Birth Plan for Baby #7

For those who have been wondering why one would need a birth plan, my answer is simple – so that both your doctor and you are in agreement about how you, the paying client, wants things done.

Never assume that your doctor knows what you would like or not like during labour and delivery. You may be in for a shock at the delivery suite which does not make for a pleasant birth experience.

Some doctors prefer to operate on a standard operating procedure (SOP). Any alteration to his/her SOP is met with resistance. Worse still I know of doctors who pooh-poohed the patients requests If your doctor is like that, it is better to know now then to wait till you are about to deliver.

Hopefully though, you would have found out about your doctor’s personality and his/her stance on natural birth way before your 3rd trimester. Otherwise, you would have to take the drastic and oftentimes awkward process of changing doctors towards the end of your pregnancy. (Yes, it can be done!)

A Birth Plan allows you to visualise, to think through, how you want to labour and birth. It allows you to discuss with your doctor what he/she will or will not allow. Remember, preparing actively for labour and birth removes the mystery and fear of the whole birthing process. You can then pray through each step specifically which gives you more confidence because you know what to expect.

A Birth Plan is also for the hospital staff who often have their own SOP. There are certain things the midwives will do out of habit. So anything out of the “norm” needs to be authorised by your doctor.

An example is being asked to change into a hospital gown upon admission. But you can request to birth in your own clothes. Since this is not a regular request, the staff may be taken aback but will go along with your request if it has been endorsed and agreed upon between you and your doctor. It really doesn’t matter what you birth in!

There are many samples of birth plans on the internet. Just google “birth plans” and choose the template you like best. Your birth plan can be a few pages long or a simple one-pager.

Personally, my main issue is to be able labour freely and to birth on the ground and on all-fours, if necessary. This means that the staff need to prepare a mattress of sorts on the floor so that the baby is not birthed onto the cold hard floor So those are the main points I concentrate on.

I know my doctor does not perform episiotomies as a routine procedure so I do not list it down. But if your doctor does, you may want to write that down and make sure he/she agrees with you on it! You do not want to be fighting and arguing with the doctor inthe throes of intense contractions.

After the Birth Plan is agreed upon, the doctor needs to affix his signature to it. It will be sent to the Labour and Delivery Suite. Now make sure you have a copy of it in your hospital bag! Sometimes the Delivery Suite loses birth plans!

Also, make sure your dh knows what’s in your Birth Plan. Why? Unless you are very coherent during labour, the midwives may not be able to get anything out of you during the transitional stage. So your dh is the only one they can check with. AND sometimes, the midwives may routinely perform certain procedures without consulting your Birth Plan and your dh needs to be able to stop them then. Of course if you have a doula then your doula needs a copy of your Birth Plan too.

Here is my Birth Plan in case you are interested

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Due Date: 5^th March 2009
Patient of Dr xxxxx
Scheduled to deliver at xxxx

I understand that birth does not always go to a plan, and my priority is the delivery of a healthy baby. Notwithstanding, the following are my preferences :

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LABOR

• I would like to be free to move around during labour.
• I would like to be in my own clothes and not in the hospital gown.

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 MONITORING

• I do not wish to have continuous fetal monitoring unless it is required by the condition of the baby.
• I also do not wish to have a Vaginal Exam.

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 DELIVERY

• I would like to be allowed to choose the position in which I birth – whatever is most comfortable for me and allows baby maximum space to descend through my pelvis. This may include squatting/upright/kneeling/all-fours/etc.

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 IMMEDIATELY AFTER DELIVERY

• I would like to nurse the baby immediately after birth to aid the expulsion of the placenta naturally.
• I would like to have the cord cut AFTER the placenta is birthed.
• If that is not possible, I would prefer that the umbilical cord stop pulsating before it is cut.

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 BREASTFEEDING

• I want to begin nursing IMMEDIATELY after birth.
• I do not wish to have any bottles given to the baby (including glucose water or plain water) at all.

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 VACCINATION

• Only BCG to be given. Consent to be given by my husband or me before being administered.

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Do take note that these are my preferences. A Birth Plan is not cast in stone. A healthy baby and a healthy mother are more important than following a Birth Plan to the T! Remember Proverbs 21:19, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

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For my personal musings, visit Building An Ark in Singapore