I know I’m not pregnant anymore, but this is a post that I started working on before I found out I was delivering early. Since I feel like it’s one of the most important things I did while pregnant, I wanted to make sure I did a quick post on the subject.
So, what’s a birth plan? Simply put it’s an outline of your wishes during labor and delivery. The outline is supposed to help everyone stay on the same page during a very stressful time period. Your birth plan can be as long or as short as you would like. It’s important to make sure you go over some of the things in your birthing plan before you
Some of you may be wondering how you can get started on a birthing plan, and I suggest simply googling the topic first. I found a worksheet on Baby Center and just filled in the things that were important to me.
Here are the things I thought were most important from the worksheet:
1. Who’s Allowed in the Room
I am a pretty private person, and I don’t like a lot of people to see me in pain. I made it clear that only our parents were allowed in the room if I was in active labor, and I only wanted my husband present during the actual birth. I did add a few friends names just in case our parents couldn’t make it.
2. Amenities
The most important amenity for me was music. I created a “Birthing Baby S” playlist before the big day. The music really came in handy and got me through the first day and most of the second day of labor.
3. Labor Props
Prior to finding out I would be induced, I requested being able to use the squatting bar during labor. Unfortunately, I had to be constantly monitored, so I ended up laboring on my back in the bed for the most part.
4. Pain Relief
The most important thing in this section was “Please don’t offer me pain medication. I’ll request it if I need it.” A lot of birthing stories I read said that the nurses asking them if they wanted medication more than once kept putting the idea in their heads, and they ended up getting the epidural. I figured that if I’m in the throes of pain and someone offers me some relief I might say yes without fully thinking it through. Checking that box put it on me to ask for medication.
The other things that I chose on here were bath/shower; massage; and breathing techniques/distraction. I was able to use 2 out of 3, which wasn’t too bad. Getting in the bath/shower while connected to an IV, pitocin; and being monitored wasn’t feasible.
5. Vaginal Birth (During and After)
The two most important things on this list for me were being able to hold my baby as soon as possible and being able to breastfeed as soon as possible. They both happened, but Baby S didn’t latch initially.
Overall despite being induced, which of course was not a part of my initial birthing plan, my birthing plan went pretty well.
If you’re currently pregnant or trying to conceive I’ll share the advice someone gave me on the subject. The best advice I was given about a birthing plan came from one of the doctor’s in the practice. He told me not to come up with a ridiculously long birthing plan, because more often than not the women who have those birthing plans end up having c-sections. He also told me not to go into labor, so stuck on my birthing plan that if something didn’t work out I ended up feeling like a failure. You do not want to start off your relationship with your baby feeling like you failed, because you didn’t totally stick to your birthing plan.
Make sure you go over the important parts of your birthing plan with your partner and your doctor. Take a copy with you to the hospital and have them put it in your file, so when they rotate shifts everyone knows the information. This came in handy for me on day 2 when labor was really rough and I didn’t want to talk to the new nurse lol. She let me know that she knew I didn’t want to be offered medication and that she didn’t want me to think she didn’t care, but she was respecting my wishes. It let me know that they actually read my birthing plan and were trying to give me what I wanted.
Do you have a birthing plan? If you’ve already had a child, did you have one? If so, did it go according to plan?
