Birthing Plan?

[Surveyor]

Hey guys! I find it so interesting that people have such different goals and dreams when it comes to labour, birth and the time after. I've always wondered how often births actually go according to plan.

If you have the time it would be really cool if some of you could answer some questions for me:
*What is/was your birthing plan like?
*What is/was the most important part of your plan?
*Did your birth go to plan/do you expect your birth to go to plan?

To those who have already given birth:
*Do you have any regrets about your birthing plan?

Thanks a lot guys!
-Sev

 

[Emily0505]

Didn't bother with one either time and I'm glad I didn't. My plan would have been a water birth for both but wasn't possible with either. First as there was meconium in my waters and for my second because it was too fast. Barely made it to the hospital let alone to get in the pool!

My advice would be to look at it as birth preferences and be prepared that it might not go how you want it to.

XX

 

[candymycandy]

I’m 38+4 and haven’t started mine... a lot more relaxed with number 2 it seems!

I agree with Emily though. Put your ideals down (eg like pain relief, birthing positions, Dad cutting cord) but be completely open to just going with the flow as more often than not these things can’t be planned out. Esp with pain relief. You might be dead against an epidural but never say never!

Based on my last experience I’m just putting basics down. That’ll include baby having vit k injection, birthing on all fours, Dad cutting cord and trying to stay active where possible.

 

[mrs_cookie]

Mine wasn't a very strict plan,it just said i was happy for pain relief but would prefer no epidural,dad was to cut the chord and tell me the sex and it noted i have a bit of a fear of blood so if the midwives could not mention blood unless necessary and clear it up before i see it that would of been great. I have to say i was really lucky with labour,it all went to plan, was pretty straight forward and all my little things were followed. I was totally open for it not going my way though I know you have no real control over it and anything can happen. Its best to have an open mind but things do occasionally go to plan anf i guess i was lucky! I really hope my labour is the same this time but im betting it will be totally different haha x

 

[snowbee]

I didn't have one and hadn't got to the appointment where they discuss it before he arrived. To be fair I was clueless so had no idea what I wanted anyway. Interestingly my husband had mentioned he didn't want to cut the cord, but when it came to it and they offered he did. Not sure if I would make one or not if we are lucky enough to have another, we will see.

 

[Loula]

I had no plan the first time and I won't have one this time really. I hope for a natural labour with just had and air, if a pool is available I may give it a try. I would prefer no induction but if if have to i would obviously.
My first labour I wanted to cut the cord but that never happened as her cord was to short which ended up making the delivery process longer. My bed was ran from midwifery unit to delivery suite and that red button pressed as I had pushed for hours with no avail.
I shall just go with the flow x

 

[Rachel84]

I had a birth plan for all mine. I followed the suggestions in my maternity notes to make the plan. (Page 16 if you have the nhs notes) It was nice to have my preferences down on paper but I was okay with being flexible too.
One thing I wanted down was I only wanted my hubby present. MIL worked at the hospital we were at. I didn't want a surprise visit while I was labouring. Hehe.
The only thing I regretted was not understanding the side effects to the medications at all. I didn't think to look it up at all and I regretted taking one during my first labour.

 

[fairycake]

I do have a plan that has been formulated with my consultant and midwives. No pethidine or diamorphine will be allowed. Active labour with dance/music as initial pain relief moving onto paracetamol/codeine/gas and air. Continuous monitoring but via scalp clip and telemetry. Partner and mother as birthing partners. Currently appears as though I am unable to have an epidural due to a spinal injury so if c-sec is required then it shall be under general. But hopefully natural with delayed cord clamping, partner cutting cord, skin to skin and breastfeeding within an hour. So realistically 2 very different potentials but one of them will be the outcome. There is the dream and the back up. But due to medication limitations will be forced one or the other. xx

 

[Shepherdess]

I didn't write anything down last time and won't this time either.

if I had last time it would have all gone to pot anyway and basically as long as my baby arrives safely I'm okay with most things

everything that happened was explained to me and I was asked questions so I still felt like I was I'm control, even though by the end I totally wasn't

 

[PeanutButter]

I was told to get the epidural before I had my waters broke (if I had to have my waters broke) which I needed. I was told to have it before because I find it difficult to have anything in my vagina (expect a penis obviously ahahhaa). When I went down to delivery they said no I can't have it until a while after theyve been broke... Lucky when she put her fingers in they broke without anything else. But I was told different things by different midwives which I wasn't happy about.
This time I want to try and wait because I hated not being able to move my legs! And I'll be making sure I'm told the right things this time.

 

[russellmuscle]

I always say have a list of what you don't want at the very least, but a list of preferences would be good.

My first I didn't have a strict plan. Went in with an open mind because I didn't actually know what I'd want at that time. It was all new to me being a new mum. I only had definitely no epidural (unless medically necessary for EMCS). I went 14 days over, 2 failed sweeps and needed induced. I was given dihydrocodiene which at the time was amazing I conked out but in retrospect I hated it for actual birthing. I was so out of it by the time I had the G&A and he came so fast it was a shock. Obviously I thought that was quite decent given he got here quickly no compilations.

Second labour my plan I only had one thing on the must which was DCC (delayed cord clamping). The definite no category had no dihydrocodiene and no epidural. Preference was to be in the pool. I was low risk so pool was mainly availability and our maternity centre has 2 (I think) but it's busy. We got to use the pool thankfully and I lasted on 2 paracetamol until 3hr before he was born then had G&A.

Second labour was obviously different circumstances and having had both labours I'd now consider both scenarios next time and just have the same. Obv with an induction pool is out the window usually but with regards to pain relief you might want to hear others experiences of them before having them on a must or a definite no.

Good luck xxx

 

[AromaMom]

I had no plan. Baby came early so didn't have time to do one, but I'm actually glad that I didn't. There's some things you just can't plan for, so I say go with the flow! Best of luck

 

[Diamond18]

I have had no plans for any of my births (two so far). First birth was planned in conduction with OH, so he was the one that was making sure it was stuck too during the birth, okay he was helping me stick to the birth plan not the Midwives haha!

Second one, the only plan was for them to be born at home, which they were and was very go with the flow.

If you don't have any strong preferences, I'd definitely say go with the flow but note down and things like skin to skin or wanting a natural third stage etc. and make this be know to every midwife\obs you see so it's duly noted.

 

[Pittypat]

It is best not to plan anyway it will not go regarding the plan

 

[MissKW]

I wrote a birth plan thinking the midwives would need it to get an idea of what I wanted. When it came to it, nobody asked to see it, but my midwife did quickly run over what I did and didn't want regarding skin to skin, delayed clamping, breast or bottle, injection for placenta, vit k etc.
I was set on a birth as natural and relaxing as possible (dimmed lights, pool, massage, relaxing music, gas and air if needed).
To start with at home it was fantastic, I managed to sleep through most of the early labour contractions and only woke DH when they started to get unbearable. He offered me food but I felt too sick to eat so he encouraged me to keep hydrated instead. He ran me a nice warm bath where we stayed together relaxing, calmly chatting and timing contractions (they were 3min apart and 40 seconds long from the get go and remained similar until active labour). I took the advantage of the bath to shave, wash, then I got dressed and put a little makeup on to distract myself and emptied my bowels before setting off to hospital once I could no longer speak or move during a contraction. So up until then my labour was going lovely.

Once at hospital/birth Centre I only measured 3cm so I was put in a visitors lounge to see how I progressed. Then it got very busy very quickly and I was basically forgotten about. Labour was progressing quickly so pain was getting horrific and I was finding it hard to cope so started to panic thinking I was still only slightly dilated and that they would send me home. I was also starting to panic about how much worse the pain would get.
After 3 hours labouring on a sofa in unbearable pain with no pain relief or midwife available at all my hubby finally managed to convince a midwife to check me when I started complaining of pressure in my backside and couldn't cope with pain anymore (he was very agitated and angry by this point as I was so distressed, he couldn't get anyone to see me and I wasnt able to even have gas).
She was shocked when she measured me at past 7cm and then rushed off to get another lady out of a room and get me in before delivering.
No pool rooms left so no chance of my water birth, by the time we got in a room I was far past the point of caring about dimmed lights or nice music that we packed, I finally got the gas which was an absolute god send, laid on the bed and DS arrived just 30min later (would have been much quicker but I was trying to desperately hold him in as previously a midwife told me at 8cm you feel like pushing but to avoid it and be checked to make sure fully dilated before pushing. She didn't check me but eventually told me to just push if I felt like it so did and he arrived a few pushes later).

Far from what I had planned but only because they were so busy, I lost my state of relaxation in the panic of not knowing what was going on and not getting a room until last minute.
I did however thankfully get my natural birth with nothing more than gas, I got away with no stitches, we had the delayed clamping, immediate skin to skin, vit k orally and a very healthy, happy and content baby boy. He latched to the breast perfectly right away and we went home the same day.
We joke about it now and say I would have been much better off staying at home, so if we have another baby, if the pregnancy goes well again I will be opting for a home birth to avoid all that panic again. I will look into hypno birthing next time too to help me manage the pain better in active labour. Also as mentioned above, I agreed to the injection for the placenta as I didn't care at the time, but then they started tugging the cord to get placenta when it was clearly still attached and it hurt with each tug and she almost broke off the cord. So next time I will opt for a natural 3rd stage also so it can be delivered as nature intended without the unnecessary pain.

Birth plans are handy even if it's just to help you realise what you would and wold not like. Just of course keep an open mind incase things change and you have to go along with the safest option for you and baby at that moment