Is a birth plan necessary?

Question

Im a ftm and I’ve just sort of been going with the flow. I haven’t take any classes or anything like that. I keep up with what’s going on by weeks. However, I’m due here in a few weeks and wanted to pack my bag and one of the things it says the ask for is your birth plan? Did you like print one out? Did you even need one? If you did, what did it look like? If you didn’t, why not?

Answer

Birth plans are misleading m. I see it as birth and post birth preferences. 
Research all the options like delayed cord clamping (baby gets an extra 3rd blood volume), golden hour, vitamin k options, pain relief options, interventions etc. There’s so many good books like the positive birth book and Ina may guide to childbirth.
Id also recommend a hypnobirthing course. 
As others mentioned choosing your birth provider is key. If you try to have options and your doctor has practiced active management and heavy interventions for 30 years you will probably be ignored. Think carefully about your provider and whether they align with your wishes

Answer

No. It's not like they just do things to you without your consent or for no reason. So if you don't want something like forceps, well, if they're telling you that you need it, your birth plan won't change that. If you don't want an epidural, then don't ask for one, it's not like they're going to surprise you with it unless you put it on a paper not to. If you want the lights dim, you can just say "hey can you dim the lights?" You don't need that printed on a sheet of paper. I really see no point in doing one and never had one. I think it can just set you up for disappointment if you go in with a set mindset of how you want everything.

Answer

No. Bit needed it is just a thing to use so that you could think trough what can happen and what do you want.
I just went in knowing I wanted a natural labor without meds. But I was up to date with all that can happen during birth, so when they needed to give me meds to make me progress after I had started to get a fever from my water being broken for a while, I knew what was going to go on etc.
I personally find thst people with a birth plan are more annoyng. They demand stuff from docs and are not flexoble at all.
But everyone is different. Maybe having one or at least making one makes you think it trough and helps you.

Answer

I never had one.  Nurses never asked. My only plan was to be numb from the neck down.

Answer

If you don’t have a birth plan you’ll most likely end up with hospital standard police’s procedures which would lean toward more intervention. 
Check with your provider and the hospital for things like their inducing procedures and rates, Pitocin rate, epidural rate, episiotomy /vacuum/ forced rates, c-section rate. That’ll give you a good indication of “what you’ll get” if you don’t have a plan. 
A lot of people say you can’t plan birth and that you have to be open to whatever happens. But the research doesn’t support that. Women who have a birth plan to avoid interventions are more likely to avoid them. Women who have doulas are more likely to avoid interventions. Women who give birth with midwives instead of OBs are more likely to avoid interventions. 
You’re birth plan won’t dictate exactly what happens but it will drastically improve your odds of having outcomes you want. 
But I guess if you don’t have strong preference then it really isn’t necessary.

Answer

I never had one. Honestly, I felt that it would just make me crazy. Things never go according to plan and having one more thing to stress about wasn’t worth it. 
My birth plan was to have a healthy baby 🤷🏼‍♀️

Answer

I didn’t have written plans as so many things can change during labor and you need to be flexible + as a health care provider, I know that when a patient tries to control treatment too much, sometimes the outcomes don’t end up being optimal.
It’s good to be informed though so you know what you want when it’s time for decisions and it helps to be clear about your preferences while keeping an open mind.

Answer

Not necessary to me at all lol. Plan for both of mine was ‘get them out’ 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ No need for anything special. I go with the flow. I ended up with a c section with my first thank goodness so then the next one was so simple 😂

Answer

I’m due in June with no plans for a birth plan. I have wants and requests, but the only real plans are to get him out and avoid unnecessary intervention

Answer

I didn’t have one. My plan was to get the baby out lol.

Is a birth plan necessary?

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