My Natural Birth Plan

I am now 37 weeks pregnant with our second baby and looking forward to my birth. Elise was 10 days 'late' which means she came 10 days after my estimated due date. I had a wonderful first birth - it was exactly as I had imagined it would be: calm, relaxed, short and enjoyable. Truly, it was enjoyable.

And with 3 weeks to go (give or take a week or two) I am really, really looking forward to my next delivery.

I learnt with my first pregnancy, when reading books or talking to people to were natural birthing advocates, that knowing what you want is really crucial. At the very least, you need to have a good understanding of what your options are when it comes to Delivery Day.

There are so many options available to you:

• Where you want to birth
• Who you want with you
• What birthing positions are best for you
• Whether you want medicated pain relief or not
• Whether you want to use natural pain relief methods or not
• How quickly - and how - you want to bond with your baby after birth
• Who will cut the cord
• What vaccinations (if any) you are prepared to give your newborn...

...the list is truly endless. And it is so important to have an opinion for each variable.

I decided to be explicit in my first birth plan (and I have hardly modified it for my second) which for me, meant being assertive and clear about what I wanted and what I did not want. 

I'm of the view that a labouring woman, with no pregnancy complications, is not ill. She is not sick. She is simply having a baby. That means she needs to have awareness of what her options are and to have clear opinions about those options. 

Yes, midwives and obstetricians might be more experienced in helping to birth more babies, but a labouring mum-to-be knows her body and her wishes better than anyone else. Her body is also perfectly capable of birthing a baby, just as her heart works without her thinking about it and her lungs inflate without her having to make them do so.  

Of course, complications can arise. And although you should have a clear Plan A that you are committed to in your birth plan, you should educate yourself as to what your options may be should special circumstances arise on the day. 

My Natural Birth Plan

My birth plan is logical and divided into the different stages of labour. I've been lucky and have had no complications during this pregnancy which means a 'natural water birth' is more possible. Women who have had complicated pregnancies/labours would potentially need to deviate from a natural birth plan but they could still use the principles of natural and/or hypnobirthing to help them through C-section deliveries. 

Here's a snapshot of my plan which I have adapted from different sources, namely my birthing bible, 'Hypnobirthing - The Mongan Method' (Marie F Mongan) and from Kathryn, my natural birthing tutor at Natural Birth Sydney. And of course, it takes into account my own birthing preferences too.

My plan is simply about setting out my wishes and politely requesting that they be followed, all being well. Here it is:

Overall

• I request the most calm, natural, gentle labour and birthing experience possible.
• I have chosen the Hypnobirthing method and intend to follow this practice throughout labour and birth.
• My preference is a water birth and to labour and birth in a birthing pool provided by the hospital.
• I do not want artificial induction; do not want artificial rupture of membranes; and do not want episiotomy.

Special Circumstances

• Should these arise, and mean I may need to deviate from my planned natural birth, I trust that our medical care providers will give me a clear verbal explanation of the special circumstance; the medical need for any procedure they might anticipate; and all of my options.
• In the absence of any special circumstance, I ask that my birth plan be followed by all medical care providers.

Arrival at Hospital

• To remain at home for as long as possible before coming into hospital (NB: this timeframe will vary depending on your health, baby's health, and whether this is your first or a subsequent baby).
• To decline routine IV drip on admission (NB: I prefer not to be attached to wires unnecessarily... it is highly unnatural and I can keep myself hydrated during labour.)
• To decline any internal examinations if I choose (NB: I believe internal exams are usually unnecessary so long as you're healthy and baby is doing fine. They also interrupt your state of calm and risk bringing on contractions before you, baby or your body are ready... what's the point in that?).
• To have a private birthing pool and room ready upon arrival.
• To play music if I choose to.

During Labour

•  I wish to labour naturally in my own time – however long that may take – and to be allowed to do so in peace and quiet
• Artificial inducement will only be considered if there is a medical emergency (NB: it is important to know what the options are here and what methods of inducement you'd be most willing to try and in what order. You may also have a view on methods you want to avoid).
• Caregivers, please do not mention ‘pain’; ‘pain tolerance’; ‘pain relief’; ‘pain levels’; ‘medication’; ‘failure to progress’.
• To decline discussion of ‘moving things along’ and to allow labour to take its natural course.
•  A natural, drug-free birth. Epidural is not wanted.

During 'Thinning and Opening' Stages

• The patience and understanding of all medical caregivers to refrain from any practice or procedure that could stand in the way of me having the most natural and calm birth possible.
•  Freedom to move, walk, sit or do none of these things during labour.
•  To change positions and assume labour positions of choice.
• To be fully consulted before the introduction of any medical procedure including gels; Pitocin; sweeping membranes; episiotomy; suction.

During Birthing

• To remain in the water and to allow natural birthing instincts to facilitate the birth of the baby. Caregivers please don’t be pushy; I ask for gentle encouragement.
• To assume birthing positions of choice to facilitate gravity and to avoid episiotomy.
• That episiotomy only be discussed if absolutely necessary and administered only after consultation and agreement.
• No forceps. Suctioning is preferable if there is medical urgency.

Post Birth

• I request that I receive baby onto my chest after birth to enable immediate skin to skin contact and to be allowed to stay in this position for as long as possible.  APGAR testing and weighing can wait please. Skin to skin contact is more important.
• Do not remove vernix from the baby; please let it be absorbed.
• Please allow umbilical cord to pulsate and wait until it has stopped before clamping the cord. Obstetrician to cut the cord with our agreement.

• Vaccinations: NB: have an opinion on which vaccinations you're willing for baby to have. These are country-dependent. Some countries advocate for BCG and Hepatitis B at birth. You can do this, or request to wait until baby is a little older - it is your choice as parents what you believe to be best for baby. Similarly Vitamin K is usually offered at birth - know in advance what your views are on that too. 

• Placenta: NB: there are lots of options here too about how you'd prefer the placenta to be expelled (naturally or with help of drugs).
• Cord blood: again, know your options. 
• Feeding: NB: make it clear whether you intend to feed baby with breastmilk or formula and whether you want the baby to remain with you throughout your hospital stay or to be taken to the maternity ward nursery.

There are so many variables with a birthing plan and with a birth. There are no right or wrong answers but there are opinions. Know your own opinions well in advance of Delivery Day and it will aid a smoother, more enjoyable birth.

If you want to read more about what info you might include in your birth plan, click here.

Happy birthing!

Rebecca x

Positions for Labour

With only 11 weeks until my due date (15 February 2016), I am starting to think about the birth itself. I'm not concerned about it - on the contrary, I am extremely excited about 'D Day'!

My 28 week bump!

I know so many mums who have had difficult births. By that I mean long labours. Painful labours and births. Disappointments.

Many say the most important thing is that the baby came out safe. And of course that is the most important aspect: that you and your newborn are both safe and well.

But there has to be more to it than that. One thing is always certain with birth: the baby will come out. But what I think a lot of people miss is that you have plenty of opportunity to determine how that baby will come out.

My Own Positive Experiences

I have never wanted to feel robbed by any birthing experience. I'm extremely fortunate to have had a very positive first birthing experience and I am determined to have the same sort of experience this time round.

Much of my own thinking about birth, I've realised, comes from my own mum's positive perspectives on birthing. My brother and I were both born naturally - my mum had a bit of gas and air and she focused on being as relaxed as she could until we were born. So much so, she was watching a film at home when she went into labour with my brother and refused to leave for hospital until her film had finished. Mum has only ever talked about the 'ease of birth' to me and as a result, I have only ever believed it to be a straight forward process.

This is why I always actively avoid women who want to share their horror stories with me. They add no value to me as a pregnant woman - who wants to hear about someone else's 65 hour labour or birthing agony when you are faced with your own birth in a few short months??

Birthing Preparation

Preparation is absolutely key to a pleasant birthing experience. I prefer to listen to my hypnobirthing CDs; practice my hypno breathing; research videos of women giving birth naturally and pleasantly; doing yoga that focuses on my pelvic area; and stretching.

It's also really valuable to have thought about what positions you might want to birth in when the day comes. Obviously you might be really lucky and have a really quick labour and birth, but the positions are really useful all the same.

Gravity is a really key aspect of birthing naturally - the more you move around and the more you are upright, the better. So standing, sitting and squatting are all really good upright positions that will help gravity help you bring your baby into the world.

Here's a fab article, with illustrations, on good natural birthing positions ... 

And here's another one!

Happy birthing ladies!
Rebecca x

Preparing Your Body for Labour

When it comes to birth preparation and natural birthing, a lot of attention is given to your mental state. In other words, preparing yourself mentally for the challenge ahead.

In my case, I read a lot (for both pregnancies) and was very interested in the whole hypnobirthing approach. It's very much about preparing your mind: getting yourself into a positive 'state'; being relaxed; and repeating various visualisations daily in the run up to your birth to keep you on track.

Not a lot of discussion is made of how to prepare yourself physically for labour.

I'm no expert and all I can share is my own experience. But when pregnant with my first child, I swam a few times a week, walked a lot and did prenatal yoga once a week. Inbetween classes, I would practice my yoga poses at home a few times a week and I felt physically 'right' and prepared for birth when it came.

With my second pregnancy, I am trying to replicate my first program but have had some issues with the swimming side of things (the haze in Singapore makes outdoor activity a loser at the moment) but I am doing prenatal yoga classes twice a week and a few times at home. And once the weather is better I will be swimming too.

I don't think you can do enough stretching throughout your pregnancy (whilst being mindful not to hold poses too long or to over stretch, which is easy to do during pregnancy due to relaxin coursing through your body).

In our yoga classes we focus a lot on stretching hamstring, calf and pelvic muscles which makes a lot of logical sense. I am told by my obstetrician (whom I trust) that the key is to find balance in your exercise, to make sure that your body is aligned and therefore baby is evenly supported during pregnancy (by your many muscles and ligaments) to aid a straight forward (pardon the pun) labour and birth.

When the body is physically imbalanced, it might tilt to one side which can make your birth canal literally not so straight forward!

He gave me a useful article, from his partner midwife, at Spinning Babies that I wanted to share:

To read more about Spinning Babies and their approach to preparing your body for a natural labour click here!