Birth Plan
Mother-to-be:
Julie Schrader
Birth site:
Family Birth Place at Hackley Hospital, Muskegon, Michigan
Primary-care providers:
Shirley Thompson, Debbie Johnson, Sandy Hubbell, Lisa Veach, CNMs
Labor support:
Todd Schrader, husband and father-to-be
My goal is to deliver my baby as safely and naturally as possible without
medical
interventions unless the benefits outweigh the risks. I believe I am
responsible for making my
birth experience a positive, safe experience, and I plan to participate
along with my husband and
my care providers in making decisions about my labor, delivery and
postpartum care. Listed
below are my birth preferences; I understand that final decisions about my
care will be discussed
and agreed upon in the birthing room with my well-being and the safe
delivery of my baby as the
most important considerations. I agree to sign consent forms for those
"routine" procedures I opt
against.
Birth Preferences
Early labor and preparation:
- Clothing: wear my own
- IV: prefer none
Labor:
- Room: same room for labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum if available
- Electronic fetal monitor: external and only for an initial 20 minute strip,
after that I would prefer intermittent Doppler monitoring
- Movement: be encouraged to freely move and walk around out of bed/sit up
- Nourishment: light foods and clear liquids, taken orally
- Membranes: allow to rupture naturally, even when dilation nears 10 cm.
- Labor progress: allow to proceed on its own; prefer no artificial
induction methods;
if augmentation is needed, I'd like to attempt natural methods first
- Pain relief and relaxation: shower/whirlpool, massage, soft music, TENS
- Medication: prefer none
- Lighting: dimmed
Delivery:
- Position: undecided, whatever feels most comfortable at the time; willing
to try most
anything. I seemed to be most comfortable in a semi-sitting position
during the
pushing stage with my first baby, but I'd like encouragement to try
different, more upright positions. I'd like to use the beanbag and stool.
- Perineum care: no episiotomy unless absolutely necessary; I would like a
care provider/support person to apply warm washcloths or compresses to my
perineum throughout the pushing stage; I know I need guidance during the
crowning stage with breathing and control techniques to promote SLOW head
and shoulder birthing; I would like one person to be focused on
supporting/providing pressure to my perineum to help avoid tearing
- Pushing: I'd like to push when I feel the urge (maybe not with each
contraction) and be
calmly guided as far as when to and when not to push
- Actual birth: I want to breathe and push my baby out -- I don't want my
baby pulled out
in any way; dad would like to "catch" baby with CNM's assistance; I only
want my
baby's mouth, etc., to be suctioned if there is a real need
- Umbilical cord: clamped and cut by baby's father after it has stopped
pulsating
- Following Delivery: Immediate and prolonged skin-to-skin contact between
mother and
baby and immediate attempt at breastfeeding to promote natural delivery of
placenta
- Newborn screening/testing/vitals: We would like weighing of baby and
footprints to be
postponned several minutes; we refuse any silver nitrate or substitute
antibiotic
ointments being placed in baby's eyes (mom does not have gonorrhea) and any
drawing of baby's blood (see below); we would like baby to be given vitamin K
orally as opposed to an injection
Postpartum:
- Room: private, same LDRP room if available
- Location of baby: room-in with mom and dad
- Circumcision: NONE -- we are undecided
- Method of feeding: breastfeeding exclusively without supplements; no
bottles or
pacifiers
- Newborn vitals: mom or dad present for all procedures; no newborn
screening (blood)
tests in the hospital as we will have PKU tests, etc. done in our doctor's
office
once baby is drinking breastmilk (protein)
In case of a complication which requires emergency care, we ask that our
care providers still
do their best to accomodate as many of our preferences as possible. We
would only want our
baby to be born via cesarean section in the case of an absolute emergency,
and we realize that
this would necessatate mom being given general anesthesia; dad would like to
be present during
surgery. In the case of a medical problem with baby after birth, dad and/or
mom would like to be
present with baby at all times, during all procedures.
Thank You, Staff
We realize that some of our choices in childbirth aren't common in a
hospital setting, and
we thank the OB staff for respecting our wishes. We had the same birth
preferences with the
birth of our daughter at this hospital, and we were pleased that the OB
staff was so
accomodating and that they referred to our plan often; it helped make for a
smooth and
wonderful birthing experience and a healthy mom and baby. Our basic wish is
that we'd like
nature to take its course with the labor and delivery of our baby and only
intervene with medical
technology should a complication arise.