Birth Plan

I thought I might share my birth plan since I’m obviously not going the home birth route this time around.

Remember, the operative word here is PLAN.

This is all assuming a healthy, non-complicated, full term delivery.

· C-section is to be done ONLY AS AN ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT. All attempts to deliver both babies vaginally are of utmost importance. I really want a natural birth, but frankly, more than that, I really don’t want to be recovering from major surgery while trying to care for two newborns and a toddler…

· Dad and/or doula to be present at ALL times.

· No epidural. I don’t judge anyone if they have had an epidural. It’s a very personal decision. I will admit, however, that I do feel a little sad…yes, it is painful, but really, I think women are missing out. It is an amazing experience and the pain is without a doubt worth it.

· No IVs. I don’t want to be tied down to machinery. If I’m dehydrated, I’ll drink water. I’m skittish about needles anyway and it’s hard for me to just ignore its presence.

· Intermittent use of fetal monitors. Again, I don’t want to be tied down to the bed. I want to walk and move. If they want to listen to heart tones, they’ll have to do it in spurts.

· Freedom to walk and eat/drink during labor.

· No episiotomy, except to avoid 4^th degree tearing. Many studies have shown that tearing is actually easier to heal from since your body isn’t meant to be cut in a perfectly straight line. In fact, many OB’s are no longer performing routine episiotomies anyway because of this. And I don’t think mine does so this shouldn’t be an issue anyway…

· Dad is to cut the umbilical cords…AFTER they have stopped pulsing. We aren’t banking the cord blood (it’s way too expensive, and interestingly, many cord blood banks won’t take twins…not sure why). But the point is, that if cord blood is so important, I’d like my girls to have as much of it as possible since I’m not banking it.

· Delay all routine newborn exams for the first half hour. Babies can be cleaned up, weighed, etc. in due time. Please allow those first precious moments to be in mom and dad’s arms. I always find it interesting that nurses whisk an otherwise healthy baby away immediately. I don’t care if my baby is “dirty”. And you know what? They’ll weigh the same and have the same footprints in 20 minutes. Let me cuddle thankyouverymuch.

· Unless otherwise directed, Dad is to hold Baby A during delivery of Baby B. This kind of goes back to the point above. Andy may decide that he doesn’t want to hold the baby while the other is being delivered so that he isn’t distracted, but I want that to be his decision.

· NO eye drops for the babies. Erythromycin drops are put in newborn eyes as a standard procedure in California (and most states). The purpose of the drops is to prevent blindness in case mommy has Chlamydia or Gonorrhea. Some studies suggest that the drops can cause damage to some babies’ eyes…I don’t know if that’s true or not, but for us, the bigger issue is that I don’t have an STD so it’s just not necessary. Plain and simple.

· NO Vitamin K shot. The Vitamin K shot is given because babies don’t have enough in their systems for their blood to clot properly for the first few days of life. This is important for timing of circumcision and also for a very rare, but fatal brain bleeding disorder. My girls will obviously not be circumsized, and while the brain thing is very very very rare, it is also very very very deadly. The Vitamin K shot gives babies a HUGE dose in one foul swoop. Some studies have found a link to childhood leukemia from such a gigantic one-time dose. Other studies have said that there is no link. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor or medical researcher. I don’t pretend to be. But what I DO know is that you can get all of the benefits of the extra Vitamin K without any potential issues (real or imagined) by giving them an oral dose of Vitamin K over the course of a few days, it seems prudent to just do that instead. You work with your pediatrician to get a prescription for the oral vitamin in advance of the birth…So basically, you get all of the benefits/protections without any scary studies…here is a great article.

· NO Hep vaccine. Again, this is one of those general health and welfare things (like the eye drops)…I don’t have hepatitis, so we’re good. My babies don’t need to be pricked with a needle because doctors can’t trust their patients to be telling them the truth about whether or not they are IV drug users. This is one of those things that is probably a good standard protocol for the general population and has likely made a difference for newborns…but in our case, Nancy Reagan taught me to Just Say No, so we’re cool.

· Babies are to room-in with mom. This is standard at either of the hospitals I would deliver at, but I figured I’d throw it in anyway.

· Mom or Dad to be present if babies are to be taken from room and during all procedures. This is basically just so we know what is being done and/or given to our kids.

· NO bottles, formula, water or pacifiers. Mom plans to nurse exclusively. I think this one’s pretty self-explanatory.

· If the babies require specialized care, they are to be kept together in the same isolette, if possible. I don’t even think this is necessary to write down because unless they are hooked up to way too many machines and have major issues, I think most NICU’s put twins together anyway…many many many studies have shown that when multiples are put together they heal and get better much sooner!

· Discharge from hospital as soon as possible (preferably within 24 hours of birth). I hate hospitals. I am very thankful we have amazing medical advances, but in general, I hate being in them unless I ABSOLUTELY have to. Some people see hospitals as bastions of cleanliness, safety and security. Honestly, all I can think about is death and germs and sickness. They give me the heebie-jeebies. I know, it’s kind of weird, but I always feel like I’m on the verge of passing out whenever I’m in one…

· Discuss ALL procedures with us PRIOR to performing them.

So there you have it. My Birth PLAN. Who knows what’s going to actually happen, but this is what I expect assuming all is well and there are no emergencies or other unusual circumstances…

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jeannett

I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.

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