case of VISIBLE bruising at birth due to birthing circumstances or due to the necessary use of forceps, at which time we request vitamin K to be administered ORALLY.

We request that NO Hep B vaccination be administered.

We will exercise our legal right to have our baby remain with either Tara ___ (mother) or Jason ____ (father) AT ALL TIMES, barring medical emergency. In the event of a medical emergency, Jason ____ will accompany baby ____ at all times.

We request that any and all medical procedures suggested for our daughter be allowed a second opinion from another doctor on staff, and if time allows, to be presented in writing.

UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES, unless medical emergency necessitates, is baby ___ to be given formula or sugar water. BREAST ONLY PLEASE.

We appreciate the hospital staff’s consideration to our legal, moral and religious rights under state and federal law.

Sincerely,



Those were a few things that were important to us... but everything else is in our birth plan too...

Good luck!

[Belle]

We added something at the top of ours that was complimentary to the hospital. We didn't feel that way, but we did that to make it easier to deal with the staff at the hospital.

[slightly crunchy]

I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my family, and I can tell you, the wordier it is, the harder it will be to read and follow, especially in the event of a transfer where things may be moving a little more quickly as I assume there would be a good reason for the transfer.

I divided mine up into sections: "labor/delivery/third stage", "baby care", "postpartum", "c/section" and listed everything in short bullets: "no episiotomy except for fetal distress", "no amniotomy without my express permission", " no eye drops for baby" "no Hep B", etc. It may not be as "nice" as some examples I've read, but I think these days hospitals are pretty familiar with the concept of birth plans and it seemed better to just get to the point of what our requests were.

[mightymoo]

One style tip that might help with what slightly crunchy said is to bullet and bold the simple part and then put the explaination next to it - lets you leave a bit more detail but still makes it easy to pick out the request.

For example:
•No pacifiers, formula or sugar water - In order to make breastfeeding go as smoothly as possible, please do not give any artificial nipples, pacifiers, formula or sugar water without our consent
•No HepB Vaccine - Do not administer the Hepatitis B Vaccine
•No PKU - Do not administer the PKU & thyroid test (this will be done later at our pediatrician's office)


That way when scanning the page, they catch the meat of the request easily, but can always read your further explaination for more detail.

[Simplicity]

Very nice captain crunchy !

[zion]

mightymoo- I agree with the styling tip. I am a recovering labor and delivery nurse and the very medical hospital staff I used to work with really didn't take a lot of time to even read the birth plans mamas brought in. The simpler and easier to read the better. make sure you have someone with you other than your primary support person to verbalize your wishes. Your support person may be to tied up with you to talk to the staff. Doulas are a GREAT idea. But who ever is designated to talk to the staff should be very well informed of your exact wishes. Birth plans are great but be aware of who you are dealing with. Nurses who are spread so thin they have no time to pee and MD's who often are so set in their schedules they can't fit a birth plan into them. This is why I left L&D---


MAKE IT SIMPLE AND EASY TO READ!!!! And don't let anyone try to get you to do anything you are not comfortable with.

[ZeldasMom]

Thanks all! I am feeling good about where I am at with mine , just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing!