are you writing a birth plan?!

Question

Did you write a birth plan/ will you write one? And for those of you that have... did it all go to plan or did it all go out the window? I have decided not to write one as loads of women (who gave birth in my hospital) have told me not to bother and it isn't even taken into consideration!! However I'm scared now because my hospital is a practicing one and I've heard the students are awful. My partners step mum had her epidural put in 5 times because the student nurse kept doing it wrong! 😐 so I want to at least have the right to say I don't want a student practicing on me! I'm all for teaching, but I've heard some questionable things about these students. And before you say change hospital my nearest hospital after this one is 2 hours away and my mother has very quick births (7 and 5 hours) so I'm assuming I'll be somewhat the same!

Answer

I wrote out a birth plan and that completely went out the window when the time came. Lol. If you don't want students though, I would just be vocal about it while you're there. Make sure your OB knows what you want and don't want.

Answer

I plan on writing one (I'm 22 weeks now). My doctor asks me at each appointment "What would you like your delivery to look like?" But I'm so indecisive! 
However, babies have a mind of their own. So even if I make a plan, I need to be flexible that things might change...
For right now, I want to labor in the tub at the hospital, forego the epidural (unless I have a mental breakdown), delayed cord clamping (just 5 minutes), and save my placenta for encapsulation.

Answer

I didn't my first 2 but neither went well so my last I did. This is what I put;  
Delayed cord cutting
No pitocin
Iv meds
No epidural
And that I push better when not holding my legs myself.

They gave me pitocin after,  and I didn't get the iv meds cause I had gotten there at 7cm and delivered in 45 minutes of arriving

I will be doing the same birth plan this time.

Answer

Birth plans aren't meant to be a rigid set of rules. The process of writing one is irreplaceable. You will learn so much about routine procedures, the reasons behind them, risks and benefits, and you can make an informed decision about what you're comfortable with. Even if you don't take it to the birth you will have the knowledge in the back of your mind and have the ability to advocate for yourself. I chose to use the free template by Earth Mama Angel Baby. It's incredibly long and thorough. I took this plan with me to my appointment around 30 weeks and discussed what I wanted and what I wasn't sure of with my midwife. I was able to remove a large part because most of what I wanted they did routinely. Honestly unless your doctor is amazing or there's some awesome reason you want to give birth at this specific hospital I'd go somewhere else. You're the one in charge. You are allowing these people into the room and into an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life. What you are and are not comfortable with should be respected. I chose to deny access to students and the nurses placed my birth plan by the monitors and another one on the outside of the door. Everyone was very respectful about it. Mine was almost one page length. Anything longer and they won't have the time or ability to read it.

Answer

I always write the same thing (4kids, 1 on the way) I write what I would like to happen but always go in with an open mind as to why could happen.

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I'm not going to bother. You'll be there to tell them what you want when the time comes, and you can't plan for the things that could go wrong. When I toured the birthing center where I'll be delivering, the charge nurse said don't bother because it just hinders things.

Answer

You don't need a birth plan to refuse the care of a student. You just tell them.

Answer

Write a plan!! Keep an open mind that anything can happen, but it's not a bad thing to voice your preferences. As long as you're reasonable about it, they'll do what they can to respect it. This is my birth plan. It's not over the top, it's not super long, and it's simple and to the point. Which means it's more likely to be respected and paid attention to. Also make sure your SO or support person knows the plan, so they can be your voice if you can't or don't want to talk.

Answer

I didn't have one the first time and I won't this time. Things might not go as planned anyways.

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I'm not writing one cuz labor and child birth can be unpredictable. 
You have the right to refuse who can do procedures on you and your baby.

are you writing a birth plan?!

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