Hellobee

I did exactly what you’re planning. I didn’t write a birth plan and just went into it with an open mind and very few expectations and just “planned” to go with the flow. It worked out really well for me and I had two great birth experiences. I hope you have a good experience too, regardless of what happens!

I love your flexible birth plan! You’re so smart to go in open to any birth, because you’re right, from what I’ve read, births can go in any direction.
I’m so excited you’re past the half-way point! Hooray!

This was my “plan” exactly. It seems that very few people actually get to follow a birth plan like they expect and I didn’t want the added pressure. I had goals of as few interventions as possible, but I wound up having to have an induction because I didn’t start contracting 24 hours after my water broke. One of the most naturalistic/holistic women I’ve ever met wisely advised me that if I had to be induced to not beat myself up over getting an epidural as the labor is then likely to be much longer. I heeded her advice when it became apparent I had a long road ahead of me. Our hospital was also very pro breastfeeding and has the lowest C section rate in the state and they were absolutely amazing. Healthy mommy and healthy baby are the only outcomes that matter. Best of luck to you mama!

No plan! Same as you – healthy baby and healthy mama is all that mattered to me. I ended up with a c section because I grew a giant baby. But it was nice and relaxed because it was scheduled. It doesn’t matter how your baby gets here!

I am a huge advocate of writing a birth plan because it encourages moms to actually educate themselves about possible interventions and their preferences. I’m always surprised at how many women agree to interventions that snowball into situations they aren’t prepared for.
Flexibility is key, but so is education!

I did write a birth “preference” plan (as in…I want the outcome to be a healthy baby and healthy mama, and I trust the training my doctors have to make that happen, regardless of what I write). I was very very nervous about L&D, and the act of sitting and really thinking about all of the possible outcomes and considering what I would consider an ideal experience really helped me visualize what was going to happen, and I feel like I was calmer and more prepared going in that I might have otherwise have been.

That said…my labor started out differently than I could have imagined (lonnng back labor) and it really nulled my plan. We brought it to the hospital, but it didn’t even make it out of the bag. The only thing we mentioned from it at all was that we were Team Green and we wanted Dave to announce the sex. But I’m still glad I did it as an exercise myself.

Like you, I felt very confident in my team and in the hospital’s policies. Because of a previous back surgery that makes it impossible for me to get an epidural, I did write a plan for my preferences if I had to be taken in for a C-section (because I’d have to be under general anesthesia).

I worked with my midwife to write a reasonable, general plan, which was basically that she would be with me during the birth since if I was all the way under my husband couldn’t be, and that she’d take the baby directly to him for skin to skin until I woke up. She would have also taken lots of pictures, and then come back to wait with me so I’d get to see her as soon as I woke up. The plan didn’t get that detailed, though. Ha! We were very fortunate and didn’t have to use that plan, but it was helpful to me just knowing that I’d get what I wanted if I needed to put under.

Sounds like you’re thinking about things in just the right way!

I didn’t write anything down. Labor isn’t something you can control, so I thought why even bother. The nurses asked me if I had one, I said yes, epidural and healthy baby and Mom. They said that is the best birth plan.

I’m like you that if my expectations are not met, I have a hard time adjusting them and coming to terms with it. So, I went into birth just like this, with a plan of healthy baby, healthy mom and ended up with a really pleasant birth experience.

I felt the same way There were things outside my control but I trusted my doctor and the hospital. Like yours, they were very baby/mama friendly and encouraged rooming-in and skin-to-skin, had two LCs on site, etc. Unfortunately J was born with a collapsed lung so that went out the window as well (though they did wheel me into the Level II nursery to nurse him when he was ready).
Lots of things can come up, probably a good idea to go with the flow

I think actually writing a birth plan is important, personally. You never know what can happen. Although, at my hospital it is the luck of the draw as to which OB will deliver. Having my hopes on paper allowed the delivery doc to read my hopes, ask questions and shake my hand to get to know me. It opened up conversation. I can see how that may seem redundant if you know 100% which doc will be there for you, but I still feel it is beneficial.

I felt the same way and I’m so glad I went into my son’s birth without any expectations- there was no drama and no disappointment. Best of luck!

My midwives had a form we had to fill out that stated our preferences while still acknowledging that things could change at any time. They also asked questions and jotted down notes about anything relevant that came up at my appointments. That was a good thing because I went into labor at night on the day they’d given us the form (I was supposed to bring it back at my next appointment) so it wasn’t in my file before I got to the hospital — but they had already informed the hospital that I was aiming for a med-free birth and I was assigned a nurse who had used the same birthing technique (Hypnobirthing) for one of her babies! I was really pleased they’d been so proactive and that the burden of talking about our hopes and plans for the birth didn’t fall just on me and DH.

This was also my “plan” and it went very well. My birth experience was nothing “normal” but rather than being filled with regrets, I only saw the unique positives and was able to move forward with our new reality very easily. (Induced, reaction to cervadil, early epidural, cesarean, week long NICU stay.). I have zero regrets and let’s face it… Motherhood, especially early motherhood, is tough enough without having to take precious time and energy on “what ifs.”

I’m the same way. The nurse asked me what my birth plan was as my process began, and I said, “healthy mom, healthy baby!” I had a horrible labor and delivery experience, due to many health complications and illness, and I can only begin to imagine how crushingly disappointed I would have felt had I meticulously planned an “ideal” birth. My son and I came out of it healthy, thankfully, and that’s all that matters. If you trust the healthcare professional in the room with you, that means a lot. I actually spent a lot of my third trimester focused on breastfeeding (going to classes, reading books, etc.) I figured that was a better way to spend my time as birth is only a short amount of time (although my 30 hours felt very long!). Here’s to a healthy mama and healthy baby for your delivery!

@ chicalgobee – totally agree. I had no real “plan” but really did not prepare much for breastfeeding. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten names of local lactation consultants, read up more and familiarized myself with good sites like kellymom.com, and maybe taken the class my hospital offered. You are right – L&D are so short compared to trying to establish and master breastfeeding in the,early weeks!

I wrote a birth preference list, not necessarily a plan, as a nod to the fact that there would be things that would be out of my control/unexpected. It was important for me to have it though, since breastfeeding, skin to skin, and delayed cord clamping were all important to me and not necessarily givens at my hospital, and I had the possibility of having any one of 6 doctors be the one to deliver (in fact, there was a shift change while I was at the hospital, so the dr I liked the least went home before I actually gave birth).

It was too much to try and keep track of which doctor I had told what to at all of my appointments, so this way it was all on paper in my file, and the nurses plus the doctor all reviewed the items verbally with me when I was admitted to L&D, discussed why some items may not be possible, and that they would try to succeed with others. I told them that I understood that things could and would change.

I was really impressed that they had taken the time to review it both ahead of time and with me; it made me feel like I was important, and not just a means to an end. It helped to know we were all on the same page