Need Advice on DO's & DON'Ts requests for the Hospital

[ovaz129]

I posted this in the March 09 forum, but thought I might get a wider response in this forum :)

I am 33 weeks and am beginning to get organized and prepared for our daughters arrival.  I need help with the following...


I am trying to get a requests list together for the hospital.  For example, two of our DON'TS requests to the hospital will be...
1. NO PACIFIERS
2. NO FORMULA

And one of our DO'S requests will be...
1. Let her breastfeed immediately after delivery

We are breastfeeding... that is why we don't want the hospital to give her either of the above items.  But, what are some other recommended do's and don'ts that might be requested?  I know there are tons, but my mind is going blank!  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated :)

[g8r grl]

If I had known then what I know now, I would have loved to have an episiotomy. Instead, I got a nice 2nd degree tear which was hard for them to piece/sew back together. It would have been easier if it was a nice straight line. I watched in a mirror the whole time and never saw anything tear...his head was out...everything was looking good...until they pulled his shoulders through and that's when it happened.

The arrival of your daughter will be the beginning of your new and very unpredictable life where anything goes...

[crysandjeff]

The more you plan the more disappointed you will be when you leave the hospital. ie If you plan no meds and no episiotomy you will have an emergency c section and your baby on oxygen for 24 hours, at least that is what happened to me. As for the formula,do not rule it out. While nursing is best and helps your milk to come sooner giving a 1/2 ounce of formula to make baby happy has its benefits.  Nurses and doctors know all the benefits of breast feeding and bonding and they encourage it where it can be allowed. Instead of listing several things that should and should not happen, make your top concerns known, otherwise they will see you as pushy and be less apt to respect your wishes. Good luck

[tiredbuthappy]

i chuckle when i think about birth plans. NOTHING went as i would have planned. i would have wanted an epidural and the bond/breastfeed immediately. i would have wanted the baby with me in the room at night. i would have wanted no formula.

i had to have a c-section due to preeclampsia. i was so sick, i didn't care whether or not DD was with me in recovery. i remember them putting her on me, but it not really registering. i remember her being put to my breast, but again, nothing registered.

she was never able to breastfeed due to coordination problems and a weak suck. her latch was fine. if she hadn't received formula she would've had great problems (born only weighing 4 lbs 13 oz). i did however get a pump in the room from the begining, which helped my milk come in. i assume most hospitals have them on hand, but you may want to check in advance.

DD did not spend the nights with me. i couldn't move. i wouldn't have been able to feed, change, or care for her. DH was too busy caring for me.

i didn't have an actual plan written out since i had her 4 weeks early. but i did go into it with the mentality that if things didn't go my way, i would adapt. and i did. hope for the best scenario, be prepared for the worst. that's my best advice.

[jessbbg]

Just my quick two cents----some hospitals give glucose to the baby, even when you've asked for no supplemental feeding, as they don't consider it "formula" or "feeding".... I was advised to ask for this and did.  Still had to argue with the charge nurse, as it was her habit to give some to every baby.  

But I won.  :-)

[JoyRenee]

I agree with some commenters in that you must be prepared for things to not always go as planned. But it's awesome that you're getting this together, too, because it is important to you.

Some things I had on my birth plan-

-our baby was to never leave our room
-no episiotomy
-wanted to hold baby immediately (didn't go as planned with DD#1 because she had her first bowel movement in utero which can be life-threatening)
-Daddy to cut umbilical cord (again, didn't go as planned with DD#1 for above reason)

I also said no formula on my plan. But both girls ended up getting formula because nursing didn't go so smoothly for us.

Be flexible! Some doctors/nurses get frustrated with a big list of DOs and DO NOTs. They have only your baby's best interest in heart.

[g8r grl]

I read the birth plan...it seems very detailed. I would think twice about getting a bunch of pain meds instead of an epidural because they affect your mind, your ability to recall events, and your energy level. My epidural did nothing but take my pain away...it was great. My best friend got a pain shot and hardly remembers the birth and had trouble pushing because she didn't have any energy and just wanted to sleep. Everything affects everyone differently....

I know that you say humans survived without glucose and water, but we also weren't laying on our mothers' chests for the first 2 hours (that's a more recent trend) of life and we all turned out OK. If a baby's sugar levels drop, then they have no energy to nurse...if you wanted to nurse your baby and couldn't get them awake enough to try (and it had been 31 hours since they were born), your first requirement would be to get those levels back to normal...not to follow your typed out birth plan.

I know, I'm coming off a little mean....I'm just saying things happen and you won't understand until you experience them. Good luck with everything!

[ovaz129]

Hanacabana... I agree 100% with you :)  But, it is always good to see what others say.  The way I see it is... hmmm, how did humans survive without glucose water and formula?  So, yes... I am pretty firm on the no bottles and no pacifiers.  Thanks for your post! :)

[hanacabana]

I disagree with the above posters about the need for formula. Milk isnt supposed to come in until a few days later. It is essential that the Colostrum which is often already in your breast before birth is the first 'milk' they drink.

Babies are then NEED to be sucking (as much as possible) on the nipples to produce the milk. Supplimenting in these early ages can severely hinder your supply.



I also reccomend stipulating that you would like skin to skin contact (probably on your chest) straight after the delivery. As long as there is no complications this can happen before she is weighed washed ect.

I had my DD on my chest for the entire afterbirth and while I was stitched up (I tore). I then gave her a feed (45mins) before she was handed on to anyone else or checked over. I held her for a total of about 1-2 hours before she was moved from me. And we are now extremely bonded :).

[ovaz129]

I just looked at her birth plan, and it is extremely similar to what I have thus far... so it is a great model to work from.  I think I am going to "steal" some of her wording :)  Hope she doesn't mind!!

[ovaz129]

Thanks for the suggetions!  

LauraB78... I will definitely take a look at that.  Thanks for letting me know!

[LauraB78]

I found the link for you! Check it out!

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/691803

[LauraB78]

If you go to the Jan 09 forum, Nikkottc* has a post about her birth plan, and it has many good pointers about your wishes for delivery and beyond. I would check that out! She did a great job on it!

[g8r grl]

spade 22 is correct...don't be so against formula because they often need it as a supplement for the first couple of days. My son's sugars dropped the day after he was born and he required 1/2 ounce at the hospital. What I regret is that they didn't let me feed him (I assumed they'd bring me the bottle...not take him and feed him in the nursery), so make sure you feed your daughter if that's what happens. It's not the end of the world and it won't affect your breastfeeding at all.

Bring nail clippers to the hospital to cut your daughter's nails after she's born. I kept mittens on my son's hands and the nurses kept taking them off everytime they had to do something and never put them back on. He scratched up his face pretty badly and it's really annoying for your new baby to have cuts all over their face, especially for their hospital pictures. The nurses are not allowed to cut their nails, so you'll have to do it yourself.

[spade22]

Just so you know -  it will often take several days for a nursing mothers milk to come in.  This can sometimes result in problems for baby such as low sugar levels.  If this is the case, your baby will likely be given formula even though this is on your "DONTs "list.

[ArmyPrincess819]

I know one you may agree with is I was on alot of pain medication due to post partum complications and requested my son not be left with me at night. I wanted him in the nursery for me I felt it was for safety. Anyone could walk in my room and grab him. I was such a nervous nelly back then. Now I'm so much more relaxed after having 3 kids.
Congrats on your daughter you must be so happy. Good luck.....

AP

[sweetangel7]

Great question...I don't have any answers but I will keep these in mind for April!