What's Your Birth Plan?

[Pyrrhic]

Just wondering if people were interested in giving a rough idea of their birth plan. ie hospital birth, home birth, midwife centre birth.....drugs? students allowed? OH cutting the cord? etc etc.

I've found people are generally very negative about my birth plan when they asked so I've stopped telling them. Not just people who have had babies, but those who haven't too.

My ideal would be a totally natural birth. No sweeps, no inductions and no drugs unless medically necessary. I don't want the cord cut straight away, and I don't want the injection to force 3rd stage labour.

Now if I find I can't cope, of course I will take pain relief - I'm not daft! However it *really* annoys me that people actually burst out laughing and say 'yeah right'. WHY assume that I cannot do something until I've tried? Women have been giving birth since time began, and most of that has been without medical intervention. It's only in the past 50 years or so that childbirth has become more of a medical procedure than a natural one.

Anyway, I digress! So what's your birthplan? I haven't finished mine and I haven't seen my hospital yet but my ideal would be:


* Midwife led unit - not hospital
* No inductions or sweeps unless necessary
* Pool for labour, but not birth
* Ability to move around at will
* Ability to listen to own music
* No students
* No family other than OH
* No drugs
* Cord not cut straight away, but wait until it stops giving the baby nutrients/oxygen (10mins ish)
* No drugs given for 3rd stage of labour (placenta)
* Breastfeed

 

[kiwimama]

• Hospital Birth (first baby so just more comfortable with this)
• Avoid induction if at all possible
• Am quite keen to use a pool during labour but not to give birth in
• Would like to be upright for the majority of labour (gravity assistance etc)
• Only OH in during labour/ birth
• No pethidine
• Want baby born and put straight onto my chest (skin to skin)
• OH to cut cord
• Have been advised to have an assisted 3rd stage as I am at risk of heavy bleeding
• Breastfeed straight away

Anyway, that's my plan, but I'm open to changes etc, as so often things in life just don't go to plan and I don't want to be disappointed if things turn out differently.

 

[helen1234]

i've started by introducing ourselves how long we been together and our kind of relationship, we laugh and joke in our own way etc and have comedy kind of relationship and take the pee out of each other etc so not to be offended if i swear and apologise in advance lol,

only oh in with me no other family.
limited pain relief, gas and air and pethidine didnt have epi 1st time so don't want one this time, but i'll go with the flow if i'm really tired i'll have epiduaral as being too tired can be potential intervention with forseps etc.
don't want forceps unless absolute.
no episiotomy unless absolute.
want to be able to walk around so limited heatbeat belt.
get in the pool if its available.
baby wiped down before handed to me, as oh has a real bad phobia of blood.
and oh doesnt want to cut cord cos of his phobia.
also if he needs to leave the room its fine he's liable of fainting.
also no visitors till my daughter has been in 1st as i promised she'd be the 1st visitor.
breastfeeding.


i'm not setting anything pain relief in concrete cos you just never know how its going to go. my friend said no to everything and got herself so wound up by writhing around the bed and screaming she was so tired she couldnt push baby out, and the midwives kept telling her she should try gas and air or something. she ended up with vontouse in the end.
xx

 

[brownhairedmom]

No epi but I'll take other drugs
I want to labour down
Absolutely no epistomoty or forceps no matter what
Nobody in the room with me while delivering except necessary medical personelle
Dr/nurse can cut the cord
No visitors until the baby has been cleaned up, I've been cleaned up and baby is fed

 

[lollylou1]

i havent even picked a hospital yet i dont think i can do much else until i decide that lol i really need to get my bum into gear

Lou
xxx

 

[Fossey]

I haven't got much of a plan as I don't want to be disheartened if things don't go my way. The only things I do want are -

I don't mind students they have to learn after all as long as there is a pro nearby!
Pain relief when I scream for it! They can offer what they think I should use I am hoping gas and air and then epidural if I can't cope. They are the experts after all this is my first time I just don't want pethidine.
I'd rather gravity do a lot of the work so to be able to labour down will be good.
Baby to come to me once we have had a cry (I don't want them fussing trying to make her cry on my chest as I will panic.)
OH to cut the cord as late as poss though.

That is about it for mine. I may add more at a later date but those are the most important things to me.

 

[Cariad_bach]

My plan is homebirth, Make sure the gas and air works (it didnt last time) and dont mess with me unless you have to lol

 

[polo_princess]

Mine is just go with the flow and do what needs to be done to get mini pp here safely!!

 

[danni2609]

Mine will be
Just OH in there with me
NO epidural
Just gas n air and pethidine if its needed
Want to be able to walk around as much as possible

 

[Nutmeg]

I'm a go with the flow type girl as well.

Its all about what you feel comfortable with though.

 

[Dragonfly]

do you tell your midwife all this because I havnt been asked and have no idea apart who to tell that to??? i have know idea who my midwife is anyway! I think they just get you in and out here and dont care what you want.

 

[Fossey]

I have a space for it in my notes

 

[WelshGirl]

My mw is going to help me write one when I see her at 32 weeks, but this is what I am thinking so far.

I don't mind having one student present, but no more than one.
Only OH is allowed in with me.
No other visitors until baby has been cleaned up & dressed, until I have showered, and until all of us have been fed!!
Preferably no epidural or forceps
Would like to start on gas & air, and manage on that for as long as possible as pethidine makes me sick
Would like lots of regular checks of babys heartbeat
Would like baby cleaned a bit before I have her
Mw to cut the cord
Unable to breastfeed due to medical reasons - want all mw's to be aware of this, so they don't try & lecture me

 

[Blah11]

I'm not creating a birth plan. This is my first and I have no idea what to expect so I'm just going to go with the flow and listen to my body... and the midwives!

 

[WelshGirl]

I'm not creating a birth plan. This is my first and I have no idea what to expect so I'm just going to go with the flow and listen to my body... and the midwives!

Tbh, I think this is exactly the right way to think about it when you have your first!! I was the same for my first, but knowing how things went that time, I have an idea for this one of what I do & don't want.

 

[helen1234]

I'm not creating a birth plan. This is my first and I have no idea what to expect so I'm just going to go with the flow and listen to my body... and the midwives!

i didnt have a birth plan first time either just went with the flow, which was best idea.

i'm doing the same this time as long as your relaxed it makes things easier.
if they need to use forceps or c section to get baby out they gonna anyway regardless what you say.
x

 

[Uvlollypop]

i didnt have time to make a birth plan last time and it was awful i had to fight for my voice to be heard so this time ive made one and hell will have no fury if they dont stick to it

Birth Plan(home birth)

Labour-
-I do not want to be transferred to hospital unless theres a problem or I request to should I feel I can no longer cope at home.
-I want my partner to be with me at all times.
-Internals kept to a min.
-I want to be free to move around if I feel I need to.
-Im fully aware of pain relief and I will ask if I want it please don’t offer it to me.
-ill probwant to use my bath
-I will be attempting to use a tens machine.+gas and air
-Don’t take my glasses off me.
-id like to be left alone as much as possible

In case of hospital transfer As above.+

-I want to be left alone as much as possible
-No students
-No constant monitoring unless absolutely ness
-id like to use a birth pool or bath if theres one free

Birth, and afterwards


-Id like to be advised when to push in second stage labour to avoid tearing however
Id rather tear than be cut unless there is a problem with the baby.
-No stitches unless absolutely ness
-Please don’t cut the cord until its stopped pulsing unless there’s a problem
-partner to cut the cord unless there’s a problem
-Im happy for vit k to be administered via injection
-I want baby laid on my chest right away afterwards

In event of hosp transfer as above +


-No bottles I want to breast feed
-No dummys
-Baby to be kept with either me or my partner at all times unless there’s a serious problem.
-I will bathe and dress my baby in my own time I don’t want this to be done for me unless im too poorly or end up having a c-sect.


In the event of an emergency or a situation where I cannot speak for myself my partner has my full permission to consent for any procedures on my behalf.

 

[mummymadness]

After having 2 other babies i have my plan down to a tea lol ...

Pain relief..
Pain relief..
Pain relief..

Ohhh and the quickest labour possible Lol Lol .

 

[Neecee]

My birth plan is to just push the baby out! LOL!

I'm not really going to have a 'plan' per say, as I've no idea what to expect anyway and my life just doesn't seem to go to plan anyway. All I'm asking for is my hubby, my mum, a pool and some gas & air.

 

[donnad]

with my first i didn't have a birth plan because i didn't want to think about that part i just wanted to think about the baby i knew i would work my self up to much and start panicing worked out perfectly i loved giving birth to him(yes i know crazy woman) with my daughter i made a plan and it all went medically perfect but i had worked my self up worrying about it that i made it far more painful and scary than my first labour.This time i'm going to go to bed and wake up with the baby laid at the side of me.(thats just me thinking like that so i don't start panicing again)