Our Birth Plan

Our Birth Plan. 

Today is a day off from Disney posts! I hope everyone has been enjoying them, I could talk Disney every day and be totally content. 🙂 I do have another child to focus on some too so today is devoted to Blitzen!

I heard from Stacy (my midwife) yesterday about my birth plan. It was GREAT news! She said it went over beautifully in their meeting. That means all the dr and midwives have seen it and approved it. Yay! She let them know that this is my second pregnancy and that I was successful in natural childbirth with my first, I think that helped everyone feel okay about it since I’ve done it before without any complications.

Now that it’s been approved I feel comfortable sharing it with all of you! I never thought I’d have a legit birth plan because you can’t really plan your delivery. However, this is a way for me to know that the hospital staff will be on board with me doing things the way I want to do them.

Last time we felt like we were battling the staff on every little detail of everything and really that was my fault. I should have let them be prepared for what we would be wanting, especially since our birthing desires are not the norm around here!

 Our Birth Plan

• I would like only my husband, Zach Parker, and our photographer allowed in the room with me during labor and delivery, unless I specify otherwise (Yup, we’re doing delivery pictures again!)
• I would like to wear my own hospital gown (can’t WAIT to see it!!!) and bring a fan to use during delivery (Stacy informed me that they now HAVE fans in the room so I’m pumped about that)
• If not in active labor when I get to the hospital then I’d like the option of returning home (If I’m 4 cm or more then they won’t let me go home, as that’s considered “active labor,” my hope is that I can hold out longer at home this time and be further along when I arrive)
• Once I’m admitted, I’d like:
  • My husband to be allowed to stay in the room with me at all times
  • To try and stay hydrated by drinking clear liquids and eating ice
  • To walk on my own to the bathroom, as long as I am not on pitocin (I had to put the thing about pitocin in there so they’d know that I know the hospital policy…I got up to pee last time and totally plan to do it again)
  • To use the restroom on my own without a catheter (I did NOT have a catheter last time and pretty much had to battle them on it…I got up to pee early on then just peed on the table when they needed me to during the pushing phase)
• As long as the baby and I are doing fine I’d like to:
  • Be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits and have my labor augmented only if necessary (This is probably THE most important thing to me. I pushed for an hour after the “time limit” they have in place for pushing. My family in the waiting room actually thought I was being prepped for a c-section. I do NOT want to have to worry about a clock this time around!!!)
  • Be allowed to squat in or beside the bed as long as the FHT’s are traceable (I really wanted to not have to be monitored the entire time, but it’s hospital policy so I don’t have a choice.)
• Please do not offer me pain relief medication, I plan to use natural methods of childbirth (I’ve prepared using the Bradley Method) and will request medication if I need it. (I did NOT sign the epidural forms so I won’t even be able to get it if I break down and want it!) 
• Please do not divulge any information about the sex of our baby to us or to others, we want it to be a surprise when he or she is born!
• Please keep the people in the waiting room updated on how we all are doing and our health care
• When it’s time to push I’d like to:
  • Be coached on when to push and for how long (I don’t trust myself with things and do better when given instruction…however, the REASON I took so long pushing last time is that the contraction machine thing wasn’t working right so I’d feel the urge to push but the machine was saying it wasn’t time yet so when I did push they weren’t as strong as they could have been)
  • Be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits as long as my baby and I are doing fine.
• During delivery, I’d like:
  • Not to view the birth using a mirror (this surprises people, but I do NOT wanna see that junk and neither does Zach!)
  • The room to be as quiet as possible (relaxation is a key component of the Bradley Method)
  • To give birth without an episiotomy (I had one last time, simply because I was tired of fighting them, and, as I expected would happen, they cut me then I RIPPED the rest of the way. I had a Grade 4 which means I was open allllll the way to my other hole…not fun. And I’d rather not experience that healing process again!)
• After birth, I’d like:
  • To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before it’s clamped and cut (This is a new thing that I hadn’t heard about when I had Kye, but supposedly the extra blood is really good for the baby’s immune system so why not let it get as much as possible in there)
  • My husband to cut the umbilical cord
• If I have to have a c-section, I’d like (let’s PRAY we don’t cross this bridge!):
  • My husband present at all times during the operation
  • The baby to be given to my husband as soon as he or she is dried, if appropriate
  • To breastfeed as soon as possible
• After delivery, I’d like:
  • All newborn procedures to take place in my presence or my husband’s presence unless otherwise decided, including my baby’s first bath be in the room with us (Um…I didn’t even know this was an OPTION the first time around! We totally missed out on Kye’s first bath!)
  • My partner to stay with my baby at all times if I can’t be there
  • For family, friends, and other visitors to NOT see our baby until we introduce them after birth
  • I’d like 24-hour rooming-in with my baby unless otherwise discussed (We did not do this with Kye and let him sleep in the nursery at night. He came to us the next morning covered in scratches from his nails and they did not wake me during the night to nurse him. I plan to be more on top of that stuff this time around)
  • I’d like my son brought in to see me and meet the new baby as soon as possible after birth (Our plan is for Zach to go out in the waiting room, tell everyone we’re healthy and get Kye. Then we’ll have a nurse hold the baby so we can get a few min of just us with Kye before having the nurse bring the baby over to introduce him to his new sibling. We want to get some first family photos then have the rest of the family and friends come in and have KYE do the big announcement on the sex of the baby!)
  • I would like my son to be allowed to visit with me for as long as he wishes or as long as the hospital permits (I think they will allow visitors from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm so I’m hoping Kye can come up there often with whoever is watching him)
  • I would like my guests to be permitted to stay as long as they wish (I ENJOYED having lots of people around me when we had Kye…usually I’m pretty private but my postpartum self is a lot nicer than my normal self I guess haha I did not, however, enjoy that a TON of RANDOM people came into the birthing room after Kye was born…I’m hoping since it’s my 2nd kid less randoms will show up!)
• I plan to breastfeed exclusively, do not offer my baby formula, sugar water, or a pacifier. (I want to nurse ASAP this time as well. Last time they took 45 min to get the placenta out and stitch me up. While Zach LOVED that bonding time, I think it set me up for more nursing struggles because I felt rushed nursing b/c they told me I had to hurry so my family could come in and get some time with him. I know I can nurse after the placenta is delivered so I’m hoping to do it then and not need so much stitching!)
• If my baby’s a boy I want to have him circumcised at the hospital (They did it soon before we got discharged last time, it was VERY emotional for me)
• I’d like to wait and see how I feel before deciding about the timing of hospital discharge (I only stayed 24 hours last time and regret it. We missed out on lots of extra Aflac money and it was a REALLY rough night at home…I just really can’t stand hospitals. I didn’t even bathe myself while there, even after delivery. This time I’m going to try to think of it as a vacation away from the stresses of home and stay for 48 hours, we’ll see!)

I’m SO glad I went over the birth plan with Stacy in advance. She helped me make sure the wording was right and that everything I wanted to do was in line with hospital policy. You won’t make any friends by trying to break rules ya know? I took a lot of time and care in creating a birth plan that allowed me to include my preferences within the options the birthing center and my care provider allow. Birth plans can be so helpful for women to feel more in control during such an out of control time. 

If you are pregnant while you’re busy nesting and packing your hospital bag it would also be beneficial to take the time to think about a birth plan. How you envision your birth experience and how your health care provider can best help to meet your desires, if possible. Healthy baby and mama come first, of course, and it’s important to trust medical professionals and their wisdom and input. 

My goal this time is to have a POSITIVE delivery experience with the staff and I really feel like it’s going to happen. I am SO thankful I’ve had Stacy to help me through it all and be my voice with the rest of the staff at Southern OBGYN. She felt really confident yesterday that I’m going to have a much better experience and that I’ll be pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all will go.  It’s a HUGE weight off my shoulders and I feel so much better about everything.

I am still a bit nervous about meeting with the other midwives and/or doctor. I’ve only met Teresa a few times, Vicki a few times, and have never met Marie. My next appointment was supposed to be with Marie but Zach couldn’t be there so I had to reschedule and it’s going to be with Teresa instead. At most I have about 7 more appointments and I hope in that time frame that I can meet with each of these midwives at least once and hopefully form a solid bond with at least one of them so I feel like I have my “replacement Stacy” for delivery day!

For anyone who is pregnant and may have any questions regarding my birth plan let me know!

Update: our labor and delivery experience went beautifully…you can read “Blitzen’s” birth story here 🙂 

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Emily Parker

Hey Y'all, I'm Emily! I'm a stay at home mom and consider parenting to be my passion. Disney is my happiest place and I love making memories as a family together. I'm a big believer in transparency and share all of my real-life moments as a mother of four.

My work has been featured on Love What Matters, Today Parenting and Babywise.Life. I'm also honored to be a member of the Babywise Friendly Blog Network.

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