Birth Plan...

hey girls and guys...

I'm writing up our birth plan for beany...

Can you let me know what you think, and if any part needs changing or could be written more professionally lol let me know :P And trust me I won't be offended at anything you write ;)

Thanks...

Birth Preferences

(just took the first part out as it had surnames in it, it was just an intro of who we were and who was our support person)

We’re hoping for a natural childbirth without unnecessary interventions or the use of drugs.

This plan represents our preferences; however we recognize that in the event of unforeseen difficulties it may need to be re-negotiated. Please discuss all options with us. We would then like the opportunity to contemplate our options without the presence of any medical staff. We would like the birth experience to be respectful and private as we know this is conducive to a successful birth, with minimal interruptions, quiet voices and dimmed lighting.


ACTIVE BIRTH

 I would like Tim and my support people to be with me at all times.

 I’d like the freedom to choose positions, use the shower or bath and walk around in labour as desired.

 I’m happy to have intermittent external fetal monitoring unless continuous monitoring is medically necessary.

 Please don’t offer drugs; I am aware of the options for pain relief and will ask for it if needed. If I request drugs whilst in transition, please tell me that I am nearing the end and let me re-evaluate my request.

 I wish to be free of time limits and not have my labour augmented unless in a medical emergency.

 I do not wish to birth on a bed, I would like the freedom to birth either standing up or on a birthing chair, to allow gravitation to help with the birthing process.

BIRTH AND SOON AFTER

Presuming baby and I are well, we’d like:

 For Tim to be involved in the delivery of our chld.

 To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before clamping to allow our baby to receive the valuable blood and iron stores.

 For Tim to cut the cord

 For our baby to be placed immediately on my chest after birth – Skin to skin contact.

 For all newborn procedures (weighing and measuring) to wait until we have had time to bond with and breastfeed our baby

 Not to have the routine Syntocinon injection to help deliver the placenta

 To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before clamping, to allow my baby to receive the valuable blood and iron stores.


INDUCTION / AUGMENTATION

If baby and I are well, I would like my baby to decide his/her own due date. I am happy to discuss a plan should my pregnancy reach the end of term at 42 weeks. Should labour induction become necessary at any time, I'd like to start with the least artificial means first - i.e. nipple stimulation, acupuncture, massage or a stretch and sweep before a medical induction. I would like time to allow the natural inductions work.



If this is unsuccessful and a medical induction or augmentation becomes medically necessary I’d like:

 To only have my waters to be broken at first instance if my cervix is open. I would like to be given a generous amount of time for labour to establish upon rupture of membranes (i.e. more than just a few hours) before other forms of medical induction / augmentation. I would like to go home if all is well, until labour is established.

 If I require Syntocinon, I would like a very low dose, to be increased gradually and slowly. Once my labour is established I would like to choose to stop the dose being increased, lower the dose or stop the drip to allow my body to continue to labour without artificial oxytocin. Please put the cannula in my arm and not my hand so I have more freedom of movement.

 If fetal monitoring is required after inducement, I would like to still have the freedom to move around, and not be confined to a bed or chair.

CAESAREAN

If a caesarean becomes necessary I’d like:

 For my partner to be with me.

 For discussion to be respectful and minimal - only what is required medically and to inform me of what is happening

 For the screen lowered so we can witness the birth of our baby

 Unless prevented by medical emergency, I would like my baby to be placed on my chest while you complete the procedure

 To be sure that a double layer suture is used and not a single layer in order to improve my chances for a future VBAC

 For the cord to stop pulsating before clamping for reasons mentioned

 The opportunity to breastfeed our baby in recovery.


Please sign our birth preferences in good faith that it has been read, will be treated respectfully and that we have your support in all of the above.

________________________________ Signed

________________________________ Name ______________ Date

Sounds good.
This bit is in there twice though:
To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before clamping, to allow my baby to receive the valuable blood and iron stores.

Hey Cass,

Much of what you have written is entirely reasonable, and for the most part I can say with confidence that those are my experiences. I have never really had a midwife that forced their opinion and mine has always been respected during labour.

With the canula, I would recommend specifying mid-forarm or not hand or wrist. I prefer the hand canula myself because it is very small and the arm canula is like a mcdonalds straw, only thicker. But the entry point of my arm canula was in the large vein on the side of my wrist and It was extremely painful to even shower myself with it there as any movement of the wrist was basically not followed by the thick plastic straw running through it.

I've never been able to move about with the foetal monitor on, but I found that so long as baby didnt need it, they were happy to take it off. Sometimes they have basically just held it there through a coupe of contractions just to get an idea and that was it. I did find that having it on seemed to have an adverse affect to the contractions and the pain intensified while it was on.

If you get the opportunity, don't rush into breaking your waters. If they are intact and you are progressing, then there is no rush because while they are intact, the contraction pain is far more bearable.

thats really well written, are you going to a birth centre or hospital just out of curiosity? i would have written the exact same things except lowering the curtain during a C section all i can say is u are very brave! i would pass out, but i guess u only want it lowered enough to see bub raised out. lets hope u dont even get to that!

I think it's great and i think you should get it signed in advance, BUT i think that in labour you need a very short bulleted version of the pertinent bits. My midwives supported my birth plan strongly, but the midwife i got on the day never got a chance to read it because she was with me just long enough to write up initial obs and fill all the birth stuff in (she did it in advance, they often do, so they can go after the birth is completed and not be sat in your bedroom doing paperwork for hours) and then DD arrived very suddenly.

As a result i DID get the 3rd stage injection, and DD's cord was clamped and cut immediately despite us being quite strongly opposed to it. She just didn't know. My birth plan fit onto one page, it was just last in the pile. If you have bullets you can stick a copy on your door or have DH hand one to anyone who comes in. Have a set for your desired birth and a set for induction/c-section, JIC. (Even *I*, a planned homebirth, had an induction/c-section set, written hastily the day they tried to book my induction for EDD+14, when i realised i really MIGHT have to face induction and the potential outcomes).

Keep them very short and concise, e.g.

Do not offer me drugs.
Allow me to labour in any position i like.
Do not cut the cord.
Do not augment my third stage.

IME you don't need to say "unless there is medical need" because if there IS medical need you will be lucky if they consult you, let alone the birth plan. You could maybe just put a bit at the top that says "this plan assumes no medical emergency or problem" so they know you're aware that things can change.

Bx

Thanks girls for all your responces...

21andttc - Hospital, there isn't a birth centre around me unfortuntly... actually i would love if the curtain wasn't even there, if I don't get to feel my baby come out, i still want to see it :) and medical things like that don't bother me... But then again never seen it IRL so dont have alot to base my opinion on lol.

hoobley - Thank you very muchly i didnt even think to do a short one :) Will do one of them up as well..

Thanks heaps girls...

Sounds great! I added something extra like ...

Do not perform any treatment on me without my express consent. Please give us 15 minutes alone after suggesting a treatment to allow us time to consider our options. I am not in a hurry and would rather a longer labour than a short medicated labour.

I also added...

I would rather tear than have an epi.

HTH!

cass - what hospital are you going to? im on the coast and prob going to gold coast although would love to go to royal womens but if bubs decides to come during peak hour could take 2 hours to get there.