Anybody Thinking About A Birth Plan Yet?

[lindseyp2012]

Hi ladies!! So...this is my first child and it took me a long time to get this thing in my uterus, so maybe I'm just excited and over zealous over here, but I'm 8 weeks and am starting to research my options for a birthing plan. Anybody thought of their options and care to share with a newbie?

[trtlcrzy]

My birth plan for this one is the same as it was for my first: show up at the hospital and give birth. There are so many things that can change or "go wrong" that I prefer to go in with an open mind.

[musicalsilver]

Jul 7, 2015 14:19:23 GMT -5 trtlcrzy said:

My birth plan for this one is the same as it was for my first: show up at the hospital and give birth. There are so many things that can change or "go wrong" that I prefer to go in with an open mind.

This was my plan.  The nurses kept asking me if I had a birth plan, and I think were surprised that I said I was playing things by ear.

I did a lot of reading on various birthing methods, so I went in with the idea of having a natural birth, but it was all very dependent on how I reacted to the pain (you don't know how you'll deal with the pain until you actually experience it after all!).

[lindseyp2012]

Jul 7, 2015 14:19:23 GMT -5 trtlcrzy said:

My birth plan for this one is the same as it was for my first: show up at the hospital and give birth. There are so many things that can change or "go wrong" that I prefer to go in with an open mind.

I totally understand and agree about being open-minded! I think I would like to go in with at least a preliminary plan. I guess its my type a personality coming out.

I've been contemplating a med-free birth, pain meds as Plan B all while understanding that if I need a C-section that's ok too.

[morwen]

I choose to go with a midwife because I like their focus. I plan to research drug free pain management techniques because I really don't want an epidural (fear of needles over here).

My midwife and hospital support skin to skin and that was important to me as well. The hospital also has tubs you can labour in and that intrigues me because I love the water, but who knows how I'll feel at the time.

If everything goes smoothly I'll be discharged with a few hours with a home visit within 24 hours, and follow ups until 6 weeks. (That's how the midwife practice operates).

Worst case and I need an emergency c section the hospital is equipt to handle that; there are specialists on call who can handle that and the hospital has an NICU.

[becwheat]

I will be trying for a VBAC, so my doctor and my midwife (works at the practice with the doc) will be trying to guide me through a plan that has led to many successful VBACs at their office.

I am also keeping an open mind though, cause I did not plan on getting a c-section the first time, but it was what was best.

[lazyreader]

You are WAY ahead of the game so i would just search your hospital policies, read other birth plans and start there. But really this doesn't need to even be on your radar yet. Lol now that's said,
I have a Google doc with a bullet list (half page, hamburger style) from #1
I'll update that and stick with it.

Things that were my ideal situation:
Hep lock for my IV. I don't like being hooked up to stuff if I don't need to be.
Ideally no meds.
No cutting - prefer to tear naturally
Med students are welcome.
Other stuff:
Binki's are good. Absolutely no formula.

[redhead610]

Jul 7, 2015 14:19:23 GMT -5 trtlcrzy said:

My birth plan for this one is the same as it was for my first: show up at the hospital and give birth. There are so many things that can change or "go wrong" that I prefer to go in with an open mind.

This. And pain meds.  With ds, they shut off my epi after a half hour of pushing because I "wasn't pushing effectively". In reality, I was so nauseated that I couldn't do anything besides try to not puke. I finally puked and could push ok. Next time I will either ask for something to help the nausea or just get the puking over with and keep the meds flowing.

[notlindsrockies]

Nah.

I tried it with #1 and things just kind of went out the window once the circus started. I didn't want to open myself up for the disappointment with my subsequent births. This is numero tres for me.

[becwheat]

I think it is never to early to have a birth plan, just because if you have a specific idea, like unmedicated or a water birth, you may need time to prepare and research that. You may also need to look into classes or techniques you can start doing(prenatal yoga, meditation) on your own.

That being said, if you are a go with the flow kind of person then you have a lot more time to think it through.

[virginiaorjohn]

This is my first too, and so far all I've figured out is that I want a doula. Not a placenta-encapsulating, give-me-meds-over-my-dead-body doula, but just someone who will help me navigate the complicated medical terminology.

I also figure a doula will help me labor more effectively to avoid tearing and/or a stressful environment, which are my two biggest concerns I think.

[mrsred09]

Jul 7, 2015 14:19:23 GMT -5 trtlcrzy said:

My birth plan for this one is the same as it was for my first: show up at the hospital and give birth. There are so many things that can change or "go wrong" that I prefer to go in with an open mind.

This 100%. Even though I am a complete control freak and love to plan everything I knew if I tried to set a plan, I would have been so disappointed when it didn't go as planned. My only request last time was to clean baby off before placing him on my chest. I did not want a goopy/slimy baby on me

[wicked22]

My birth plan is to make it as close to 40 weeks as possible and then get "it" out anyway the doctor deems is best for my health be it RCS or trying for a VBAC. I'm just praying I don't have to go over 48 hour again to see my baby for the first time in person.

[bee]

I don't think it's bad to start thinking now, just remember that it can all go out the window in less than a second.

I didn't have a plan for DS, with this one I want a VBAC so I will do anything in my power to get that.

[mrsmuq]

Birth plan: get the baby out with as minimal pain as possible.

[katka512]

For my first, I had a birth plan that mainly said I wanted to go as long as possible without mess, no pitocon unless absolutely necessary, and skin to skin and breastfeeding immediately.
I didn't get any of it because I had an extremely hard and long labor and complications afterwards. We did breastfeed, just not immediately.
This time, I will have the same requests. As long as I don't have the same placenta complications, I think I'll be able to do it.

[lemoncupcake]

I've started to think a bit about meds vs. no meds and if I want to take any classes, but haven't gotten any farther than that. I don't think I'll have a written plan either way.

[lindseyp2012]

mrsred09 - Thank you for saying that you want baby cleaned up right away. I definitely want that too, but have been weary of saying it aloud for fear of being seen as heartless or cold or something.

[leahks77]

My birth plan with DS was based on no meds, with hopes of laboring in a tub. We did natural birth classes and everything. Turns out I was 10cm when I got to the hospital so no tub, and no chance for an epi if I wanted one.
I think plan for after the birth (c-section would be different, but you can also have requests) is important, and sometimes more realistic. I wanted immediate skin to skin, delayed cord clamping, and delay of the eye ointment until after the first wakeful period. I got all of those. That was what mattered. The rest went out the window in the face of horrible pain, haha. But I also was flexible with whatever I needed to be if he had needed any extra help, obviously.

[musicalsilver]

Jul 7, 2015 16:10:30 GMT -5 lindseyp2012 said:

mrsred09 - Thank you for saying that you want baby cleaned up right away. I definitely want that too, but have been weary of saying it aloud for fear of being seen as heartless or cold or something.

They didn't clean up DS as far as I know, and he was surprisingly ungross.

The hospital was a "baby friendly" designated one, so lots of things that might have gone in a birth plan (immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding, delay of first meds/weighing until after skin to skin time) didn't need to. So definitely check your hospital's policies before writing too much out.

[lindseyp2012]

musicalsilver - That is very reassuring to hear about your son being not gross. I'm sure I'll end up not caring about any weird substances on baby's body, but right now I'm just thinking, "I'd just hate for my first thought about my first baby to be that he or she is disgusting!" lol

[musicalsilver]

Jul 7, 2015 16:20:25 GMT -5 12345 said:

Something I want to research more and do again is a delayed bath (not delaying the initial clean up/wipe down), but a full bath. So at the Hospital I delivered at, they generally do a first bath sometime in the 24 hours after the baby is born. (After you get settled I your post partum room). With my first, she was considered SGA. They decided not to do her bath until the day we were ready to leave the hospital because it can help maintain blood sugar or something. My first was an awesome breastfeeder and only lost 3 oz after she was born. I wonder how much the delayed first bath contributed to this.

Huh - let us know what you find, because I've never heard that before. DS had a full bath the first day, didn't breastfeed too well in the hospital (he was a super sleepy baby), but didn't have blood sugar issues (which they checked because he wasn't eating as well as they'd liked).

[mrsred09]

Jul 7, 2015 16:21:15 GMT -5 musicalsilver said:

Jul 7, 2015 16:10:30 GMT -5 lindseyp2012 said:

mrsred09 - Thank you for saying that you want baby cleaned up right away. I definitely want that too, but have been weary of saying it aloud for fear of being seen as heartless or cold or something.

They didn't clean up DS as far as I know, and he was surprisingly ungross.

The hospital was a "baby friendly" designated one, so lots of things that might have gone in a birth plan (immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding, delay of first meds/weighing until after skin to skin time) didn't need to. So definitely check your hospital's policies before writing too much out.

While I didn't touch DS before they cleaned him up, but in the pics I have right after he was born he is definitely goopy.

[tkford216]

I'll be giving birth in the hospital where my OB does her thing, specific decisions can be left up to her or based on how things are progressing. I do want meds though. And a clean baby. If possible, I'd like to wait a minute or two for the cord clamping. I plan to exclusive pump/formula supp, so I'm not really sure how that works with first feeding- I assume formula? I figure I have several months yet to research specifics, lol.

[EatsRitz]

My plan is to be induced sometime after 39 weeks and get the epidural as soon as they break my water.

[EatsRitz]

As far as clean vs. goopy baby, with my first, she was cleaned up before given to me because she had meconium in her amniotic fluid, so she needed to be tended to by the NICU nurses before I could have her. With DS, I was just handed a goopy baby and it was the best thing. I was so disgusting from labor anyway, I didn't care how gross he was or what he was covered in.

[Winolicious]

I'm enthralled by the easy recoveries that natural births seem to offer. However I'm not even trying to kid myself. I can't handle the pain and it terrifies me to think I'd go too fast for an epidural. Terrifies me.

I know I want to avoid a c-section at all costs just because I have a history of abdominal surgery and I'm afraid it will severely limit the number of children it will allow me to have.

To be totally honest I'm interested in placenta incapsilation...fascinated perhaps. I fear the PPD and if it's in pill form it can't be that gross? I don't live in a major city so I doubt it's an option. Not to mention all the side eyes Id get.

[EatsRitz]

I have a friend who did placenta encapsulation and said it did wonders for her. I think the science behind it has shown to kind of be a placebo effect, but the one anecdote I've heard has had rave reviews.

[auchick913]

I think the best birth plan is to go in with an open mind. So much of it is out of your control. In some nursing circles, its kind of a running joke that the women who come in with the elaborately detailed birth plans that are like 5 pages long are the ones who for sure won't get to see it play out.

[lindseyp2012]

Jul 7, 2015 16:51:08 GMT -5 EatsRitz said:

I have a friend who did placenta encapsulation and said it did wonders for her. I think the science behind it has shown to kind of be a placebo effect, but the one anecdote I've heard has had rave reviews.

Ditto to this. An acquaintance of mine did it. We all call her Mother Earth so it really fit for her. I'm not well educated on what it's supposed to do, but I know she had her babies in a Fort Polk, LA. From what I know, her doula hooked her up with the resources to get it done.