It's become quite a common practice in the United States to put together a thorough plan for how you want your labor and delivery to go. Most of the time, babies have their own ideas about how they want their own birth to go, but it can't hurt to have something written down to let the hospital staff know your wishes and desires going into the delivery suite.
In the maternity notes you're given at your booking in appointment with the NHS, you're given a page of tick boxes - drugs, birth partner, home delivery, etc. It doesn't really go into much more detail than that, and I don't think it's adequate enough to answer specific issues that aren't uncommon in labor or delivery. So, we've made our own.
I used a birth plan template I found online (from BirthPlan.com - owned by Disney, how appropriate), and although it's American I think it's a good start to make our wishes clear to the midwives and doctors. I'm a bit apprehensive about introducing it to NHS staff - my husband is warning me to keep my expectations low because it's publicly funded healthcare. Still, I believe that making my wishes clear from the outset can make the whole process a bit more smooth and take off some of the pressure for my husband to remember every minute detail.
Ours is a two-pager, so I won't be posting the whole thing, but here's the overall jist:
Labor
- I want to be able to walk around and change position if needed during labor
- I am bringing my own music to play during labor
Pain Medication
- Before considering an epidural, I would like to try an injection of narcotic pain relief
- I would like to have a walking epidural, although I am not opposed to a traditional epidural if the situation warrants
- Unless it is absolutely medically necessary for the health of my baby, I do not wish to be put under general anesthesia
Cesarean
- Unless absolutely necessary, I would like to avoid a Cesarean
- I would like my husband present at all times if our baby requires a Cesarean delivery
- So I can view the birth, I would like the screen lowered just before delivery of our baby
Delivery
- I would like to be allowed to choose the position in which I give birth
- I would appreciate having the room lights turned low for the actual delivery
- I would like to have our baby placed on my chest immediately after delivery
Immediately After Delivery
- I do not want a routine injection of Pitocin after the delivery to aid in expelling the placenta
- I would like to have my husband cut the cord
I've left out the gnarly bits - I figure people don't need to know our nursing plans after delivery (we're doing it the way women have been doing it for millennia, just in case I get comments about how wonderful it is to breastfeed - we know!) or some of the more intimate issues that can happen with delivering an eight pound baby. I've also included our desire to take photos and video of the birth (not for public showing - yikes!).
All I've got left to do is re-pack our bags and decide between Route A or Route B to the hospital (yes, we've planned that). Let's get this party started already!
