birth plans

[Danni]

hey guys, when i first joined bellybelly i loved reading through your birth plans. I cant seem to find any

Is anyone willing to share theirs with me? Id love to read about natural births, and even with doulas present

thanks

[BellyBelly]

Here's what I give all my clients, I don't think I have had anyone not use it They customise it to how they want, but it's ideal because it's SSS - short, sharp and shiny. Also I call it Birth Preferences or Birth Intentions, because it's not a set plan then is it? No-one can go on at you that they are not worth it cos it never goes to plan anyway...

Birth Preferences

Our full names: Sarah Smith & Joe Bloggs

We like to be called Sarah and Joe

Our Birth Attendant’s name is Kelly Zantey

Other notes: We will be HypnoBirthing

We’re hoping for a natural childbirth without unnecessary intervention or the use of drugs. We have asked a Birth Attendant to be present at the birth to help us work towards this. We appreciate your support with our birth preferences.

This plan represents our preferences; however we recognise that in the event of unforseen difficulties it may need to be re-negotiated. In this eventuality please discuss all procedure options with us and our Birth Attendant.

ACTIVE BIRTH

I would prefer the freedom to choose positions, use the shower or bath and walk around in labour as desired.

I would like intermittent external fetal monitoring unless continuous monitoring is medically necessary.

I’d prefer not to be offered drugs, I am aware of the options for pain relief and will ask for it if needed.

As long the baby and I are fine, I would prefer to be free of time limits and not have my labour augmented.

To have an episiotomy only if medically necessary. Please allow time for the perineum to stretch naturally.

CAESAREAN

If a caesarean becomes necessary I wish my partner to be with me if possible or alternately my Birth Attendant. Unless prevented by medical emergency, I would like to have immediate contact with our baby.

I would like the opportunity to try to breastfeed our baby in recovery.

BIRTH AND SOON AFTER

Ideally I’d like my partner to ‘catch’ our baby

I would like my partner to cut the cord

Presuming our baby is well I would prefer:

To hold our baby immediately after the birth. All newborn procedures (weighing and measuring) to wait until I have had time to bond with and breastfeed our baby.

I’m comfortable with having a routine Syntocinon injection to help deliver the placenta, however I prefer you to wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before it is cut and clamped.

I’d like our baby to have vitamin K as an oral dose.

We’d like to defer Hep B injections until baby’s first vaccinations at 2 months.

[Danni]

that is so fantastic! Kell i hope you dont mind me asking you one more kinda unrelated question...I really want to have a water birth. Do all hospitals allow this?

[BellyBelly]

Alot of hospitals wont unfortunately, you will have more luck with a birth centre. The birth centre at Monash does, have heard and seen many beautiful waterbirths there. It's just a matter of doing your research and booking in where they will allow it. You can have a waterbirth if you feel like you might like a homebirth, with private midwives attending. There is also a doctor that does homebirth in Melbourne, Dr Peter Lucas. If you can get to choices for childbirth, which run in both South Yarra and Brunswick, they will help you with great information and support and it's so cheap to go. I think they might have a waterbirth session? Have to check...

[Danni]

I live in the western suburbs so monash is just ay too far. Would the womens accommodate?

Where are the birthing centres? Do you have to pay for them, and the midwives?

[BellyBelly]

If you go to a birth centre, then it's public so no you don't pay for midwives. I am not sure of somewhere in the western suburbs where you can have a waterbirth, which is a shame, because they are such beautiful, gentle births. The babies are so relaxed and peaceful, beautiful to see...

[Danni]

oh wow! thats great you dont have to pay! i am willing to travel a bit now thanks so much. Im booking you as my doula--- cant give you a date yet though

[BellyBelly]

Awwwwww thanks hon I'll book you in then for hopefully 8-9 months hey

[Danni]

yes please!!

[Lea13]

Tanya I don't think that that is too long.

It's not as essay - its in dot points and covers everything that they will generally ask you anyway!

I think its great - nie work!

[BellyBelly]

I think the main thing is to keep things based on what the hospital will do, e.g. leave out stuff like, 'I'd like to eat ice chips' and stuff that your partner or support person can help with. Keep it relevant to hospital and medical procedures and that helps to get it shorter.

Tulip, stuff like, 'check the baby on arrival' thats a standard procedure anyway, and also asking them to check on you every half hour - they will check on you regularly but they may not have the time to do it religiously on the half hour, so you might need to be more flexible there. You have to remember there will be other women in labour, and when women are pushing the midwife will be there continuously, plus when the baby arrives another midwife has to be there, so they can get held up for periods of time, amongst other things like paperwork, liasing with doctors etc. With your partner being present for the epidural that is normal. They wont send him out.

[Danni]

i hope you dont mind tanya but i have noted a few of your points down. i love it and i think its great. (not that im an expert or anything lol)

i cant wait to be able to write my own dammit!!

[BellyBelly]

Here's some more for you if you want to cut it back more - just some suggestions hope its ok!:

Second Stage
* (remind me to?) Help me to touch the baby's head as it crowns

* Please take some nice photos of Richard and I with the baby immediately after the birth (dunno if that is something in their normal scope, perhaps you might ask them nicely after the birth rather than in birth preferences?)

Monitoring
* I would like to be kept informed of the medical opions and the options available and then be allowed to make my own decisions (probably better at the start of your birth intentions as its really a general comment! Good as an opening statement.)

Medication
* I would prefer to use gas/oxygen and administer it myself if possible (you do hold onto the gas for yourself, you suck on a small cylinder shape)

Induction
* I would only agree to being induced if absolutely necessary
* I would like to wait as long as is safely possible before inducing
* If i go past my EDD i would prefer not to induce labour as it is safe to do so
-- you could combine all three and say something like, "I would like to avoid an induction and am happy to wait past my due date if baby and I are both healthy."

* Richard wishes to give the baby his first bath with guidance from a midwife -- thats usually next day, you can just tell them.

[BellyBelly]

Well when you ask for gas, they turn it on at the main unit, then you hold it and suck on it as you need it! So it is self controlled, but just needs to be switched on first! Bath the next day usually because everyone is so tired and bonding etc, it can be on the same day just depending what you want to do, but there is no urgency in it. It can be done after a couple of hours or whatever, but depends when you give birth I guess

[Liz]

I found the tour of the labour ward at the hospital took out most of what I would have had in a birthplan.. thus I didn't have one. They're usual procedures included skin to skin, breastfeed asap, baby is in my presence at all times and they said the midwife offers to take pictures. The vit K injection was administered whilst I was holding him in the labour ward (HepB vaccine is about day 3.. so dunno if that fits a birthplan?) But you sign a consent when you get there anyway.

The only thing I would have next time, is to have them not offer me pain relief in the form of drugs (altho DH soon stopped them offering) but for them to be more helpful with suggesting alternative pain relief.

[Lucy]

With the bathing thing Tanya........the midwives offered, but I put them off for as long as poss, until I felt ready to embrace the first bath! This sounds gross, but with Olivia it was 4 days after Olivia had been born, becasue she had troubles holding her temp, so we all decided to leave it for as long as poss. And with Charlie is was 24 hours after he was born.

My SIL always wants her babies bathed as quick as possible, but I am always happy to leave them with a bit of dried up gunk in their hair and to let the vernix settle into & protect their skin.....each to their own!