Birth plans - when?

[Nickinakinoo]

When do they start talking to us about birth? No one has mentioned anything to me and I don't have a clue what facilities the hospital has or if I can give birth else where? I'm completely clueless!

I'm a first time mum, I'm under consultant care but I have no idea what this means in terms of birth options! It's starting to worry me, I no 2 ladies in the last few weeks that have had their babies at 26 weeks and 34 weeks, so if things happen early for me I'd like a clue as to what will happen.

 

[Cookie24]

You write your birth plan at the back of your green notes. You should be discussing this with your midwife at some point and there is normally a tour that you can do around your local hospital, maybe ask your midwife when you next see her and ask her these things, I'm also under consultant led which means that they monitor baby more and keep a closer eye on you also doctors will come round and check baby's heart rate. I would ask your midwife when you see her thou as she would be able to explain it in a lot more detail x

 

[flexilexi394]

Hey! Yeah pretty much what cookie said. You need to discuss it as soon as you see your midwife really, and you need to know what facilities are on hand at the hospital! Like if you wanted a water birth you need to figure out if that's possible etc, it's a pretty important topic! Lol.

Luckily I'm giving birth at the same hospital I did last time and know roughly what I want so that was an easy birth plan... There's space for it in your notes.

You also need to consider the cord cutting, and vitamin k for the baby and injection to help your body deliver the placenta - just a few factors to think about lol. But your midwife can run through all of it with you xx

 

[LaceyKeo]

If you are consultant led you'll need to give birth in hospital (no home birth). I assume you could argue this if you were strongly against it, but ultimately, you're consultant led for yours and your baby's health.

The most important thing to do with your birth plan, is keep it loose. Don't think of it as a plan, more a set of ideal scenarios.

The common opinion seems to be "I'm going to have a water birth with nice relaxing music and aromatherapy oils and pop a baby out after an hour of gentle pushing".
Then labour arrives and it's nothing like they expected.

Look into different types of pain relief.
I wanted the water birth for my first, but owned early on that I'm a huge pain-wuss and that'd I'd probably want drugs.
I stated on my plan that I really didn't want an epidural, and that I definitely didn't want a c-sec.
I also made a note right on the front page that the doc was in charge, and that if they needed to override my wishes they could do whatever they felt was necessary.

In labour I knew immediately that gas and air wasn't gonna cut it. I was offered pethadine before they moved to epi, which I gladly accepted and that did the trick.

For my second, I made clear that I wanted pethadine, and then pretty much the same as above.

Other than that, birth plans are more useful for things like who else you want there:
(Partner/name) during labour and birth
(Mum/dad/partners parents/names) may visit after birth
(Sister/brother/names) may visit once on ward
No other visitors to hospital.

Do you want immediate skin to skin, or do you want baby cleaned first?

Vit K injection? Drops?

Honestly, research lots; write little. The less detailed your plan is, the better the doctors/mw can get on with their job and get baby here safe.

Be open minded.

One thing you may wish to discuss with OH and write in your plan (as awful as it is to consider), is if anything goes wrong and it comes down to safe you or save baby, which they should do.

It's scary at first, and there's a lot of options available. Lurk over on Tri 3 so you can see what kind of things they're discussing about labour. And lingo you don't understand (wtf is pethadine/pros and cons? For example), either ask, or google, or ask midwife. You'll soon find your way through it.

Google birth plans to see what kinds of things they have spaces for.
The Bump have a good one.
The NHS one is also pretty good xx

 

[Blueclass]

I'm 31 weeks and been told it won't be till around 33 weeks they will go through it. I got the paper work at 28 weeks so I can look through but you do it with mw a bit later. It might be different depending where you are from. I'm not really going to write to much just what u want I. E husband to cut cord, delayed cord clamping and skin to skin. I feel anything can happen and no matter what you plan it might not go that way. You have to be open to change and I feel if I put to much I might get annoyed it's not going how I want it to. This is my first so I'm just going to go with the flow.

 

[Cookie24]

I didn't do a plan with my second one as we didn't follow my first plan lol, as I was induced the MW who was looking after me went through options and we disscused it before baby came lol x

 

[Maud]

We'll be doing the birth plan at the 34 week MW appointment, although I've already written down my thoughts in advance as I pretty much know what I want in there already. Couple bits I need to discuss with MW based on last time. If you read up on birthing options so you don't feel you have to make a decision on the spot (although you can always change what it says), although MW will talk you through most of it.

 

[inky]

Well my first plan went completely out the window with baby number 1 so I didn't bother writing one for baby number 2. Doubt I'll write one for baby number 3. My only plan is to go with the flow. I managed my last two labours with no pain relief and would like to do the same but I'm not such a masochist as to dismiss it entirely. I'll just see how it goes

 

[CornishGirl]

I was asked at my booking appointment about home birth, but that was it. I think the actual plan will be discussed much later. I know I'm down for a home birth, but so far I'd have no idea what to do and when to call the midwives.

 

[Phoenix85]

In my notes there's a couple of pages with a check list of loads of things relating to the birth and a space for comments (like to write down your preference etc) and a small box next to each that the midwife is supposed to tick when she's discussed it with you.

However whether that will happen I don't know... when I had my second baby (different midwife team) my notes also had a similar page with tick boxes and it said the midwife should discuss feeding choices, birth choices, pain relief etc etc, but it never happened. I think they feel like after your first you 'know' your options and don't bother going through any of it. So I'm interested to see if my midwife discusses anything.
I think though the notes say that it gets discussed at the appointments after 32 weeks.

I kind of wanted to do a birth plan but the only space in my notes for it is in these two pages which also have the tick boxes for the MW so I felt like I couldn't fill anything in unless she does go through it with me at a later appointment lol.

I definitely think it's worth doing though, it's still your birth, if you have it written down what you want or don't want they WILL do their best to follow that. If you don't write a birth plan you could end up with something you didn't really want even if there was an alternative you'd have been happier with.

It's good for decisions post-birth too, like delayed cord clamping etc.
And like last time I had it in my birth plan I wanted uninterrupted skin to skin in the first hour, the 2nd midwife hadn't read my birth plan and 5 mins after my baby was born the MW was about to take her from me to weigh her and wrap her up etc but the 1st midwife stopped her and told her my BP stated I wanted skin to skin in the first hour. If I hadn't had it written down she'd have just taken the baby and at that point I wasn't really 'with it' enough to argue (with my first baby this happened, I had vocalised I wanted skin to skin but not for how long or anything, within a few minutes they were saying the baby would get cold so took them and wrapped them up, I wasn't in a position to argue - first baby ended up not getting fed til they were over 4 hours old! Where as with my second we were left together and she latched on within about 20/30 minutes of being born and nursed solidly for over half an hour. She was about an hour and a half old before I got up to shower and then she was weighed and her dad dressed her, it was much nicer.)

 

[sammielou]

I used this http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/birth-plan.aspx to figure out my birth plan. I used it to prompt what questions I wanted to ask about at MW appointments and the antenatal classes.

I'm 36 weeks now and finally have gathered all the information I want and made my decisions. I'm going to fill this form in and take 3 copies with me when I go to deliver - 1 for each of my 2 birth partners and one for the MW.

No one can say I haven't told them what I want!

 

[BunnyN]

I agree with keeping it simple. I think there is a risk with being too go with the flow though. I think its good to know what you want. Its good to know things might have to change or you might feel differently in the moment so try to be flexible but if you dont know what you want and make it clear it can mean you end up not getting the birth you wanted or even having a bad birth experience for no good reason. There are some wonderful MWs and doctors out there but there are also some not such good ones. If left up to them too many will make choices based on what is quickest and easiest for them, not on what is truely best for mum and baby.

 

[NBkm3]

I talk about it at the very first appointment.

I need to know if we are on the same page because there are some things that matter a great deal to me and if they won't support that, I need to find someone who will. I don't want to wait until the last minute and be stuck with a doctor who doesn't care if I get skin-to-skin or not, or who only does staples and not sutures, etc.