I see so many threads about Birth Plans and it seems to be a hot topic but I never did one, nor did I plan on doing one. I figured even if I planned it (and I'm a planner) it wouldn't happen how I thought it would... so I let it go.
Am I the only one who didn't make a birth plan?
28 votes
pear / 1639 posts
I didn't.I had an idea of what I wanted, but I never made a plan, I kept an open mind and just told my dr what I wanted.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
I'm not making a birth plan. Basically, the plan is to get the baby out as quickly and safely as possible. And "yes please" to an epidural.
pomegranate / 3008 posts
I didn't make one. I knew what I wanted and made sure my husband was on board with that but that was as far as I went. I figured what would happen would happen.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
I just told the nurses that 1) I wanted as much pain management as possible (aka epidural please) and 2) after the baby was delivered I wanted them to take him away, clean him off, wrap him up, then hand him to Rob Sr. who would then hand him to me. I just wanted Rob Sr. to have that first experience.
It's funny but now, for our next baby, I think I'll have a doula who will just be aware of my preferences, and this time after the baby is born I'd like to hold it right away, goop and all.
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
@pelikila: Exactly! Honestly, I don't know anyone who's birthplan went as planned. So I didn't bother. lol
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@tina: Oh I didn't think of cleaning off the baby. Yes, I think that would be nice, too ; )
grapefruit / 4056 posts
I am not writing a birth plan. At the hospital I work at, it seems that the longer and more detailed the birth plan, the more likely it is to end in c-section &/or an NICU admission. I have a few ideas in my head re:preferences, but I have just made DH aware of them, but won't be putting anything on paper. My big one (odd as it sounds) is that I want to give my baby its first bath myself. I have bathed hundreds of babies in NICU, and it is my favourite thing to do!
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@winniebee: hehe yeah... I think the trend now is to put the baby right onto the mom's chest, which they actually did mention when I started pushing and I had to remind them that I wanted him burrito-style, nice and clean, the first time I held him. Hehe. I'm very squeamish and I didn't want to risk a negative first impression!! 
I'm much less squeamish now, after raising a baby 
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@MsMini: I was so TERRIFIED of bathing the baby, I didn't give him a bath until after he was 1 month old (shhh!!). I spot-cleaned him in the stinky spots until after his cord stump fell off and healed, and his circumcision wound healed. Only then did I dare try a full-out sponge bath. I'm such a wimp!
kiwi / 711 posts
I didn't. I just wanted my baby here safely and trusted my doctor. If I didn't have so much faith in my doctor, I may have considered it but she knows me and during the 10 years of being her patient, she has always had a conservative approach. We went into labor having zero expectations of a certain type of birth. Which is a good thing, because our labor was horrible. Five months labor, and I think y husband is still recovering. Haha.
grapefruit / 4056 posts
@tina: I think it just comes with practice ... I haven't met a parent yet that wasn't scared to bathe the baby the first time. I can't imagine it will be scary to bathe my own after doing so many other babies first baths! Who knows though, maybe all my NICU nurse experience will fly out the window and I will turn into a crazy scared nutcase!
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@MsMini: I'm sure you will be even more meticulous when it's your own!! And now that I'm an experienced baby bather, I can imagine just how fun and adorable it is to bathe all those precious babies and their new skin!!!
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Nope! Another vote for the "no plan" plan (see today's post).
pomegranate / 3980 posts
I go to a midwifery where they dont do anything other than natural so I had to sign papers saying if things went bad I would have to be transferred to the hospital and then sign something about if i wanted baby to get that shot after being born, oh and they wrote down what I wanted to eat after giving birth
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
I didn't have one. I had a few things I knew I wanted, like an epidural and skin on skin right when the baby came out. But I just verbally told the nurse those things.
kiwi / 718 posts
I am going to have one. it's supah short though - a page with options & the option I want is checked. i.e. do you want baby to room in with you? yes or no & yes is checked. that sort of thing. I've got pretty set ideas of what I want to happen & am really trying to let them go b/c I know what'll be will be
apricot / 489 posts
I am the type of person to plan pretty much everything. But I didn't have a birthing plan. I kind of just went into it hoping for the best and being flexible about what would happen. It seemed the best way for me to approach child birth. Because the experience can be unpredictable and you do sometimes find that things don't go as expected.
squash / 13199 posts
I will have a birthing plan. Having a plan doesnt mean that everything will go predictably it just means your requests are written down and you dont have to repeat yourself over and over if you are uncomfortable or in pain you can just give them a copy of the plan and have your spouse speak refer them to the plan if necessary.
pear / 1723 posts
@MsMini: It's funny, my sister works in L&D, and she told me the same thing - that very detailed birth plans seem most likely to use high interventions in the end.
For us, we're trying to be prepared for anything since it's 2 babies. Before, I wanted to go completely natural. Now, I will do whatever to my body in order to get the babies out safely!
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
I probably won't have a written out plan either. I'll be sure to tell the nurse any preferences - like artbee said, skin on skin - but really, whatever happens will happen!
pear / 1861 posts
nope, mostly just wanted an epidural and have her in my room. Done and you have to have baby in the room at my hospital...in other words- they are saying, start taking care of your baby now!LMBO!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I don't think I will make a birth plan. I plan on using a midwife and I don't think it will be necessary.
grapefruit / 4049 posts
I didn't have a birth plan for either baby... even with my 2nd, we had a doula who suggested we write one out, but I really didn't see the point. She gave me a template and everything, but I just didn't do one.
I was also blessed with two births that turned out pretty much exactly as I had wanted them to (one medicated, one natural).
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
we received a checklist from the hospital but i haven't filled it out yet!
persimmon / 1329 posts
I'm doing one because everyone is saying you need it, but who knows if that piece of paper is really going to be relevant when push comes to shove.
kiwi / 718 posts
@mrsbells: that's exactly why I'm having one as well - I don't want to worry about having to answer the same questions over & over
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
Wow, I'm surprised so many didn't have a plan. it seems everyone that I know has. Glad to know Im not alone.
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