Birth Plans - Do I Need One?
That depends on you and your partner and how involved you want to be regarding decisions being made regarding your care in the hospital.
Some women prefer to go with the flow and hope that everything will turn out fine and others want to be involved and included in any decisions that may affect them or their baby. Of course there are rare circumstances when deferring to a medical expert is necessary but considering that almost 80 – 90% of women have straightforward pregnancy and births it’s unlikely that this will be the case for you. The key word here is ‘involved’ and in the context of labour you could define that as having a curious attitude about routine offerings at your hospital.
Each year there are over 20,000 babies born in the Dublin area. Yet we have around 30 labour beds.
What do you think that means for you?
For hospitals it means policies have been implemented involve routine procedures to help speed things up and move you through the maternity care system as quickly as possible.
Think of your birth plan as your birth preferences (assuming everything is normal) rather than a 'plan'. Even if you never actually write it down it's a good discussion starter with your midwife/doctor on how you'd like to be supported in labour. Chances are you'll have never met your midwife before so it helps her understand what’s important to you and what’s not and of course your preferences are flexible depending on what’s going on during your labour.
Sometimes it can just help you get your thoughts organized about what you'd like or not like ahead of time and understand what you're likely to be offered at your hospital. You also have a chance ahead of time to consider what your options are if things don’t go as planned. This often gives couples a sense of relief that they know they can handle whatever comes their way during the birth of their baby.
Some mums shy away from writing birth 'plans' especially if they have the mistaken belief that it's going to guarantee that specific things will or won't happen during labour - we know that babies don't read birth plans.
There aren't any guarantees in labour so if someone is expecting that a birth plan is going to guarantee that something will or won't happen then you could really be setting yourself up for disappointment. It's not the birth plan itself that can cause disappointment in labour but your expectations and motivation for creating it.
I often hear from mums who say 'as soon as I got to the hospital the birth plan went out the window'…….if you’ve done your homework and understand the offerings at your hospital in managing your labour then this is highly unlikely to happen as you and your partner are making all of the decisions with input from your midwife/consultant – and not the other way around.
Here's the birth preference template that my couples use to give you some ideas to start you off.
Sample Birth Plan
John and I are looking forward to having a positive birth experience at x.
Below are our birth preferences. We are using HypnoBirthing for relaxation.
During Labour
I would like to keep VE’s to a minimum (ie on admission) and only at my request after that (unless there is a concern for my baby)
I prefer to labour and birth in any position that I find comfortable.
I prefer to have intermittent monitoring unless there is a concern for my baby.
We would like to keep the lights dimmed as much as possible.
As long as labour progresses normally and my baby are doing fine I prefer not to have my membranes released or have my labour speeded up.
I prefer to tear and not have an episiotomy
When I am fully dilated, and assuming our baby is doing well, I would like to wait until I feel the urge to push before beginning the pushing phase
After the Birth
I prefer to have a natural third stage and allow the cord to finish pulsating before it is clamped/cut.
My partner would like to cut the cord
I prefer to have Vitamin K administered orally
Special Circumstances:
Should intervention become necessary we would appreciate being fully informed of all risks, benefits and alternatives.
If a caesarean becomes necessary, my partner will remain with me at all times. Time permitting I wish to have an epidural for anesthesia.
Navigating the Irish maternity system isn’t easy but Doula Ireland can help you through the maze of options in our 2 hour birth birth planning session with you and your partner.
After this informative and interactive planning session you and your partner will:
- Understand the benefits / risks of each routine intervention offered in your hospital
- Create an effective birth plan suited to your unique preferences and needs
- Use simple tools to determine if a procedure is medically necessary or not
- Feel confident in communicating your birth preferences
Cost: €125 in our office (Julianstown - evening appointments available)
€160 – in your home (Dublin, Meath, Louth)
Contact Tracy at 087 057 2500 to schedule an appointment or email me at TracyDonegan@DoulaIreland.com
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