I have a question...sorry if it's stupid

No, Zach and I don't have kids yet, but will soon. I really want to have an unassisted birth or a homebirth, but if all else fails and I must have a hospital birth, I am wondering what a birth plan is? Like, what would we be able to specify? Is it just where you say whether you want drugs or not or is there more involved? I have all these dreams about what the "perfect" birth for a child would be.

 

VN girl, birth plans can be really poorly or really well written. The best are done with the help of a midwife, or doula and then gone over with with YOUR doctor or midwife.

Some ideas for birthplans.

Try to keep it to two pages or less. You can say what you need to in that, and no one has the time to read a 14 page birth plan.

Get it to your doc, midwife and hospital at least 6-8 weeks BEFORE the baby is due. Nothing guarentees that your plan will not be read than to hand one copy of a 15 page plan to the nurse as you are being admitted. MY doctor asked me for 6 copies of my plan, and an extra. L&D, The OB OR, Maternity (post partum) the regular nursery, the NICU, The special care nursery all got a copy 6 weeks before Sage was born. And my doc and I went over it together (and I had a birth doula freind help me write it) and he signed and OKed it, (it is STILL NOT a legal document, though, just an agreement) and he got it to all the places my baby and I could be before the Main Event.

Find out what the laws are in YOUR state. If it is law that the baby has to have a preventive put in the eyes to prevent STD caused blindness, than no plan in the world can make them not do it. (In my plans we specified that they wait an hour after the birth, so the babies could SEE us before the gel was put in.)

Don't be aggresive or adversarial, when it comes to HCPs a more diplomatic touch will get you much more of what you want. NO "I REFUSE to allow an IV under any circumstances" type stuff. "I request an IV not be offered unless medically neccesary and explained to me, if I am capable of and aware of understanding the reason." is better.

LEARN as much about child birth as possible. A good birth plan takes as much into account as possible, including things you don't want to think about, like a C section, a vaccuum birth, fetal or perinatal death, emergency transport of the infant to an other facility, what happens if you are unconscious after the birth ect. (I had a coda in my plan, that if I was not conscious after the birth, a nurse, or a relative was allowed to pump my breasts and give the milk to the baby via cup until I recovered, or if I died, every effort would be made to get Banked Human milk and colostrum for the baby.)

I can get more info for you later. I am SURE Brighid will have some excellent ideas when she sees this.

And this is FAR from a stupif question, it is a VERY good one.

 

If you still live in Florida when you have your baby, it is very likely you will have a homebirth if you want one.

However, if you go to the hospital, you may want to write a birth plan so the people caring for you will understand your birth philosophy.
Receiving drugs is a big one, you may want to specify that no one offers you pain medication. If you need it you will ask.
You may ask that the lights be kept low, unless it is absolutely necessary (for suturing, placing an IV needle, etc.)
You may specify that you do not want a student attending or observing yur birth.
You may ask that they not bathe the baby in the nursery, that you will give the baby a bath when you get home. (bathing the baby in the nursery often lowers body temps, and then the baby is placed under a radiant warmer, delaying the amount of time before they bring him back to you)
You may insist the baby not be given formul or pacifiers.
You may ask that the baby stay with you until you have established breastfeeding.
You may ask for intermittent monitoring instead of constant.
You should become familiar with the hospital's policy, so you know what you will be up against.

 

There is a good example of one, and you can use it and change it to fit your needs, at:

http://babyzone.com/pregnancy/interactive/birthplan.asp

It's interactive. You can fill in the blanks and print it all out when you're done. It's an easy way to do it. Or you can just use it as a guideline. Whatever you do, good luck and good for you for being so prepared!

Lena