Birth plan

Nothing will likely go as planned when the big day comes, but it is nice to know what you want and to educate yourself before you get overwhelmed and let the hospital dictate what they want you to do just because it's quicker and easier for them, like they do with so many women. I have to tell myself sometimes when I feel like I have a huge list of demands, that I'm paying them, so I should get the service I want (within reason), and it makes me feel a little less guilty. So here's the list of things I want to happen and to not happen.

Of course, the closer I get to my due date, I might change some things here and there, so this is not a hard and fast thing. But I will say that almost all of this will go out the window should there be an emergency. I may know what I want, but I'm not stupid enough to insist on my birth plan if I or my baby are in trouble. Safe delivery and keeping me alive are the most important things.

1. Unmedicated
This one will be a bit iffy because I'm a huge wimp when it comes to pain, and from my kidney pain episodes, it's become apparent to me that I throw up a lot when I'm in a ton of pain. But I want to be able to move around and maybe labor/push in other positions besides on my back in bed. And I definitely can't do that if I get an epidural. I'll look into other pain-relief options that will allow me to move around instead, but at the same time, I don't wanna be loopy from anything else they might give me. I won't be afraid to tough it out if none of the other options meet the criteria... even if it means I'm throwing up the whole time (nice picture, isn't it?).

2. Natural
2a. Vaginal delivery. I will only agree to a c-section if a) the baby is in distress; b) I'm in distress; c) the baby's head is all crooked and won't straighten; or d) the baby is breech or transverse. I will not be fed the line "failure to progress", especially if I haven't even hit the 12-hour mark (it's apparently more common than you would think). I fully expect it to take at least 24 hours, and if I hit that mark, I'll re-evaluate. The big baby threat also will not move me. We're meant to squeeze big things out of that opening. If my 95 pound mother could squeeze out my linebacker-shoulder-sized sister, I think I can deal with whatever I get, even if my baby has inherited DH's big head. Besides, I've got me some child-bearing hips :) If the doctor gets impatient, then tough cookies. She picked the wrong job if she wanted convenience and a 9-5 work day. If it comes down to either my doctor doing a c-section or the on-call doctor delivering my baby, I will take my chances with the on-call doctor. Like I said, I really don't want a c-section if I can help it.

2b. Start labor whenever it happens... none of this being induced stuff, which includes breaking my water with what amounts to a crochet hook. It just seems to me that there is a far greater chance of getting a c-section when you're induced since neither your body nor the baby are ready to deliver vaginally, and thus your labor doesn't progress in a timely manner. If I'm 2 weeks over, I'm 2 weeks over. Those 2 weeks might suck, but it's important to me that my body is ready for labor, and that means waiting for it to start it on its own.

3. Knowledge of assistance
I'm not against an episiotomy, the vacuum or forceps if it'll help the kid get through the birth canal and to help prevent me from tearing from end to end. I just want to know it's going to happen before they do it. Some women report that their doctors don't tell them about an episiotomy until after they've done one to prevent tearing. I definitely don't want to tear, but dude, just tell me before you do it! I'm not going to say no!

4. Minimum amount of people
If you're not a nurse, my doctor or my husband, I don't want to see you or hear from you until a while after the baby is born. And don't be surprised if we don't even let you know I'm in labor. I know the trend nowadays is to have your entire family on both sides in the delivery room from start to finish, but that's not how I roll. Heck, the nurses and doctor are lucky I need them, or else they wouldn't be in the room either. This will be a special and private time for my little family, and I hope everyone understands.

5. Low lights, low sound
I won't know until I get in there, but right now, it sounds like it would be a good environment to labor in.

6. Water
I haven't checked to see if the hospital would allow it yet, but I would LOVE to have a water birth. If there were a midwife within 100 miles of me who was allowed to work in my town (none are), I would totally have a birthing pool set up so I could give birth at home. But as it is, I have to give birth at the hospital, and since it's a new hospital, they might have the option for it now. I shall have to check.

7. Boobies
As soon as the baby is born, I want it placed on my chest and stay for a while, assuming nothing is wrong. It'll be good for bonding and stuff.

8. Delayed cord cutting
This is another hippie trend I think I'll hop on. It's to wait before the cord is clamped and cut. I maybe won't wait until the cord stops pulsing like some moms do, but maybe wait 10 minutes or so. There was a recent study that showed at 4 months of age, babies whose cords weren't cut right away had an average of 45% more iron in their blood and a low percentage of anemia as compared to babies whose cords were cut right away. Just think about it: that's valuable cord blood just going to waste. Why not let the baby have its own blood? (my small hometown hospital doesn't do cord blood banking, so it truly would be a waste). Of course, if it's an emergency situation, this will go right out the window. But if I have a normal birth, I will insist on this.

9. More boobies
As soon as the baby gets checked and weighed, I want to try and nurse. It'll be hungry so why not try to get the show on the road? I realize breastfeeding is hard, that milk doesn't come in right away, and that the baby might not want to latch on. But I still want to try. Besides, it'll help my uterus contract back down and might help me avoid the apparent awesomeness of a fundal massage.

10. Rooming in
I've read it's good for bonding if the baby rooms-in with the mom while in the hospital. But I've also read that by having the baby in the nursery at night, it allows the mom to recover and rest. I see both sides, and don't know which to choose. I'll likely go for rooming-in because I doubt I'll be able to sleep much whether the baby's in the room or not, what with me wanting to nurse and it being a strange bed and everything.

11. Circumcision
If we have a boy, I will leave this decision up to DH, as I have no preference either way. Might as well let him make one decision, right? ;)

To my blog readers: If you don't agree with circumcision, please don't lecture me about why it's wrong or that I'm abusing my child, or any other argument you have against it... obviously I don't see it that way, and you won't change my mind on the matter. Besides, you'd be lecturing the wrong person, since my DH will be the one making the call, and he doesn't read my blog, let alone the blog comments (I don't think anyway).