What kind of birth do you want? (Birth Plan)

Member Name: wisemind

Product:	Birth Plan
Date:	15/02/09 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gives you chance to think about what you want as making descisions in labour is hard.

Disadvantages: can all go out the window

Writing a birth plan is one of those great ideas that focus on how you would like your birth to proceed and a chance to discuss with your birth partner what you do and don't want so that they can advocate for you.

I got my midwife to read through my birth plan and she explained some of the points like I would of preferred a mobile epidural if available but these were not available in the hospital I gave birth at so knew that this would not be available.

I would have liked to be able to use a birthing pool but this was never going to be an option as I was going into the consultant led room but if it was an option I would have put this in my birth plan.

When I was pregnant I spent a time researching the different methods of pain relief. I considered natural child birth to be something invented by men and I had no intentions of been a martyr, I would be having drugs. However after reading the effects I did not want pethadine as I read it could affect the baby's ability to breastfeed.

In my birth plan I stated that I would like to get through labour with Gas and Air but if I couldn't manage I wanted an epidural. This way what I would have wanted ideally covered but never having been through labour before I didn't know if I could cope with the pain. But my second choice was also written down.

I wrote in my birth plan that I would welcome Student midwives. I trained as a nurse so knew the importance of experience but it also meant I was likely to have someone with me all the time and knew they would be supervised. They commented on the ward how unusual it was to see that on a birth plan it was usually people stating no students.

I had heard a few people saying how they had done a birth plan but as emergency treatment had been needed the birth plan had gone out of the window. So I tried to consider what I would want to happen in the case of an emergency. This included me been infirmed of what was happening at every stage. I cope better when I know exactly what is going on rather than guessing.

I put in my birth plan that I wanted to be given the injection to deliver the placenta. I had watched a birthing program and saw a woman spending 45 minutes rolling around in pain as she delivered the placenta naturally. I thought this is time I would want to spend with my son.

I also stated that I wanted my son to have the vitamin K injection so that should I be unable to state it at the time of birth they already had my permission.

My husband was adamant he didn't want to cut the cord which was fine with me. I wasn't particularly that keen with the idea of him doing a hospital procedure anyway.

I wanted my son delivered onto my chest and wanted him to be breastfeed as soon as I had given birth as I had read this is useful in trying to establish breastfeeding.

I found that having a birth plan was very useful. Throughout the labour the midwife referred to my birth plan but also checked that I hadn't changed my mind during the course of the labour.

The only part of the plan that had to change was that I wanted to be as active as possible during the labour but as I was induced I had to be monitored throughout.

I would recommend to any pregnant women to consider what they want in an ideal birth and what they want if things don't go as planned. It is important to be flexible. There may be ideas you have in your head but when you get to labour change your mind. I personally though I would love music as a distraction and took a selection of CD's in but during labour I was so focussed on dealing with the contractions I wasn't the slightest bit interested in music. Make sure your birth partner understands what you do and don't want during labour. They can be your voice when you need them to be.

Labour is a painful magical experience and a birth plan can help you get the birth you want.

Summary: It doesn't stop the pain but does help you get the birth you want.