Do you still have a birthplan if you have a homebirth???

[MadamRose]

I am planning on having a homebirth do i still need to write a birthplan?

Also do i need one for if i end up being in hospital incase im not near home when i go into labour ect? as im very unsure

 

[urbanbumpkin]

We did one, mainly to get straight in our heads what we did and didn't want to do, really it was as a communication aid between ourselves. But I did discuss it with my homebirth midwife too.

I had a separate section headed 'in case of transfer to hospital' that covered things that were specific to this. I put the whole thing in my notes (home and hospital parts). I did end up in hospital and the hospital midwife was very careful about reading it all, and trying to follow it all as much as was practicable, even the more 'home' bits of it.

 

[MadamRose]

thanks its just as soon as my wedding is over and i have some time to play with i wanted to start writing one when i need to. I will prob do this espeically if you MW seems to try and follow it so much

 

[trumpetbum]

I did one very early in this pregnancy. It was good to be able to chat with my m/w about how I saw my birth. It was also a chance to discuss the things that I wasn't 100% happy with last time around and for her to put forward her professional opinion. We're on the same page so that's great.
I will play it a wee bit more by ear if we go to hospital , but will write a few notes on things that are important to me.

 

[Celesse]

I had a home birth plan and an in-case-of-emergency birth plan. When my labour started to go wrong I simply switched to my plan B (well I say simply, didn't feel that simple) .

My in-case-of-emergency-birth-plan was a basic list of if x goes wrong then I want y to happen.
One of my points was "if I need to be transferred because of foetal distress, then I would like an epidural upon arrival to hospital to avoid having a crash section under general anaesthetic". When LO's heart rate started sky rocketing I knew exactly what I wanted to happen and felt secure and in control as I had planned in advance for this.

 

[Lillylemon]

I have done a basic bullet-point type one divided in to 'Birth environment', 'During labour/delivery' and 'Once baby arrives'. I deliberately haven't put anything to do with 'in case of hospital transfer' purely just because I don't want to focus on the possibility of it happening. If it does then I'll make sure I'm clear about anything there and then and a lot of the prior stuff would still apply anyway.

x

 

[mrsmo7]

I have done a homebirth plan just things like keeping the lights low etc as last time just before delivery they turned all the lights on

Then i have done a transfer to hospital plan. No disrespect but you don't know how clear you could be having transfered in in an emergency You may not be in a position to think clearly?

Then i have done a c-section plan! Skin to skin etc

I'm sure i won't need the last two plans (I have had 4 very straight forward births) BUT i feel its better that they are there! just incase!
xx

 

[Pops]

Our MW is fantastic and knows we want the whole thing to be as calm and relaxed, as well as fun, as possible. She knows we have our Hypno stuff but she also knows I have a stack of my favourite comediens DVDs lined up for laughing purposes! We have gone through everything with her a hundred times and Boyo knows exactly what we want so I am happy to leave it "and see".

What we have done though is one for should we need to go to hospital for any reasons in terms of what we would be willing to do / take / allow but that has been written and enveloped up for a long time now and not really thought of again until now.

xxx

 

[bubbles]

I'm not doing one. I had quite strict plans in my head but this was all when I was going to have a hospital birth, now I have decided to homebirth I have relaxed alot more and want this to continue so I'm not stressing myself out. I have told DH what I want to happen as far as a birth 'plan' goes and he knows full well what I want should I need to be transferred. I trust him 100% to make the right decision for me and our baby in an emergency. I will however have written down some things I won't be playing by ear such as delayed cord clamping, skin to skin straight away and us to be left for as long as it takes to latch her onto the breast