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Emmy Jo (1
I'm in the process of writing my birth plan, and I'd love to hear what some new moms included in their birth plans.
I've looked up plenty of examples and instructions online, so I don't really need links to those. I'm most interested in your personal experiences.
-- What ended up being the most important wishes/instructions to include in your birth plan?
-- Are there any wishes/instructions you included in your birth plan that weren't necessary?
-- Is there anything you forgot to include in your birth plan that you wish you had included?
Thanks!
Answer
I gave birth at a freestanding birth center with a midwife, so I didn't have to make much of a birth plan. I knew that most of the interventions and medications I wanted to avoid wouldn't be pushed on me there, so my birth plan was very short and sweet:
~ I wanted to catch the baby myself (and I did).
~ I wanted to have a waterbirth (which didn't happen, but I was okay with it).
~ I wanted perineal support while I was pushing to prevent tears (which happened, and it worked).
~ I didn't want him given eye ointment or a vitamin K shot (which he wasn't).
~ I wanted freedom of movement and the freedom to push in whatever position I found most comfortable (which I did).
Most of my birth plan was followed to the letter, and I'm fairly certain that wouldn't have happened if I gave birth in a hospital. I chose a midwife because I knew that most of my birth wishes were part of her typical repertoire anyway. I have to disagree that doctors and midwives don't follow them. My midwife worked very hard to make sure my wishes were met. Doctors are far less likely to do so, in my experience. They care far more about their own liability than your birth plan.
I didn't have to worry about being offered or pressured into interventions, like Pitocin augmentation, epidural, pain medication, episiotomy, IV, constant fetal monitoring, or anything else of the sort. There wasn't a chance of my baby being given formula in a hospital nursery, we weren't separated at all, we had skin to skin contact immediately after birth, and all newborn assessments were preformed while I held him skin to skin on my chest.
I honestly hope that I'll be able to have either a homebirth or birth center birth will any future children I have. My oldest was born in a hospital. I strongly prefer the out-of-hospital birth experience.
If you're planning a hospital birth, you might consider having a doula or labor assistant with you. They can be very helpful with explaining procedures to you, helping you achieve the kind of birth you want, and they can advocate on your behalf.
I also have to disagree that nothing on a birth plan is unnecessary. Having discussed this with several OB nurses, birth doulas, and midwives, I can tell you for a fact that many women put a lot of unnecessary information in their birth plans. Some women basically hand over a novel to their nurses and doctors. Not only are they unlikely to have time to read all of that, but they're going to view you as a very high maintenance patient, and some nurses take offense to them because it makes them feel like the patient thinks they're an idiot and has no faith in them. Super long birth plans with tons of unnecessary details can really insult and alienate nurses. It's best to make sure your entire birth plan fits on a 3x5 index card. That way, they can get all the important details quickly and fit it in their scrub pocket.
Here are the best things you can do:
1) Develop good, open communication with your doctor or midwife. Discuss how you want your birth to be *BEFORE* you get close to your due date. That way, if there's a part of your birth plan that they refuse to accommodate, you can look into changing providers before it's too late. Also, ask them about what kind of policies your hospital has. If they don't know, call the hospital.
2) Make sure your birth partner knows about your birth wishes. Quiz them, even. When the stress of labor hits, they'll be the person you rely on to advocate for you and your rights and wishes. If you think they might not be able to handle that, then you can hire a doula or have another person, like your mother, sister, or friend with you. Having someone else there who knows your birth plan well is key in helping you achieve a healthy, safe, and satisfying birth. You'll most likely be too distracted to answer questions, so you'll want someone who can do it for you, or at least explain it to you.
3) Develop a good report with the nurses as soon as you get there. You might consider packing treats for them in your hospital bag, even. When you come in, hand them your birth card, or better yet, have your plan memorized, or have your partner memorize it.
Overall, the key to developing a good birth plan is knowing what your hospital or practitioner does and doesn't allow BEFOREHAND. If you want to have intermittent monitoring with a Doppler, but the hospital you're planning to give birth at requires constant fetal monitoring at all times, then you'll want to know that beforehand and either come up with ways to work around that, or find a different place to give birth. Many cities have more than one hospital at which you can give birth.
The most important thing is communication before you're close to your due date. Knowing your doctor or midwife's birth policies (as well as the hospital) gives you time to adjust your birth wishes and even change providers or hospitals if you like. You don't want to end up in a situation that you didn't anticipate because you didn't communicate with your provider and find out what kind of policies your chosen place of birth has.
I gave birth at a freestanding birth center with a midwife, so I didn't have to make much of a birth plan. I knew that most of the interventions and medications I wanted to avoid wouldn't be pushed on me there, so my birth plan was very short and sweet:
~ I wanted to catch the baby myself (and I did).
~ I wanted to have a waterbirth (which didn't happen, but I was okay with it).
~ I wanted perineal support while I was pushing to prevent tears (which happened, and it worked).
~ I didn't want him given eye ointment or a vitamin K shot (which he wasn't).
~ I wanted freedom of movement and the freedom to push in whatever position I found most comfortable (which I did).
Most of my birth plan was followed to the letter, and I'm fairly certain that wouldn't have happened if I gave birth in a hospital. I chose a midwife because I knew that most of my birth wishes were part of her typical repertoire anyway. I have to disagree that doctors and midwives don't follow them. My midwife worked very hard to make sure my wishes were met. Doctors are far less likely to do so, in my experience. They care far more about their own liability than your birth plan.
I didn't have to worry about being offered or pressured into interventions, like Pitocin augmentation, epidural, pain medication, episiotomy, IV, constant fetal monitoring, or anything else of the sort. There wasn't a chance of my baby being given formula in a hospital nursery, we weren't separated at all, we had skin to skin contact immediately after birth, and all newborn assessments were preformed while I held him skin to skin on my chest.
I honestly hope that I'll be able to have either a homebirth or birth center birth will any future children I have. My oldest was born in a hospital. I strongly prefer the out-of-hospital birth experience.
If you're planning a hospital birth, you might consider having a doula or labor assistant with you. They can be very helpful with explaining procedures to you, helping you achieve the kind of birth you want, and they can advocate on your behalf.
I also have to disagree that nothing on a birth plan is unnecessary. Having discussed this with several OB nurses, birth doulas, and midwives, I can tell you for a fact that many women put a lot of unnecessary information in their birth plans. Some women basically hand over a novel to their nurses and doctors. Not only are they unlikely to have time to read all of that, but they're going to view you as a very high maintenance patient, and some nurses take offense to them because it makes them feel like the patient thinks they're an idiot and has no faith in them. Super long birth plans with tons of unnecessary details can really insult and alienate nurses. It's best to make sure your entire birth plan fits on a 3x5 index card. That way, they can get all the important details quickly and fit it in their scrub pocket.
Here are the best things you can do:
1) Develop good, open communication with your doctor or midwife. Discuss how you want your birth to be *BEFORE* you get close to your due date. That way, if there's a part of your birth plan that they refuse to accommodate, you can look into changing providers before it's too late. Also, ask them about what kind of policies your hospital has. If they don't know, call the hospital.
2) Make sure your birth partner knows about your birth wishes. Quiz them, even. When the stress of labor hits, they'll be the person you rely on to advocate for you and your rights and wishes. If you think they might not be able to handle that, then you can hire a doula or have another person, like your mother, sister, or friend with you. Having someone else there who knows your birth plan well is key in helping you achieve a healthy, safe, and satisfying birth. You'll most likely be too distracted to answer questions, so you'll want someone who can do it for you, or at least explain it to you.
3) Develop a good report with the nurses as soon as you get there. You might consider packing treats for them in your hospital bag, even. When you come in, hand them your birth card, or better yet, have your plan memorized, or have your partner memorize it.
Overall, the key to developing a good birth plan is knowing what your hospital or practitioner does and doesn't allow BEFOREHAND. If you want to have intermittent monitoring with a Doppler, but the hospital you're planning to give birth at requires constant fetal monitoring at all times, then you'll want to know that beforehand and either come up with ways to work around that, or find a different place to give birth. Many cities have more than one hospital at which you can give birth.
The most important thing is communication before you're close to your due date. Knowing your doctor or midwife's birth policies (as well as the hospital) gives you time to adjust your birth wishes and even change providers or hospitals if you like. You don't want to end up in a situation that you didn't anticipate because you didn't communicate with your provider and find out what kind of policies your chosen place of birth has.
Why would a DR recommend a C Section?
Ern
What are all the reasons a doctor may want to recommend a Cesarean delivery and why(this is not including emergency C-Sections).
Thank you.
Answer
Many drs will suggest a cesarean for reasons ranging from previous cesarean births to an ultrasound indicating a big baby to fetal distress as indicated by fetal monitoring
whats important is not really why a dr might recomemnd a cesarean but whether or not it is a legitimat reason
according to this sight there are only a few real reasons to have one
http://ican-online.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=142
"Q: When is a cesarean absolutely necessary?
A: ⢠Complete placenta previa at term.
⢠Transverse lie
⢠Prolapsed cord.
⢠Abrupted Placenta.
⢠Eclampsia or severe preeclampsia with failed induction of labor.
⢠Large uterine tumor which blocks the cervix
⢠True fetal distress confirmed with a fetal scalp sampling or biophysical profile
⢠True cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD- baby too large for pelvis). This is extremely rare and only associated with a pelvic deformity (or an incorrectly healed pelvic break).
⢠Initial outbreak of active herpes at the onset of labor.
⢠Uterine rupture "
here are some things your dr can do to avoid a cesarean
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_carepro.pdf
and here some things you can do
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_uncs.pdf
heres more information about breech delivery (one of the more common reasons a cesarean might be suggested)
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_breech2.pdf
hth
Many drs will suggest a cesarean for reasons ranging from previous cesarean births to an ultrasound indicating a big baby to fetal distress as indicated by fetal monitoring
whats important is not really why a dr might recomemnd a cesarean but whether or not it is a legitimat reason
according to this sight there are only a few real reasons to have one
http://ican-online.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=142
"Q: When is a cesarean absolutely necessary?
A: ⢠Complete placenta previa at term.
⢠Transverse lie
⢠Prolapsed cord.
⢠Abrupted Placenta.
⢠Eclampsia or severe preeclampsia with failed induction of labor.
⢠Large uterine tumor which blocks the cervix
⢠True fetal distress confirmed with a fetal scalp sampling or biophysical profile
⢠True cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD- baby too large for pelvis). This is extremely rare and only associated with a pelvic deformity (or an incorrectly healed pelvic break).
⢠Initial outbreak of active herpes at the onset of labor.
⢠Uterine rupture "
here are some things your dr can do to avoid a cesarean
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_carepro.pdf
and here some things you can do
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_uncs.pdf
heres more information about breech delivery (one of the more common reasons a cesarean might be suggested)
http://ican-online.net/resources/white_papers/wp_breech2.pdf
hth
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