The Birth Plan...

Some of you have been curious about what I have in my birth plan so I thought I would just go ahead and post it.  A lot of the requests that I make in my birth plan are standard procedure in some areas of the country but not where I live so I have to include them :).  If you are currently pregnant and thinking that you don't need a birth plan, you might want to reconsider.  Making a birth plan gives you the opportunity to research what you and your hubby want for your birth, and it is a great way to talk to your ob about your birth preferences at your prenatals.  You can learn A LOT about an ob by how they react to your birth plan.  If they immediately start acting defensive, using scare tactics (like talking about dead babies) and telling you what they are not going to do before you even get to talk about your birth preferences, then you might want to look into finding another OB.  As a doula, I hear a lot of negative reactions to birth plans by OBs that really surprise me.  They usually say something like "I don't want you to make a birth plan because I don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't work out that way" or "Birth is so unpredictable.. there is no need to make a plan because it won't turn out the way you planned."  While it is absolutely true that birth is unpredictable, there is nothing wrong with having a plan and making educated choices.  I could go on and on about this but since this isn't a doula blog...I will just get off my soap box and post my birth plan.  Feel free to ask me any questions about it!  And feel free to copy it :)!

Birth Plan

Mother:  Courtney ******
Father:  Shaun ******Doula:  Maddy ****

All of the below preferences are given with the understanding that medical emergencies can occur.  We will of course be completely flexible in the event of an emergency.

First Stage of Labor:
-No IV just Heplock
-Intermittent monitoring for more range of movement and the use of the shower/tub
-Dimmed lighting
-Limited vaginal checks
-NO pitocin or artificial rupture of membranes
-No pain medication unless requested…please don’t offer medication

Second Stage of Labor:
-Would like to “labor down” until the urge to push is felt
-Spontaneous pushing
-Push and deliver in side lying/squatting/hands and knees positions
-No episiotomy

After Birth:
-Delayed cord clamping…please wait until the cord is no longer pulsating
-No afterbirth shot of pitocin…would prefer immediate breastfeeding and to only use if needed
-Natural delivery of the placenta
-Extended skin to skin contact with mother
-Suctioning/warming/cleaning baby/apgar scores etc while held by mother (skin to skin with warm blanket)
-No eye treatment
-Breastfeeding immediately after delivery
-In-room transition

 Nursery:
-Breastmilk only
-No vaccinations
-Pacifier is fine
-No formula or sugar water

A little update :)

Just wanted to let y'all know that I did find a new ob that I'm hoping I'm going to like very much.  My first appt with her is this wednesday afternoon (36 weeks!!!) so I'm looking forward to meeting her.  My friend gave me a really great idea that I honestly had not even thought about doing until she mentioned it.  This is one of those tips that I know I will be using for doula clients in the future.  She knows a l&d nurse at the very mom/baby/natural childbirth friendly hospital that I want to go to so she asked her for an ob recommendation.  I also decided to just call l&d to talk to one of the nurses that I had with a doula client who was really sweet and very supportive of natural childbirth.  Unfortunately, she only works on the weekends, but I ended up having a great talk with one of the nurses there who gave the same recommendation.  She told me exactly what I wanted to hear that this ob "really listens to her patients" that she "wants the birth that her patients want" that she is a "patient advocate who is very supportive of natural childbirth" and that "we all love here here."  It speaks volumes to me when the l&d nurses love the ob because they see the behind the scenes so I feel really great about going with their recommendation.  We are back in town so it is time for some serious nesting!!  Here is my to-do list to be completed in one week (eek!!).  I want all of this done by 37 weeks just in case I get suprised by an earlier labor!
1.  Put up the crib in our room (a friend is letting us borrow one and we got to paint it pink!)...wash bedding and setup bed.
2.  Wash carseat cover, swing cover, and bouncy seat cover
3.  Install carseat base in van (shaun)
4.  Paint changing table pink (another friend is letting us use theirs too and we get to paint it pink too)-shaun will do this for me too :)
5.  Buy newborn diapers and sensitive wipes and a changing pad cover and setup changing table
6.  Wash and fold newborn clothes (yay!!!)
7.  Pack labor bag and hospital bag (will do a post later about what I'm packing in my labor bag)
8.  Birth playlist for music during labor
9.  Buy snacks and juice for labor
10.  Thank you notes!
Okay I think that is everything.  I just have to remind myself that all we really need is a few gowns, lots of newborn diapers/wipes, my boobs, receiving blankets, nursing pads and burp cloths for those first few weeks anyways :).  Now I better go start on this list while I still have a little energy!    

35 weeks and an update!

It is absolutely unbelievable to me how fast the weeks are going by right now!  I can't believe we are only two weeks away from full-term :) (although I bet I will still be going into labor closer to my due date).  It is starting to feel more and more real that I'm about to get to meet this sweet baby girl, and I couldn't be more excited!  I can't wait to labor....can't wait to hold her...can't wait to see her....can't wait to feel her soft skin.  My belly must be huge because I'm getting stopped now everywhere I go and everyone that talks to me thinks that I'm due any day.  Their eyes get huge when I tell them that I'm due at the end of July :).  I wonder what the reactions will be when I'm actually out in public at the end of july :).  Oh my...I can only imagine.  I'm definitely at the uncomfortable stage now, but I'm still treasuring every moment as I really love, love being pregnant.

I'm hoping to post a few more blog posts this week with pics (including a few bump photos) and an update on my sweet Henry (almost 2...wow!!!!) since I have some time as we are here at my parent's house in AL to recharge for a few days.  I really appreciate all of the kind and encouraging words on my last post.  It has been a very hard month as you can imagine, but God is so good.  He has provided all of our needs (and more!), and we are so very encouraged.  We are constantly blown away by the generosity of our friends, church family, and family.  We have already learned so much through this experience.  Every plan that I had in place (and I had a lot!)  at the beginning of May has totally changed.  In fact, the one little plan that I was soooo happy to still have in place (my dr)...just changed today.  Today (on a Sunday afternoon...imagine how surprised I was to get this call) my dr called me to let me know that she was part of a large l.ayoff this past week.  I have the option to be "transferred" to a random ob that I know nothing about, but I'm really not willing to do that for obvious reasons so I'm going to have to do my research and pray that I'm able to find a good natural childbirth friendly doctor with decent backups.  I'm really sad because I really liked my dr.  She really listened to what we desire for our birth, and we both made sure that we were on the same page with my birth plan.  I'm honestly not asking for much in my birth plan (will post it soon), but you would be surprised how hard it is to find an ob in my area who is willing to even let you go a day/week past your due date or to just have a heplock instead of an IV or to have intermittent monitoring (as the ACOG actually recommends for low-risk l&d).  All of these things and a few more on my birth plan are completely standard and can be backed by medical research that they are best for mom and baby. 

So literally every single plan from big to small that I have made in the last few months has changed.  But there is peace in knowing that God does have a plan and that He is in control.  Will keep y'all updated :).