Birth Plan Update!

So we met with our doctor and shared our birth plan. My fears that she was going to crumple it up and laugh in my face? Totally unnecessary.

She was great. As always. She read over everything, assured me that pretty much everything I requested was standard these days, etc. She said the only thing was the monitoring. I’ll have to be checked when I first come in and see how baby does through the contractions, and if she’s not doing well, then we may need continuous monitoring. BUT. We could have a wireless monitor, and I’d still be able to walk and change positions.

In general, though, they have no residents or med students who will be looking to do practice exams. I can limit who is in and out, keep the room dark and quiet, listen to my own music, soak in the tub, use a squat bar, avoid any sort of medicinal interventions until after we’ve tried natural methods unless there’s something wrong with the baby. They wait to cut the cord as standard procedure, and I should be able to breastfeed right away. Baby rooms in if I want. Baby won’t be given a pacifier if I request that she not.

I did forget to ask about whether I’d be able to eat and whether I could wear my own clothes. I’ll ask at my next appointment, but my guess is, they’ll be okay with it.

The whole conversation made me so excited about the actual process of getting the baby here. I mean, it’s been hard for me to be enthusiastic about it up until now because up until last week, I still wasn’t sure I’d get any choice in the matter because of my silly placenta. Now, though, I’m doing my Hypnobabies every night. I’ve got a birth plan. I’ve put Kellen on researching what needs to go in our hospital bag (which we will be putting together after our shower in 2 weeks.) My doctor–and the entire staff that I’ve dealt with so far, which is not a small number of people–are all awesome and supportive and want their moms to have the birth experience they want. It’s just flipping exciting, and I’m so relieved that the hospital and the doctor are so in line with what we wanted.