Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Our Birth Plan

Today at our appointment with our doula, Laura, we wrote up our birth plan. I think it turned out pretty good (and flexible) and am really hoping we can achieve most if not all of the things covered.

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Birth Plan
Amanda Sellers & John Vallejo

    - This is our first child, and we are hoping to have as natural birth as possible, but we are flexible in case of emergency. We will have a doula, Laura Nyman, attending the birth along with my sister,  Holly Bierhaus. We would like to keep any other friends or family out of the room during the labor and birthing process, and would appreciate any help achieving this (if the situation should call for it.)
    - Our chosen Pediatrician is Dr. James Mick with Ponderosa Pediatrics.

A few medical conditions to be aware of:
    I have no allergies.
    I am hypoglycemic.
    I have activity induced asthma.
    I have broken my tail bone in the past.

Labor:
    - I would like the freedom to walk, move around, and change positions at will throughout labor.
    - I would, if possible, like to be allowed to eat.
    - I would prefer intermittent fetal monitoring unless my baby shows sign of distress.
    - Please do not offer me any pain medication. I will ask for it if I feel the need to.

Birth:
    - I would like to avoid pushing while on my back or sitting to prevent pressure on my weak tailbone.
    - I would like to try to wait until I feel the urge to push before beginning the pushing phase. While I will accept advice on how to push, I would also like to listen to my body and push when it tells me to.
    - I do not wish to have an episiotomy.

After-Birth:
    - Assuming the baby is in good health, I do not wish for the umbilical cord to be clamped and cut until after it has stopped pulsating. Once it has stopped I would like my partner, John Vallejo, to be the one to cut the cord.
    - Assuming the baby is in good health, I would like to hold her skin-to-skin immediately after birth and to delay any medical procedures.
    - I would like all medical procedures to be fully explained to me or my partner, John Vallejo,  before they are performed. Please do not perform any procedures without consent from one of us.
    - I do plan to breastfeed, so please do not give the baby any bottles or pacifiers.


After our baby is here, my partner and I would like a few hours of private bonding time with her before we see any visitors.

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If you've had babies before, did you write a birth plan? Was it successful?

10 comments:

  1. This sounds so amazing... I think its awesome that you are planning a natural birth!! btw, Dr Mick was totally my pediatrician when I was a kid haha :)

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  2. This sounds very professional and fantastic. I am proud of you guys for planning this out ahead of time. Not all family will listen when you go into labor, so having preset terms and conditions is very smart. Congratulations!!

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  3. @Emily - Thanks! It's really important to me to have her naturally, and I hope that everything goes smoothly and I achieve it. Do you remember if you liked Dr. Mick? I've heard only good things about him.

    @Chis - It took me like, 3 weeks to write this. I kept changing things, but I'm finally happy with how it turned out. There are some people that I'm not sure will want to follow our wishes to stay away for a little while after she's born - that's why we threw in the instructions to keep them out!!

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  4. I think it's very flexible and straight forward. Now, I am left wondering about the umbilical cord and the pulsating, what happens if it's cut before it's stopped?

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  5. @Cindia - Check out these links.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-462477/Waiting-minutes-cut-cord-babies-health-boost.html

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37342877

    http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639518.html

    :)

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  6. Sounds really good! Honestly though, I think your last concern will be eating. I give props to anyone who can eat through contractions. I know I didn't eat for a whole 2 1/2 days. The contractions were just too bad and the only thing I ate were graham crackers about 3 hours after I had her and then I had an actual meal the next morning. I wasn't even thinking about food lol.

    Also I didn't have a birth plan and I didn't find it necessary to make one simply because anything could have happened (such as me having to get a c-section), but those who do make them and can have a successful one, kudos to them lol.

    Little Sugar Monster

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  7. @Jazmyn - Yes, I agree that I probably won't be thinking much about food! BUT I am hypoglycemic, which means that I really have to eat every couple of hours or my blood sugar drops so low I pass out/get really really sick. So I'd like the option to have some crackers or something during labor just in case. hahah
    The birth plan is basically my ideal on how the birth will go. My doula said it would be a good idea to write because there are a few things I really will not budge on (like having the nurses/doctor explain to me or John what they're doing to the baby before they do it, and make sure that's something we want.)
    I guess we'll see how it goes!

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  8. I'm pretty sure I remember always really liking dr. mick. I got sick fairly often when I was younger and he was always really nice and helpful. And i think he gives out stickers/lollipops haha. always a plus! <3

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  9. My friend said that he gives her son a book at every visit! I love that.

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  10. Dr. Mick is amazing. He was Oliver's pediatrician until he died, and he was John's pediatrician all along.

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Thank you for commenting! ♥