Our Birth Plan for Baby Boy

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In case any of you are interested in what a birth plan can look like, and in particular, what our home birth plan looks like, we are sharing it with y’all as we just finished putting it together, now that our due date is just 3 weeks away.

SURRENDER is the Name of the Game

Environment:

  • We are looking at creating a ‘Burke Williams’ - esque atmosphere. We want a serene, warm, soft, loving environment, leading to the celebration of our son’s birth day.

Our delivery is planned as:

  • Vaginal

  • Non-medicated

  • Water birth

Our Birthing Team:

  • Brit: wife, coach, partner supreme

  • Mom: doula extraordinaire

  • Dad: Extra hands, driver if needed, Thea’s caretaker if nighttime birth

  • Delaney/Eric/Marissa/Ari: Thea’s caretakers if day birth

  • Dana: food and drink

  • Dany: watch, feed and take care of Chloe

  • Ilana: Mom’s support

  • Annie: Brit’s support

  • Steve: masseuse

  • Rebecca and Lauren: production team

  • Blyss and Kim (her assistant): midwife team

 During labor, we’d like:

  •  The lights dimmed 


  • Temperature of the house set to whatever my needs are in the moment

  • The room kept to a spa-level noise level 


  • As few interruptions as possible 


  • As few vaginal exams as possible 


  • To wear my sleep bra and cotton shorts 


  • For Brit and Mom to be present the entire time 


  • To stay hydrated with water and OJ (over crushed ice)

  • To eat easy, calming foods (PB&J)

  • No cell phones once the photography/videography team arrive

  • One person ‘talking’ at a time to Sydney…there should be minimal voices/sound, unless Sydney is needing something or is being coached to surrender during contractions

  • Masks on … please!

I’d like to spend the 1st stage of labor:

  • Walking around

  • In the hot tub

  • Resting

  • Playing games: backgammon, cards, puzzling, etc. 

I’d like fetal monitoring to be:

  • Intermittent

  • External

  • Performed if the baby is in distress

 For pain relief I’d like to use:

  • Acupressure

  • Breathing technique

  • Guided meditation

  • Cold therapies (washcloth, ice)

  • Hot therapies (shower, steam, scented heating pads)

  • Massage

During delivery, I would like to:

  • Squat

  • Use a birthing tub

 As the baby is being delivered, I would like to:

  •  Push to comfort during contractions, listening to my body, and connecting with Baby Boy

  • Use a mirror to see the baby crown (if possible…may not be in water…)


  • Touch the head as he crowns (possibly…unless my body is working its wonder to push and have him emerge on his own)


  • Avoid forceps usage and vacuum extraction 


  • Help catch the baby with Brit

 Immediately after delivery, I would like:

  • The umbilical cord to be cut only after it stops pulsating 


  • Brit to cut the umbilical cord 


  • To deliver the placenta spontaneously and without assistance 


  • To hold the baby immediately after delivery / have him placed on my tummy

  • To breastfeed as soon as possible / as soon as the baby has energy to do so

  • Sydney is adamant about seeing Baby Boy be weighed and measured 

If a c-section is necessary, I would like:

  • To make sure all other options have been exhausted 


  • To stay conscious

  • Brit to remain with me the entire time 


  • The screen lowered so I can watch the baby come out 


  • My hands left free so I can touch the baby 


  • To breastfeed immediately