August 2010 Babies

Hmmm. That was very inappriate of your doc to act that way. He could have at least accepted it.

I never did a birth plan with DS, and I'm not planning to do one this time either. But, I did have a plan to go natural and anything else that needed to be done I kept an open mind about. I don't remember being asked if I wanted the epi, but near delivery when the pain was awful, the nurse did ask me if I wanted meds. I said yes, but all she gave me was some weak meds that did nothing to relieve pain. Still, I'm glad they were not pushy about it. My other plan was to do most of the labor at home because I didn't want to be strapped to the bed or a pole. So, by the time I got to the hospital I was 5-6 cm and DS was born 4hrs later.

I guess the only advice I have is to let your DH know what it is you want or don't want so that he can say something if it's against what you've requested. Also, make sure the nurses know that you want no meds. I'm sure that whatever you want (or don't), they will write it down and they won't have to ask you about it again. The only reason I say to let the nurses know about your requests is because you probably won't even see the doc until it's time to push.

GL I'm sure everything will be fine when the time comes.

That is very strange. With DD, my midwife discussed my birth plan options with me. I didn't write something up and give it to them. She made notes, but she also recommended that I keep my mind open about meds since things happen.

Well, she was right, since at 35/36 weeks, DD was confirmed breech. I did all the exercises, we tried a version, but her hips were stuck in mine, so I had to have a scheduled c/s.

This is just a personal example to remind you that at 32 weeks you have a while to go before you will need to use the birth plan. I would suggest that if you like the other practitioners well enough, that you stay there (although, honestly, I have heard of plenty of women switching at 32/34 weeks) and trying to give the birth plan to a different practitioner. This time, you might want to just discuss your options, instead of presenting something all typed up. Then, depending on how it goes, you could give they what you wrote. Also, my practice has a mix of OBs and midwives, which sounds similar to yours. If you've only been seeing the OBs, you might want to try an appointment with a midwife, who would be more open to your birth plan. Switching internally happens all the time in my midwife's practice, also.

I agree with you, it would be good to get the information in your chart. To that effort, I would say bring the write-up with you to the hospital, so you can give it to your labor nurse. Making sure DH knows what you want is important, too. Depending on how things go the next couple weeks, the only other option would be for you to hire a doula. You could always ask your practitioner for doula recommendations to see if they are OK with that. But you do have several weeks to sort this all out, so don't feel rushed. It is also probably good that you discovered this about your favorite Dr now, instead of when you are in labor!

GL!

((((Hugs)))) Karen. No offense, but that Dr sounds like a butthole. My OB office and hospital encourages a birth plan because then they know what you need and expect. I can't understand why a physician would not want to be able to process your needs. PLUS, depending how long labor takes you could switch several nurses in a time period. The nurses and DOCTORS should cater to your needs....NOT you to them. This really upsets me also.

If I were you, I would bring my birth plan to the hossy anyway!! If you ask me that is what I would do. Hugs!!!