Below you'll find tips on what to write in the different
sections of a birth plan.
Not exact matches
Thirteen years ago today I was at 42 weeks, was suffering through food poisoning off a (rancid) bowl
of Labor Day BBQ macaroni salad, and underwent an emergency C -
section that was totally the opposite
of the candlelit (only sort
of kidding), natural
birth I had been
planning.
Fast forward to the
birth of my twins, which was one week earlier than my
planned C -
section due to an ultrasound suggesting that my son was not, in fact, on par with his sister as far as weight was concerned.
During all
of my
planning for
birth, I never entertained the idea
of having a C -
section, because I felt like it would jinx my
plan if I did.
Supports women experiencing symptoms
of depression or anxiety after a traumatic
birth experience, including early and late miscarriages, still
birth, newborn illness, NICU, hospital transfer during
planned homebirth, inadequate pain relief, unplanned medical intervention,
birth plan not being honored, c -
section, infant resuscitation, placental abruption, or general anesthesia during
birth.
Even if you're
planning a vaginal
birth, having an understanding
of a c -
section is important since nearly one third
of Moms in the U.S. have cesareans and most
of those are not expected or scheduled ahead.
planning birth in an obstetric unit is associated with a higher rate
of interventions, such as instrumental vaginal
birth, caesarean
section and episiotomy, compared with
planning birth in other settings
A mom, for example, who's very anxious about a past emergency or
planned vaginal
birth that did not work out, is extremely afraid
of vaginal
birth, or has a history
of unresolved sexual abuse trauma can feel reassured by her perceived sense
of predictability and controlled surgical procedure in having a C -
section.
They may develop postpartum depression or post-traumatic stress syndrome.9, 20,25,31 Some mothers express dominant feelings
of fear and anxiety about their cesarean as long as five years later.16 Women having cesarean
sections are less likely to decide to become pregnant again.16 As is true
of all abdominal surgery, internal scar tissue can cause pelvic pain, pain during sexual intercourse, and bowel problems.Reproductive consequences compared with vaginal
birth include increased infertility, 16 miscarriage, 15 placenta previa (placenta overlays the cervix), 19 placental abruption (the placenta detaches partially or completely before the
birth), 19 and premature
birth.8 Even in women
planning repeat cesarean, uterine rupture occurs at a rate
of 1 in 500 versus 1 in 10,000 in women with no uterine scar.27
I am
planning a home
birth so if I do end up in hospital its because I absolutely have to be there or its an emergency situation where a C -
section is called for I going to be meeting those people pretty much for the first time [laughs] and I don't know what they are, how receptive they would to something like this, so you know there are certain things you think might be easier to ask for verses asking
of all
of this things, perhaps you know, maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing but I don't know are there certain things that you think might be good for me to ask for in lieu
of asking for everything.
Topics covered in our two - day Childbirth Education intensive include: gestation and anatomy; nutrition; preparing your body and how to adapt to its changes;
birth plans; labor support; your partner as a coach; stages
of labor; interventions; inductions; C -
sections; breathing, relaxation, and pain management techniques; breastfeeding, newborn procedures; and postpartum health.
A good basic outline is to
section of your
plan into different bolded
sections: Before Labor, Induction, Pain Relief, First Stage, Second Stage, Delivery, After
Birth, and Newborn Procedures.
Many moms say one
of the best parts
of having a
planned Caesarian
section birth — C -
section for short — is knowing exactly when their baby will be born.
All women attended by an NHS midwife during labour in their
planned place
of birth, for any amount
of time, were eligible for inclusion with the exception
of women who had an elective caesarean
section or caesarean
section before the onset
of labour, presented in preterm labour (< 37 weeks» gestation), had a multiple pregnancy, or who were «unbooked» (that is, received no antenatal care).
The odds
of receiving individual interventions (augmentation, epidural or spinal analgesia, general anaesthesia, ventouse or forceps delivery, intrapartum caesarean
section, episiotomy, active management
of the third stage) were lower in all three non-obstetric unit settings, with the greatest reductions seen for
planned home and freestanding midwifery unit
births (table 4 ⇓).
Today, most breech babies are born by
planned Cesarean
section, but a
planned vaginal
birth of a single breech baby may sometimes be an option.
The proportion
of women with a «normal
birth» (
birth without induction
of labour, epidural or spinal analgesia, general anaesthesia, forceps or ventouse delivery, caesarean
section, or episiotomy9 10) varied from 58 % for
planned obstetric unit
births to 76 % in alongside midwifery units, 83 % in freestanding midwifery units, and 88 % for
planned home
births; the adjusted odds
of having a «normal
birth» were significantly higher in all three non-obstetric unit settings (table 5 ⇓).
The low emergency caesarean
section rate and assisted vaginal
birth rate in our study were consistent with the low rate
of caesarean
section (2.8 %) recorded in the Birthplace in England Study for women who
planned a homebirth, 43 and in a South Australian study (9.2 % for
planned homebirths v 27.1 % for hospital
births).13 A low rate
of caesarean
section is also consistent with studies
of homebirth in the US.36
In
planning a home
birth, my primary focus was not actually avoiding a C -
section so much because
of the above reasons (I wasn't aware
of these at the time).
Of women in the study who
planned further children, 91 % (136/149) said they would opt for a home
birth again (including four who were delivered by caesarean
section).
And the idea
of just getting a c
section because one does not want to go through labour or to
plan the baby's
birth date is on the rise, known as «too posh to push».
I had a natural
birth plan and thought that it would be followed in hospital, but I was just told that a lot
of things had to be done because it was» hospital policy» to do them, whether I liked them or not... My baby ended up in distress and I had an emergency C -
section.
Your risk
of interventions and c -
section are lowest if you are
planning a home
birth.
I think there are a lot more nutso's in the cohort who want a
planned home
birth than in the cohort who requests a
planned (elective) C -
section — no
birth is «elective», but the cohort who wants to preserve perineal strength and function while avoiding the pain
of labor and the risk
of labor on the baby should have their autonomy acknowledged.
If your midwife or OBGYN has any concerns about your ability to give
birth naturally, they will discuss them with you throughout your pregnancy, and you will have ample opportunity to make
plans for caesarean
section or other types
of assisted
birth if they are required.
The odds
of cesarean
section among women
planning out -
of - hospital
birth were lower among multiparous women than among nulliparous women and among women with 12 years
of education or less than among women with more than 12 years
of education (Figure 1).
From the beginning
of my pregnancy I was not set on any particular
birth plan except that I wanted to avoid an unnecessary c -
section.
The
plan was to avoid a C -
section, since this mom
of two already had natural
births before and wanted the same with her twins.
Flexibility is an important facet
of making a
birth plan and by having alternative preferences stated, there is less likelihood
of any kind
of negative reaction to the
birth process, whether vaginal or c -
section.
If you know ahead
of time that you will be having a cesarean
birth, it is still a good idea to
plan your c -
section.
Find the answers to all your questions about stages
of labor, creating a
birth plan, labor medications, and c -
sections: their risks and benefits.
When writing your cesarean
birth plan, you can choose whether to elect a c -
section ahead
of time, who you want in the room with you and whether you want any medical students in the room with you.
The
planned home
birth outcomes included much lower rates
of epidural, episiotomy, and assisted delivery, and cesarean
section.
In 2000, Hannah et al published the findings
of a randomised multicentre trial into
planned caesarean
section versus
planned vaginal
birth for breech presentation at term.
Johnson & Daviss: Letter C under
section III
of the list
of studies that the Midwives Alliance
of North America deems the very best in proving home
birth safety is titled, «Outcomes
of planned home
birth with certified professional midwives.»
Postpartum sex is a common topic
of curiosity whether you've had a vaginal
birth, a
planned C -
section, or a traumatic delivery.
It would be lovely to have the option
of a home
birth but I've a
planned c -
section due to various complications and I think it would be a little too much to ask for that to be done at home!
It could be argued that unplanned home
births are similar to
planned home
births which were transferred to hospital during labour (because
birth did not take place in the intended location), and that not getting to hospital in time is a risk
of planning a hospital
birth, and for this reason we have run the analysis both with and without unplanned home
births (see «results»
section).
According to the American Congress
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, while home
birth is associated with fewer maternal interventions compared to a
planned hospital
birth (such as labor induction and c -
sections), it holds more than twice the risk for perinatal death — or death within the first week
of life.
Future research should focus on possible explanations for the significantly higher risk
of PPH among those
planning a hospital
birth, and address the possibility that procedures such as augmentation, emergency Caesarean
section and episiotomy are over-used in the hospital setting.
«Significant changes in clinical practice have seen an increase in
planned births before 39 - 40 completed weeks» gestation from an increased use
of primary and repeat cesarean
section and a greater use
of labor induction.
For pregnant women
planning on experiencing natural
births (i.e. vaginal
births without medical interventions or medications), a C -
section almost feels like a betrayal
of everything they were promised and worked toward.
Perinatal mortality, neonatal mortality, or serious neonatal morbidity was significantly lower for the
planned caesarean
section group than for the
planned vaginal
birth group (17
of 1039 [1.6 %] vs 52
of 1039 [5.0 %]; relative risk 0.33 [95 % CI 0.19 - 0.56]; p < 0.0001).
A C -
section might be
planned ahead
of time if you develop pregnancy complications or you've had a previous C -
section and aren't considering vaginal
birth after cesarean (VBAC).
Some women request C -
sections with their first babies — to avoid labor or the possible complications
of vaginal
birth or to take advantage
of the convenience
of a
planned delivery.
A quarter
of women who
planned hospital
births had C -
sections that can add serious complications to future pregnancies — five times the rate
of C -
section among those who
planned to give
birth outside the hospital.
The following study was the largest home
birth study done in the U.S. Among 16,924 women who
planned home
births at onset
of labor 89 % gave
birth at home, 11 % transferred to the hospital, 5.2 % had a c -
section.
Class will include: Gestation and anatomy, nutrition, preparing your body and how to adapt to the changes,
birth plans, labor support, your partner as a coach, stages
of labor, interventions, inductions, C -
sections, breathing, relaxation, pain management techniques, breastfeeding, newborn procedures, and postpartum health.
Expecting moms and people
planning to start a family should definitely check out the «Pregnancy and Natural
Birth»
section of her blog.
Some
of you may feel cheated and wish things had gone different, while some
of you might be totally content with the way things went whether it was natural and drug - free
birth or a
planned c -
section.