To see all the links to previous steps please see the post STEP EIGHT:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/GroupTrack-We-Want-a-Natural-Birth/Birth-Wishes-STEP-EIGHT-Postpartum/show/1483674
It's time to share our Birth Wishes! I will start with mine, having thought about everything posted in the first eight steps of the series. Mine will give you a basic outline. You can copy and paste if you like mine, you can take mine and tweak it to fit yourself or you can do your own thing.
Daniel and Joys' Birth Wishes
Dear Doctors, Midwives and Nurses at ___________ Hospital,
Thank you so much for taking care of me and my unborn baby during the most amazing journey of my life. The following is a list of our, the parents', preferences regarding our medical care while we are at your facility. We trust your expertise and are blessed for the opportunity to deliver under your care. We also thank you for respecting our wishes and for speaking with us for consent if things need to be changed up. We understand that emergencies and problems come up and preferences may become null if baby's life depends on it. Our baby is ultimately what matters most. Thank you again for being our care providers!
Sincerely,
Daniel and Joy [last name]
LABOR:
-I wish to be able to move freely during labor
-No IV or Heplock unless I am becoming dehydrated
-As such I wish to have food and clear liquids by mouth
-Hydrotherapy is especially important to us so a room with a tub is ideal
-Artifical rupture of membrane is welcome; Pitocin is not.
-We would love to have our children present at the delivery if possible
MONITORING:
-I understand 20 minutes of EFM is required and am happy to oblige. However after that period intermittent fetal monitoring, BP monitoring and maternal heart-rate monitoring is requested.
PAIN RELIEF:
-I do not wish to have an epidural. Please do not offer it to me as I am in a vulnerable position. If I ask for it ignore me and provide alternative and more holisitic remedies for pain relief such as a birth ball or hydrotherapy
-I do not wish to have Stadol, Demerol or any other form of narcotic. This makes me feel ill and "out-of-it". I want to be alert and present.
DELIVERY:
-I do not wish to push in a lithotomy position
-I will naturally assume a position that is most beneficial for birthing my baby, such as squatting or side-lying.
-Please do not use the vacuum or forceps on my baby
-I would rather tear than have an episiotomy; please do NOT cut me without consent
-I do not wish to have any direction in pushing; please no counting or yelling. I will push as my body directs me to push
POST-DELIVERY:
-I want to hold the baby immediately; please place them on my stomach or chest
-Please do not clamp the cord for over 5 minutes until it has stopped pulsing
-My husband will cut the cord
-I do not wish to have Pitocin to help expel the placenta; please be patient and allow it to come out on its own without any tugging or pulling (I will take Pitocin if hemorrhaging)
CESAREAN:
In the event of a cesarean please note the following:
-Prefer an epidural over general if time allows
-I require double layer sutures please
-My husband, Daniel, should be present
-Lower the screen for me to see baby if baby is not in distress
-Husband to hold baby once baby has the all-clear
-Baby to come with us to recovery rather than to the nursery
-I wish to breastfeed as soon as possible
-We want the freedom to take pictures of mom's face and of baby once they are born
BABY CARE:
(please provide all waivers for the refusal of any procedures):
-We will be exclusively breastfeeding. Pacifiers are okay; bottles are not.
-If our baby is a boy he will be circumcised; one or both parents need to be present and we prefer the plasti-bell. If no plasti-bell is available topical anesthetic needs to be applied to baby before the procedure and gentleness given.
-We are refusing the Vitamin K injection
-We are refusing the Hepatitis B vaccine
-We are refusing the eye drops
-We do not want our baby wiped down or bathed by a nurse; we will clean them up
-We wish to be discharged as soon as we are all cleared
So there you have it! That is how my birth plan is in its current state. I may switch things up or re-word things so it flows better. Please feel free to share yours! I find bullet-points are the easiest to read, especially when you break the sections up. Keep it simple but give it a voice and personality.