Hellobee Boards Topic: Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:27:21 +0000 daniellemybelle on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568833 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 19:59:49 +0000 daniellemybelle 1568833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did, and I don't think it helped much but it was a good exercise so I don't regret having it. In the end most of my preferences were hospital policy so I didn't need to voice them & the ones that weren't were not respected even though I wrote them out. MrsStar on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568313 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:40:57 +0000 MrsStar 1568313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did (although it was more detailed then normal because of a medical condition) so mine had preferences in the event I had a normal vaginal delivery, induction, csection. Each medical person that entered my room had read a copy of my birth plan, and I also had dh and my midwife advocate for what I wanted (wasn't allowed an epidural so I needed other pain relief options) I found it really good for my experience. Mrs. Oatmeal on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568260 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:24:28 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 1568260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our doula gave us a sort of checklist of things to consider. So while it wasn't a written birth plan, it was a list of things that we would like in a birth. So, for example, I checked off that I wanted music in my birthing room, I wanted to try and use the tub, and I wanted only my husband in the room (no other family members). It was helpful to have talked about those things ahead of time. nana87 on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568190 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:05:49 +0000 nana87 1568190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am really glad I wrote one, in that it helped me think through all the options and the labor process, and talk through it all with dh. My dr had us meet w her at 36 weeks to discuss preferences, but beyond that none of the hospital staff ever saw the types out version-- partly bc my birth was totally different than my ideal plan-- Unscheduled induction at 37w3d rather than unmedicated-- but also my drs practice was really good about listening to my preferences and waiting for my okay for increasing interventions (I was on pit for 12 hrs before my epi...crazy!) so even though my birth was totally unlike my plan I am so glad I had one Eta having written it also helped me remember to make smaller but still important requests along the way-- like heplock on my forearm rather than hand or inside of elbow, delay cord clamping, skin to skin/delay vitamin k and eye drops, etc. because I'd flagged them for myself mentally by typing it and reviewing it a gazillion times, I remembered it BadgerMom on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568059 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:26:44 +0000 BadgerMom 1568059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @spaniellove: My prenatal yoga instructor encouraged us all to write them, even just for the simple fact that it will weed out the old fashioned rigid nurses because they won't want to work with someone with their "own ideas" of how this should go. :happy: Foodnerd81 on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568047 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:24:03 +0000 Foodnerd81 1568047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I had a list of 'birth preferences'. It was just a bulleted list, but my main things were that I was trying for a med free birth, so do whatever would help me with that and don't bring up drugs unless you think they will help move things along, and that we were team green and I wanted DH to tell me if she was a boy or girl. I had a few other things on there (delayed cord clamping, labor in a tub if able, immediate breastfeeding) but they were mostly hospital procedure anyway. LovelyPlum on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1568004 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:14:57 +0000 LovelyPlum 1568004@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @spaniellove: that was honestly the most helpful part. Everyone came in and asked about my hips, as opposed to me explaining it for the first time. It made a huge difference. spaniellove on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567967 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:05:56 +0000 spaniellove 1567967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @LovelyPlum: Glad you mentioned the bit about not having to explain certain things over and over. I've noticed the hospital keeps asking me the same things that should be in their system and I sure don't want to explain it again in labor! Plus, I don't think they're all familiar with what protocol my neuro wants to prevent seizures, what to do in case of a seizure, etc, so that might be a good place to communicate that. LovelyPlum on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567945 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:01:07 +0000 LovelyPlum 1567945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @spaniellove: FWIW, I gave mine to my doctor at a prenatal visit and also expected to have to give it to them at L+D. When I got there, though, I realized that my doctor had faxed it over to the hospital already, so the nurse who was admitting me had already read it by the time she got to my room. lamariniere on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567944 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:00:52 +0000 lamariniere 1567944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did not and don't regret it. I was also lucky with both of my babies and had fairly easy/uncomplicated births. LovelyPlum on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567929 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:56:28 +0000 LovelyPlum 1567929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I wrote a "birth preferences,", and it was really helpful. We'll ignore the fact that I deviated from it almost from step 1; I really appreciated the fact that everyone who came in the room had some idea of what I hoped my experience would look like. I also used it to bring up some of my specific concerns (my hips, my anxiety, my carpal tunnel) and it saved me from explaining things to each new person who walked in the room. That information was in my chart, but I felt better knowing that something was less likely to be forgotten or overlooked on a one page bulleted list in the front of my chart. loveisstrange on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567896 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:46:32 +0000 loveisstrange 1567896@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I wrote one, but my midwife told me not to bother. I never even printed it out. artsyfartsy on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567887 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:42:45 +0000 artsyfartsy 1567887@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Mine never made it out of the bag but I still expressed all my wishes to my medical team. It was definitely helpful because it made me research and make choices and I was prepared for everything that came my way during labor and delivery! CakeLady on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567852 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:34:54 +0000 CakeLady 1567852@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am having a scheduled c-section and I am working on writing a birth plan for it. I have been reading about family-centered c-sections and I am interested in at least discussing this with my OB prior to surgery. Also a number of the things I am planning to include are about what I want to happen in recovery/post partum (e.g. no pacifiers, I want to get up and walking as soon as possible). I am going in with the mindset that this plan is an ideal situation, and may not work out, but it is my body and my baby after all so I would like the team to know what is important to me. 2PeasinaPod on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567731 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:03:59 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1567731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't. My DH knew that I was going in with an open mind and would feel everything out. I also wasn't gung-ho about a natural birth either though. I thought, if I could handle the pain and do it...fine, but by the time I got to the hospital, I definitely knew I needed an epidural. It ended up being a good thing since DS got stuck, I needed an emergency C-section and he ended up in the NICU for 2 days since I gave him my fever. All worked out fine in the end, but birth definitely didn't go as planned no matter what way you look at it! looch on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567716 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:59:13 +0000 looch 1567716@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I wrote down a couple of bullet points that were important to me and I shared them with my husband, but we did not show up to the hospital with a piece of paper. No one does that in Europe to my knowledge except expats, they'd think I was a total lunatic. Smurfette on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567692 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:52:44 +0000 Smurfette 1567692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ The nurses asked me what my birth plan was and I said "Drugs and a healthy baby." I think that it was 100% easier for me and the staff that way. spaniellove on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567689 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:51:48 +0000 spaniellove 1567689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think I'll take something written just in case because I've heard that my hospital has an almost 50% c-section rate and close to 100% epidural rate. LAZB on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567685 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:50:49 +0000 LAZB 1567685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't really have one either. Add me to the list of women that just wanted an epi and a healthy baby. Torchwood on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567672 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:46:20 +0000 Torchwood 1567672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'll have one, but not sure how detailed it will wind up being. I had a ton of things I was going to put, but now that I'm with a midwife, pretty much everything I was going for is already their standard practice. So you might check what their standard practices are first, just so you don't waste time emphasizing something they're already on board with. I'll probably also have a written birth plan with the basics anyway though, in case I get transferred to an ob, or somehow wind up at a different hospital (who knows what could happen). Just seems like something I'd rather have and not use than need and not have. Mrs. Pen on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567632 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:29:26 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1567632@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did. My midwife required me to write one - and I'm glad I did because I ended up with an emergency transfer to the hospital. the nurses were SO great and went over it with me and were totally on board. It was very helpful, I feel. But I know not all hospitals/nurses think so. bushelandapeck on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567562 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:09:26 +0000 bushelandapeck 1567562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did and I found it was helpful for the medical team. At one point I even asked why they were applying a warm compress in between pushes and they said "it's in your birth plan!" Haha. So, yes, I think it was absolutely helpful. mrsrain on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567558 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:07:35 +0000 mrsrain 1567558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Haven't had my baby yet, but I think it is worth going over birth preferences with your SO and doula, if only to make sure everyone is on the same page. Going over my preferences with DH helped him to understand certain aspects of the birth so that when the time comes, he won't be in the dark about what is happening or why a certain decision is made. ETA: My doula recommends going over certain preferences with the doctor/midwife ahead of time so tat you can come to an agreement and put that information in your chart. The attending doctor will be more likely to go along with certain preferences if they have been "cleared" ahead of time. Cole on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567545 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:03:48 +0000 Cole 1567545@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am happy to read everyone's experiences, I have been trying to decide if I want one too. I think what we will do is go through the process of putting one together and unless we find we have multiple requests that are outside procedure we won't bother bringing it. If there are just one or two things that jump out at us as being important to convey we can just share them with the birth team when we get there. Ginger333 on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567516 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:55:24 +0000 Ginger333 1567516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I had basic plans for my second and third after my first went so off course ... It was more for my husband and doula and focused on post birth handling of baby - delayed cord clamping, catching baby, no vit. k shot or eye goop, that kind of thing. My midwife knew me well enough from my prenatal visits to be hands off and let me do my thing during labour and she stated nicely in the background both times. I think a plan is good but that could be the control freak in me talking :) Boheme on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567469 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:38:29 +0000 Boheme 1567469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I had a loose list of birth "wishes" rather than a plan. I think they're helpful if there's something that's very important to you - for instance, we wanted one of us to be with the baby for all procedures. I was happy we did it. spaniellove on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567459 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:33:05 +0000 spaniellove 1567459@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @blackbird: I wish they wouldn't call it a plan...for me it's more like "meds: wait until I bring it up, thanks". Dandelion on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567448 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:26:11 +0000 Dandelion 1567448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nope...I figured a scheduled c section was something I would just have to go with the flow about. I was able to assert myself, anyways, when I needed to. I guess not a birth plan, but I did have a mental list of things I knew I wanted or didn't want. Mae on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567447 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:26:11 +0000 Mae 1567447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I have one. No LO yet so I don't know if it will be useful during delivery but I feel like just writing the plan was helpful to me in really thinking through what is important to me and what isn't. And also a nice summary of things to remember to talk about with my husband. Not that we don't talk about it all anyways, but it was good for him to see my top list of concise preferences that are important to me. Alivoo01 on "Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-you-have-a-birth-plan-was-it-helpful#post-1567443 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:24:19 +0000 Alivoo01 1567443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nope. I just told my OB I wanted an epidural and that everything else was whatever came my way. Totally happy with my birthing experience!