Birth plan/36 week appointment

[sophie22]

Ok, I'm not quite sure what to do. In my first pregnancy I had a different midwife who is no longer at the surgery. This time I have the one that's been there forever so thought she would be better. Thing is, in my first pregnancy my midwife came to my house at 35 weeks and went through the whole birth plan info and wrote it all in for me. I figured this was the norm. But this time, the other week she gave me some printed info and said I needed to start thinking about it. No mention of coming to my house or writing it in for me. This I'm not all that bothered about but find it odd. And now she's aparantly on holiday for my 36 week appointment as its half term, so she's booked me in with my male GP. So now I'm thinking, well he's not going to go over birth plan info with me, it's not exactly his area, I will be lucky if he does all the same checks she does. Plus I don't feel I can write it as I have a couple of questions and would rather see her to talk to. Is it normal to write your own plan etc without midwife there?

 

[Mum2BKW]

I was under the impression that you wrote your own plan and went through it with your midwife (and asked any questions etc if you're unsure about anything).

When I've had GP appointments while pregnant I've found him to be just as good as the midwife - he does all the checks that she does and is really good at answering my questions. Hopefully yours will be the same, but if not it might be worth booking in with your midwife when she is back. Did you ask if she can do a home visit?

 

[sophie22]

Thanks, I wondered if this was more the case and maybe with my first midwife that was perhaps just the way she preferred to do it. Which I liked her way, was relaxed! I haven't asked about home visits, I don't want to be annoying if she would prefer surgery, lol. Plus I'm not that fussed. Just curious. My GP may be ok, I know last time round at appointments for other things sometimes he would check the babies heart when he didn't need to. Just didn't know if he would go to the lengths of wee samples lol

 

[MindUtopia]

I imagine they would probably talk through something more standardised with you if you don't already have a birth plan, but I think most women (or at least most who actually care to have a birth plan, some don't want a birth plan at all) would write it up themselves and bring it to discuss at or around 36 weeks.

I had a home birth, so it was a bit different in the sense that I actually needed to go over it with them and pick up the home birth kit with all the supplies in it by 37 weeks. But I wrote mine up and brought it with me to my 36 week appt. I discussed it with the midwife then (not my named midwife, just the random one doing the appts that day) and she had my named midwife give me a call later that week to set up an appt with her. I went into the hospital to go over it again with her and she loaded all the kit into my car to take home with me that day. I think this would have been different though if I wasn't birthing at home and I just would have had that one chat at the surgery at 36 weeks. Sounds like you were pretty lucky to get one appt just for discussing your birth plan though, as I don't think that's the norm. If I were you, I'd just go to your next appt with something written up to discuss with them and have put in your notes. There is a template on the NHS website, if that's helpful for getting started, though it's pretty uninspiring and doesn't really cover everything but should at least give you an idea. Even if you aren't totally sure what to write or want to change it after you talk with her, then you at least have made a start. I was editing mine up to a week before my birth.