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baalamb 
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Joined: 01 January 1900
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 Topic: Birth plans
Posted: 15 October 2008 at 10:12am |
I have a question or so about birth plans or wish lists, whatever you'd like to call them!
Did you have one? If so, at what stage in your pregnancy do you write it up?
Did your LMC talk you into or out of anything on your plan? Or give you any direction in what to consider?
If you have more than one kiddo, did your birth plans vary a lot for each child? What did you do/want done differently with subsequent births?
How many people actually stuck to their plans 100%?  Of course, you do whatever is safest for yourself and baby at the time.
I never had one with my first (I was too naive, and my LMC never told me to have a think about what I wanted/didn't want! I assumed that because he was the professional, I had to go with whatever). So naturally, there are things I definitely don't want this time around. I plan to be a heck of a lot more prepared this time than I was with my first!
TY! 
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mum2paris
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: Palmy
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 10:16am |
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oooooh congrats Kirsten!!!!!!!
I didn't have birth plans as such, just wanted to be as 'natural' as possible and not really use anything like pethidine/epi/ etc. I had a tens machine that i borrowed and never actually got to use it. I made it known that i liked the idea of water/bath and pretty much just stuck at home in the bath until the last minute. 2nd time i just wanted to be the same but more prepared for breastfeeding which is really what had gone wrong for me lat time. Nothing really different about the birth, my midwife knew that i didn't like the idea of meds/drugs already.
I just went into it with no expectations really.
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Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja
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baalamb
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 10:43am |
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Thanks! Yeah I guess you do have to go into it with no expectations (that's what I did with Ashlee) but now that I've got something to compare to, there are a few things I want differently. I didn't labour at ALL with Ash even after being induced, so I still don't know what to expect! I would just like to be well informed about what could potentially happen, particularly with the possibility of having a VBAC. I have no worries about having another CS (only the recovery with a newborn AND a toddler!) but there are a couple of things with that that I want differently too. I don't know what's worse - knowing nothing at all, or knowing everything!
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MrsMojo
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Location: Wellington
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 10:52am |
I happen to have my birth plan still. Here's what it contains:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Place: Wellington Hospital birthing unit.
Support people: DH (on the day my mum came along too as DH's support person, so DH could stay with me and hold my hand while mum did other support person stuff like heating my wheat packs and getting water etc. and it also meant I was never alone in the delivery room, DH did not have to leave my side at all)
Pain relief: As natural as possible (we discussed that I would use pain relief if required but I'd start with nothing and work my way up from there).
Placenta: planned physiological. Don't want to keep. Active 3rd stage required.
Vit K: IM 1mg
Hospital stay: will stay one night
Breast feeding: plans to breast feed
Postnatal support: DH & Mum
NB: Need IV luer inserted on arrival.
If urgent c-section required will need aneasthetic (not spinal or epidural) & will need DDAVP. these were extra requirements because I have a blood disorder, it's also why I had a managed 3rd stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My midwife and I also discussed other things prior to the birth which we didn't write down such as different natural pain management techniques and using a hot cloth on the perenium to prevent tears. We kept an open dialogue and I was really comfortable with her which was a huge help.
Some of the things in my birth plan were there on recommendation from specialists and my midwife (i.e. the IV luer and the active 3rd stage). It was a pretty open plan though and everything went pretty much to plan (I was hooked to a monitor because of meconium in the waters but otherwise had a really goor birth).
It's great to have a birth plan in place but be flexible with it and if nothing goes to plan don't worry about it.
Hope this helps.
Edited by MrsMojo
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tishy
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Joined: 17 August 2007
Location: Wellington
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 1:15pm |
 MrsMojo wrote:
It's great to have a birth plan in place but be flexible with it and if nothing goes to plan don't worry about it.
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This would be my advice also. My initial birth plan was to go as natural as possible but not to rule out anything.
In the end as I had a c-section the only birth plan I had was that DH was to follow the twinsies and was to report back to me, with photos & video clips, once they were settled in Neonates.
Thankfully my midwife stayed as a support person even though she wasn't needed.
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Chickoin
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 2:14pm |
I made mine up at about 32 weeks. That gave us time to discuss it with the mw and for her to make suggestions and to ask other questions (such as would I like a mirror for the 2nd stage).
Just the usual like pain relief options (I said I'll go with water and the gas for as long as poss and if I ask for and epi they are allowed to try and talk me out of it. I also don't want pethidine at all)
Who will be there and who is allowed to visit if it's a long labour.
How to deliver the placenta and what to do with it.
We are having a surprise so I want DH to tell me the sex.
Vit K for bubs
Lots of skin to skin
What I want DH's role to be, and how the mw can help too.
I also said that I'm happy for anyone to take any pics (I can always delete the hidious ones!)
I'm still pregnant (sigh) so can't tell you if it went to plan 
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missy_girl
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 5:05pm |
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Hey just wanted to say congrats.
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Michelle
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LeahandJoel
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 6:42pm |
This time round I pretty much didn't have a plan apart from being adament that I wanted to try for as long as poss for a natural delivery after having a CS last time - I didn't want it assumed that I would automatically have one and my mw from the first time said straight after the birth that next tme would be another CS, so I found a new mw who was great and full of support for that. Because I had the CS I had to see an OB who also signed off on the VBAC. That and breastfeeding were my two major things and I got both of them, I think because my wishlist asn't too long or involved I could concentrate on what I felt was really important to me. (in saying that a forceps delivery wasn't planned but I still got to push the little man out!!, even if it was with a little hlp)
Good luck,
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Maya
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 9:44pm |
Congrats Kirst!
WIth Maya I had no idea what to expect, I didn't really have a birth plan as such, just took things as they came.
With the gremlins I had a medically managed induced labour so had a very rigid birth plan and low intervention threshold. The plan was to insert an epi prior to commencing induction (to enable them to control the contractions), then waters broken to commence induction, if no contractions then start synto after 1 hour. We pretty much stuck to that except the epi failed so I had no pain relief at all, I was offered a resite but was coping OK so didn't bother.
With lil miss I had a pretty casual plan - no drugs/pain relief as I am allergic to pethadine, gas makes me sick and the anaesthatist had difficulty siting my epi with the gremlins due to a back injury and scar tissue from the previous one, and it failed, so that wasn't really an option. I planned to be active during labour, and my m/w set up a scalp clip so I could do this and stay monitored but in the end I preferred to be on the bed during contractions.
Oh and I had Toni take photos of the actual birth. I figured I could always delete them if I hated them and I'd never get the chance to go back and take them if she didn't and I'm soooo glad I did, I  my birth photos!
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Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Maya
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Posted: 15 October 2008 at 9:45pm |
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Oh and I had a mirror to see Maya crowning, and I watched Sienna being delivered, I wanted the same with Chiara but it was all too fast, I should have gotten the mirror organised sooner.
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Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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busymum
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Posted: 16 October 2008 at 9:59pm |
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Congrats!
Did you have a birth plan? If so, at what stage in your pregnancy do you write it up?
Yes I had plans for all three babies, my mw started going through the plan in "pieces" from when I hit the third trimester.
Did your LMC talk you into or out of anything on your plan? Or give you any direction in what to consider?
Not really, the mws I had were quite open-minded about the whole thing.
If you have more than one kiddo, did your birth plans vary a lot for each child? What did you do/want done differently with subsequent births?
#1 - planned for water birth, minimal intervention. Didn't like the bath when in labour, my placenta tore and after not progressing quick enough I needed an emergency c/s to keep us both alive
#2 - planned for the epidural as it was bliss for the c/s!! also planned for a VBAC, was told I would get a high level of monitoring because of #1 birth. I had a VBAC and epidural but also an episiotomy cause I just couldn't get baby out.
#3 - Planned for roughly the same as #2 but obviously with less monitoring this time. Opted for gas instead of epidural (because I felt the epidural was too strong for a VB when I still had work to do). Had gas but wanted something stronger when in labour. Mw suggested fentynal, one part of epidural, that was really good and I would plan to do that next time. I tore but not too badly.
How many people actually stuck to their plans 100%? Of course, you do whatever is safest for yourself and baby at the time.
Except for an emergency c/s with #1, I followed my plans fairly closely. But it's more like, it worked out how I had hoped.
There are things I definitely don't want this time around. I plan to be a heck of a lot more prepared this time than I was with my first!
Hehe when I got pg with #2 I was just about ready to give my birthing plan to the mw on our first meeting!!
Edited by busymum
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Roksana
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Posted: 16 October 2008 at 10:31pm |
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JO has covered what is discussed at the birth plan. I cant remember when I had this with Zaara...but I am yet to discuss birthplan with this one. I see my MW next Thurs and I know she will talk to me re BP.
With DD My support person was DH and MUM.
Wanted no drugs. Planed to BF. Vit K to be given of long labour or CS.
I am glad a had the BP as my MIL wanted to be there and I didnt feel comfy...but didnt wanna say some thing....but when the time came my MW looked in my file and asked my Aunt and MIL to leave.
I ended up with Pethadine gas and Epi. I had a 48 hour labour. However they did ask me several time and waited for me to say yes before they went ahead, because my file said no drugs!!
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Birth plans
