My Birth Plan

As we get closer to D day Ive been asked often how I plan to give birth. I am proud to announce I "plan" to do it without any medications as long as that is medically possible. I realize this option is not for everyone and Im not saying that it is the best option, but based on my research I feel like it's the best option for us. I could go in to all the statistics, but ultimately that isn't necessary because this is MY decision to make and I dont feel I need to go in to the horror stories to prove to other people that it is a good one for me.

If you have questions about why natural childbirth is a good option (or not) I highly recommend doing your own research in to the subject and if it's something youre interested in I highly recommend taking classes in the method of your choosing or at the very least do a lot of reading on pain coping mechanisms during labor. If you want more info on the subject but dont know where to go consider watching The Business of Being Born on Youtube (it's a whole movie done in parts on youtube) and Childbirth in America. Both are highly biased to natural childbirth, however the provide accurate statistics that the medical community doesnt commonly bring up that you may be interested in.

If you're wondering what we did to prepare, here is a short run down:
- Ryan and I attended a 12 week long Bradley Childbirth class based on the method of childbirth created by Dr. Robert A. Bradley. Along with this course I read "The Husband Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Bradley and "Childbirth the Bradley Way." This course focuses on the concept that childbearing is an instinct in all mammals and focuses on how other mammals seem to delivery their young in such a calm, effective environment. It teaches students how to reenact the phases these mammals go through. The main focus of the course is on relaxation during contractions and deep abdominal (aka normal) breathing. It also talks about ways to focus, positions to get in to while laboring to help with the pain, ways you can avoid your labor stalling, and it's main focus above all other natural courses is on the role of the father, or labor coach, to help mom get through labor with support, massages and catering to her. It also give a run down of what mother should be doing at different phases of labor to help herself progress well.

Along with all this the Bradley method focuses hugely on the importance of a balanced diet and labor prepping exercises during pregnancy to help get the body ready for the end event. Obviously after doing research I feel this method of childbirth is the most effective and I loved how it involved the fathers so much. It's already brought R and I much closer during this pregnancy because he feels like a part of it all, not just someone watching from the sidelines.

-Pregnancy exercises from Bradley: Pelvic rocks, squats, kegels, tailored sitting and walking

- High protein and well balanced diet: While I try, I dont always succeed at achieving the ideal Bradley diet, but it has seemed to keep me at a healthy weight, baby growing well and my blood pressure being nice and low. A high protein diet is supposed to completely eliminate the risk of PreEclampsia.

-Chiropractic Care: at 28 weeks my doctor told me she thought the baby was breech. Obviously this wasnt a huge concern at the time as there was still plenty of time for her to flip, but we wanted to make sure we gave her the best chance to flip as possible. Bradley highly recommends the Webster Technique of Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to help get/keep babies in optimal birthing position. At that time R and I decided I should start seeing a Chiropractor. I have to say, it was AMAZING! Baby flipped within the first few weeks of seeing him because at my 32 u/s baby was head down and has been there ever since. Ive also had MINIMAL back pain (I was having it every day), and seeing a chiropractor throughout pregnancy has been proven to reduce labor time by 4 hours or longer and makes the pushing part of labor go much more quickly because your pelvis is in line so babies dont get stuck as easily. I HIGHLY recommend seeing a Chiro if you have had discomfort during your pregnancy or are worried about a breech baby. This technique of flipping babies is about 80% effective which is a much higher rate of effectiveness than the medically offered, and risk involved alternative, Cephalic Versions. The Webster Method is 100% safe for mom and baby when done by a qualified Chiro.

So now, for my "Birth Goal" as I call it:
- In a nut shell, I dont want any medical intervention that isnt 100% medically necessary.
-I want to be able to move around while laboring
-I want the baby on my chest and not taken away immediately after delivery (assuming she is perfectly healthy)
-I dont want her cord to be clamped or cut until it has stopped pulsating
-I want her to be able to stay with me for the first 2 hours after delivery to bond, nurse, etc. At that point she can be taken away to be weighed and tested and bathed if they want to. All of her other immediate post delivery tests can be done on my chest.

And that is pretty much it. Again, this is my GOAL. But Im open to what needs to be done when/if problems arise. I also realize that not every labor is textbook and that at some point I MAY want drugs, which Im ok with. I feel like Ive done the research and prepared myself as much as possible, if after all that I still have to get an epidural, so be it. I gave it my best shot!

Ultimately my opinion on natural childbirth is this: If you say you want to do it, but do no research, get no help, learn no ways of coping and helping your body, you're going to get an epidural. No one can go through that pain without SOMETHING to help them through it. My personal opinion is that if youre going to "wing it", just ask for the epi as soon as you get to the hospital, there is no point in putting yourself through all that pain when you will probably get it anyhow. There is absolutely nothing wrong with pain meds! But if you dont think you want them, youre going to have to do A LOT of work to make sure you dont need them in advance. And also you really have to be educated on the protocols of hospitals to begin with because many times you get an intervention you may or may not need because "it's just what they do there". And usually one intervention leads to the next.

I hope at the end of this experience I get to write you all a birth story that goes right along with my plan, I doubt it, but Im going to try! In any case I hope this helps others understand why and how Im doing this. Maybe it'll inspire someone else to find the perfect birth experience for them self instead of just doing what the hospital says (which may or may not be fine with you). Just find out what you want on your own:)