I was just wondering if other Momberries had their birth plans sorted or not?
I sorted mine out at my 32 week scan. I have a low lying placenta and was told that if it hadn’t moved up by the 32nd week that I would have to have a C-section, sadly it has not moved up so I will be going into hospital next Friday to be on bed rest and be monitored.
So, I will obviously be giving birth in hospital and I will have an epidural so I’ll be numb down there but awake - I’m actually really worried about this, has anybody got any experience? [name_f]My[/name_f] husband is going to be with me as my birthing partner. According to my midwife, there aren’t a lot of option when have a cesarean. [name_f]My[/name_f] midwife says that we are probably looking at having the cesarean at around 36 weeks or earlier just because of some risks of pre-eclampsia (both my sister and my mum had mild pre-eclampsia).
What is everybody else doing / what did you do? Is their anything that I should ask or that I have missed? [name_f]My[/name_f] midwife is incredibly helpful and informative so I don’t think I have missed much but this is my first baby so I might have.
I am a planner. And so of course before my guy was born (he will be 4 months on Thursday) I made a birth plan.
I didn’t even get it printed or to the hospital. I had my hospital bag, which I checked and double checked to make sure I had everything I could possibly need. It didn’t even make it into the room until after [name_u]Jem[/name_u] was born. I had left it in the car bc I wasn’t sure if I’d be getting checked into a room or not. Then once I was checked in, I wasn’t about to let my husband leave!
I honestly found no need for the birth plan anyways. On it I had said I wanted to try for a natural birth, didn’t want an episiotomy, who I wanted in the room etc. I ended up with an epidural half way through because my contractions were hard and fast, not the textbook ‘5 mins apart and then growing in itensity, etc.’ AND a massive episiotomy. I was pushing, he was almost out, but they couldn’t find the heartbeat, so out came the scissors and he was here seconds later! Plus my [name_f]MIL[/name_f] Ended up in the room! last thing i wanted! Honestly the whole thing flew by in a blur.
There are a few major things I let the staff know. Allergies, I don’t take blood transfusions, etc. but beyond that, most things really aren’t in your control no matter what.
I would say, make a little note of the [name_m]MAJOR[/name_m] things that the staff MUST know. Other than that, make sure your partner knows exactly what you want and don’t want, and make sure he is ok with being your advocate.
In the end, your little guy/gal will get here in one way or another, and once you see that tiny face, how he/she got here or what happened in the process totally won’t matter!
A routine c section at 36 weeks (so preterm) is never indicated, never, especially for something vague like a family history (not even your own history!!)
People with placenta previa are not permitted to go into labor, so c-sections are scheduled at 37 weeks. The reason is that the force of contractions will push the baby’s head up against the placenta and provoke a potentially fatal bleed.
You have a few options in a c section. Please ask your OB about immediate skin-to-skin with the baby, assuming the baby looks good upon exit. In the past mothers often didn’t get to see the baby until they had recovered in the RR, sometimes 2+ hours after birth. This is unnecessary for a healthy normal baby.
Regardless of your hospitals policy your husband will be able to wander over and see the baby right away-- he’ll take those crucial first photos and videos. He can hold the baby too.
C sections themselves are quick procedures-- in an uncomplicated birth, the baby will often be out 5 minutes after you begin. It takes longer to evacuate the placenta and safely close up. Afterwards you will be monitored in a recovery room, even though you will not be under general anesthesia and won’t need to “wake up.” With an epidural or a spinal anesthetic your consciousness and clarity of thought will be in no way impaired so your memories will be crystal sharp.
Some points to think about:
if skin to skin is possible, would you like it?
if not when is the soonest you can hold your healthy baby (not needing NICU attention)?
are videos permitted of the birth itself?(sometimes no since it is an operation)
@blade: I’m really surprised about the 36 week thing, my midwife told me that I would be perfectly safe to give birth after 32 weeks and that they considered 35 or 36 weeks to perfectly safe to perform to C-section. I’ll definitely give them a ring tomorrow.
I assume you are birthing a human baby, and not, say, a chimpanzee, for whom that would be an appropriate gestational period.
Please do call, and if the midwife persists with this unsafe plan demand to speak to the consultant obstetrician who would actually be performing the section. [name_m]Just[/name_m] to reiterate-- this is for routine c-sections. Emergent or urgent c-sections are performed all the time for preterm babies, but only for a pressing fetal or maternal cause.
Again in the States placenta previas are scheduled at 37 wks on the dot, with instructions to come in the moment you feel a contraction if you don’t make it to 37.
32 weeks is very premature. Obviously in modern NICUs it’s old hat but it would be a mandatory special care nursery stay with significant concerns for the baby’s breathing, eyes, and general development. She has to be off her rocker to think that’s no big deal.
You aren’t even full term until 37w, so having a section at 36w based on a small risk of developing pre-eclampsia is crazy. Giving birth at 32w is very dangerous and I believe considered extremely premature. [name_f]My[/name_f] cousin had a baby at 31w and the baby ended up spending 12 weeks in hospital, spending much of it on a ventilator and in an incubator. The lungs simply are not strong enough at that gestation, and like my cousins baby, often end up needing lots of steroids to aid their development. Please consider changing midwife because anyone advising you that giving birth at 32 weeks is extremely misguided.
Anyway, as for my birth plan, I made a loose one because there are so many variables that you can’t really plan everything. I said I wanted as little medical intervention as possible, and to avoid a section unless medically urgent.
I asked to be left to get on with it as much as possible, with as little interaction with medical staff as possible.
I asked not to be offered any pain relief, stating that I’d ask myself if I felt I needed it. (I ended up needing gas and air)
I wanted to do delayed cord clamping if possible. I also donated cord blood.
I asked for baby to be placed straight on my chest and for any cleaning of baby to be done later.
I opted to deliver the placenta naturally without the injection.
I had no problem with medical/midwifery students being present for delivery.
That’s it I think! I covered all the basics and let the rest go with the flow. I was lucky enough to have most of my wishes obliged. Good luck! x
I didn’t have a birth plan. I figured whatever was going to happen was going to happen and my husband knew my basic wishes. I got lucky and both times were extremely quick and required no interventions.
@pinkballerina: I’m not supposed to be giving birth at 32 weeks, what my midwife said was anytime after that is considered safe(ish). She was wanting to do it at 36 weeks or 35 weeks. To be honest, I never questioned it, I just told myself she was a midwife and knew what she was doing. I’m going to go and see the obstetrician today, weirdly I am yet to meet him.
Thanks to everybody for their help with the whole confusion about the 36 week elective surgery. I talked to my OB and midwife today and the reason it’s going forward a little earlier than what they would normally do is because of my personal medical past (high blood pressure and a hereditary heart problem along with the family history of pre-eclampsia) also hence why I’m being asked to go in for full time monitoring. I’m so sorry for any confusion I caused.
Furthermore, I read back one of my previous post and I realised I made a typo: my midwife said that after the 34th week it’s considered mostly safe to go into labour not 32 weeks like I put. Sorry about that.
x