Birth Plan

[Ellivort]

When did you start to formulate your birth plan? I know some ladies have one even before conception, but not me.

With DD1, it was my first and I just did everything I was told without argument and that was fine with me, but it wasn't a great birthing experience.

Initially I was just going to do the status quo with baby 2 (epidural etc..), but am now thinking I might like to have something more natural.

Curious as to how you came to a birthing plan and when?

 

[DJMooMoo79]

Well with my first, I think i had my birth plan around the 30th week. I made copies and gave them to all my midwives in the practice and put several in my "labor bag" for the nurses as well. How I made it, I honestly just looked up checklists/templates online and built from there lol. I didnt make it in one day though. I probably spent a couple of weeks, doing research and hand writing whatever I felt was necessary down.
This time around im probably still going to do the same thing, maybe not be as nitpicky as the last plan as I realized a lot of it was just common sense

 

[Fruitmash]

I was just over 30 weeks and analysed and wrote down everything I wanted. But not a single thing went to plan which left me miserable that I'd spent so much time and effort on it to get nothing! This time I'll be sure to consider it birth preferences. It's probably not gonna go to plan but as long as I get to hold baby soon after birth (I didn't last time) then I'm more than happy!

 

[PrincessTaz]

With my son I had a birth idea in mind before he was even conceived and a very detailed birth plan by 12 weeks. It never occurred to me that it wouldn't go how I planned so why everything turned out the opposite of what I wanted it hit me hard and i felt very down after the birth for a long time.

So this time I'm going to try and go with the flow, I still have the prefect birth in my mind but I'm not planning on it. I'll be open to all options and if I get the birth I'd ideally want that's a bonus xx

 

[2have4kids]

I know that if I had a plan I'd be disappointed that I didn't get to have it happen so I have a 'wish list' of things I'd like to have happen and have already discussed with my OB.
At home being in the shower killed SO much of the contraction pain last time I had to come out to time the contractions. So I'd like to again use water at home to avoid being in too much pain.
At the hospital they took so much time to check me in I demanded some sort of pain relief and I didn't really want narcotics but that was all they could offer me before I got a room so this time I'll go a wee bit earlier and head straight for an epidural. Narcotics & gas/air did absolutely nothing for me so my only options are water and epi. No C-section is the big plan and with twins a person can try to avoid a c section but in the end if no one is head down the plan will fly out the window!

 

[tinymumma]

With my son my birth plan was set pretty early on. Being my first live, full term birth, I really had no idea what to expect and I hate that I put so much pressure on myself for my birth to go to plan. Birth can never really go to "plan". I was stuck at 3cm for two weeks with daily, regular contractions until I had a stretch and sweep and he still wasnt born for another 3 days. It was quite a horrid experience. Not the beautiful all natural water birth I had my heart set on. It was days of not dilating, a failed epidural, forced water break, a spinal block and an hour of pushing with no feeling from my chest down.
This time, I feel much more empowered in my choices and decisions. Since I've done it before, I know to listen to my body and not doctors. I still want an all natural water birth but I won't be setting any expectations for myself and just be in tune with mt body

 

[Breeelizabeth]

I've been thinking of mine recently and have written some (very) rough drafts. But everywhere I've read online says you should keep it to a page maximum.... mine is way longer and I don't think I'm even wishing for too much.

I realise that labour isn't something you can plan for, but like you, my first birth wasn't as I had expected and I'd like to at least feel like I have some control over it this time around. Even if that control comes from writing down what my birth preferences are. I've written things like I'm open to gas and air and an epidural but would like to try water, breathing exercises and changing positions before drugs and that I am not to be offered morphine.

I haven't written about interventions such as forceps, episiotomies, or cervical checks or how I want fetal monitoring as realistically I know they will do whatever they need to do to ensure baby and I are well and that those things will be the first to go from the birth plan.

I've also included a small section about what I would like in the event that I need a c-section during labour, and that I would like the curtain to be lowered and to have skin-to-skin etc.

 

[PeachSalsa]

I had a birth plan for my first but it didn't go according to plan (not horrible though). This time I'm not sure I will bother, but I do plan on staying home longer and laboring in the bathtub/shower for as long as possible before going to the hospital. Outside of that, I will probably just tell my doc/the nurses that I want to avoid a c-section and another episiotomy/tear if possible.
I had an epidural last time and although I'd love to do natural Im not sure I can handle the pain of labor and pushing, etc with no relief, especially knowing how tired I was the first time.

 

[EverythingXd]

I didn't have birth plans with DS1 or DS2, and won't bother with this baby either. I just have a rough idea of a few things I do or don't want, but in the main I just go with the flow. I will say at the time if I have preferences over things, but mostly I just want to get baby girl here as safely for her and for me.

 

[SleepyBaby]

My birth plan, go into home from home room in hospital ( the home from home is awesome, really, its your own room with a birthing bath, bathroom, sofa and flat screen telly that will be use for music! and a fold away bed for birthing partner to get a bit of shut eye when labour goes on a bit, all the emergency equipment but its concealed behind cupboard doors, so you know its there if you need it but you dont see it so your not thinking about it! if you wanna a cuppa or some toast there is a shared kitchen in the hall! i could go on about it all day, with my DS i was in a ward and had a bed with little privacy, with DD i was in home from home and it was like a hotel, so much better!) it has gas and air built into the walls and they can give you pethadine!


If i can stick it out in there ill be happy! If not down to labour ward for better drugs ( Simply a bed in a room with the equipment, a place for midwife to sit but pain relife makes up for anything else!) the remi is a good option imo, with my DD i slept through contractions more or less woke up, pushed a button and went back to sleep ( after a week of contractions every 9 minutes without stopping even to sleep it was amazing!) then woke up, stopped pushing button and pushed baby out within 15 minutes! the remi wears off as fast as it comes on so i was thinking straight and felt pushing the baby out, painful but worth it!

so, into home from home room, if i stress to much down to labour ward! birth plan sorted

I dont want forceps or anything put in to pull or suck baby out but if it happens it happens for a reason, no point getting upset about it, as long as baby arrives happy and healthy and im able to recover then all is well in the world !

somehow this post turned into an advert for the hospital more than a birth plan lol

oh and last time i found a good way of coping and not panicing, i reminded myself every contraction i had was one closer to baby, it was gone, id never have THAT contraction again, it helped for some reason! & while pushing it was a case of baby needs to come out, my body wants to push it out, so just go with it, the first time i paniced and fought against it, it does feel like your gonna push your insides out (sounds scary when you put it like that but i wish someone had of warned me before my 1st, when i started pushing the feeling really worried me!) and that freaked me out, but second time i relised baby is inside and thats all i was pushing out so i was actually really calm and it was staying calm that helped more than any painkillers could!

so long post short... home from home, labour ward if needed, stay calm..

 

[Chiochick]

I've been thinking about this here and there.
I've experienced both an epidural (well, intrathecal) and a natural birth.
I think this time, I'm going to go as long as possible without pain meds and only use them if I need them, but I want the option.
I also want to be told when I'm getting to the "point of no return" lol

I had the intrathecal with my daughter.
It took all the pain away and I was pretty numb.
I ended up with an episiotomy.
It wasn't a bad labor at all but I felt like I didn't have much control.
I couldn't feel contractions and I had absolutely no urge to push. I felt pretty drugged up.
I also had to stay in bed.
With my daughter, she was placed on my chest while they cleaned her up a little but I had a gown on and she was wrapped in towels - no skin to skin.
Then they took her away to do all her testing and what not while I delivered the placenta.
I wasn't impressed but at least I saw her shortly after.

With my son, labor hurt, and pushing was so intense but after having both, I preferred my natural birth.
Although he wasn't even 5lbs when he was born.
I took more control of my labor. I felt when I needed to push and relied completely on my body to get through it.
I didn't need an episiotomy and I could get up as soon as I felt ready.
My son had to be airlifted to a bigger Hospital 2 hours away for NICU treatment.
I held him for about 5 min before they took him.
They made me stay overnight at my hospital in town and took my baby away. His dad went with him so I was pretty much in the hospital by myself, bawling my eyes out until I could drive to be with him.

I had thoughts on how I wanted it to go, but ultimately, I just don't want to have a C Section.
I do expect much better this time around.
I want to hold baby for longer before they take him away.
I'll decide on what I need for pain, if anything, when it happens.

 

[16monthsapart]

With my first i didnt really have one, with my second i went with the flow due to being induced for the 2nd time. I was in labor rom start to finish for 3 hours last time. This time i realllly want to go into labor natural and have that oh snap its time to go to the hospital but im kinda scared because the hospital is over a hr away

 

[broodymrs]

Early third tri last time I think. It all went out the window though and I don't think anyone even looked at it. This time I'm not doing one but I'll just have a wish list. I'm pretty sure I'm having a planned section but I want skin to skin ASAP and delayed cord clamping if poss. I also want to breastfeed and if my milk wasn't available I'd be happy with donor milk. But if it ends up going out the window again I trust my doctors to do what's best for me and the baby.

 

[Ellivort]

Nice to see a lot of varied responses. I'm certainly older and more informed now, so I am thinking perhaps going with the flow with my preferences in mind will be ok. Nothing ever really goes 100% to plan. lol.

I mainly want to avoid a c-section, have skin to skin ASAP, but most importantly have a healthy babe and a complete recovery for me.

This time around i hope to get more immediate support for help with BF. last time I was left to my own and DD couldn't latch and ultimately milk barely came in. I only got about 6 weeks of pumping before I was dried up.

I think it's good to know what you want, but not set the bar too high, perfection is unattainable.

I will definitely try to skip the epidural since getting it seemed more painful and it was all for naught anyways.

I hope everyone gets to experience a happy healthy birthing experience!

 

[SleepyBaby]

Perfect would be going into hospital, getting a little ouchie and pushing baby out in one go, with a little ouchie! Not breaking a sweat and singing like a disney princess at random times all the way through lol

If i could write that into a birth plan and make it happen, id be very happy indeed xD

 

[lkkha]

I've never had a birth plan for any of my 8 babies and won't do one this time either. I just go in with what ideas of what want in my head and tell the midwives/doctors, I don't want an epidural, can't stand the thought of needles in my back! Just gas & air for pain relief, c-section only if absolutely essential and everything else is open to discussion if necessary

 

[kimmy04]

I've never had a birth plan, I just go with the flow! Was very open to the idea of an epidural both times but I was managing fairly well and didn't end up needing anything for the pain. The shower helped a lot which I didn't even plan on using! The nurse suggested it and it was great, I stayed in the shower sitting on a ball in my delivery room until it was time to push. I imagine I will be able to do it without any pain medication again this time. Just really like labouring in peace and quiet with just my husband there.

 

[PubMissus]

My only plan is to hopefully have a baby.... Should maybe think about the rest of it..