#birthplans

A Birth Story

I think everyone should explore birth plans and have some sort of idea of what they want their birth experience to be like. Researching birth plans and your options helps you become knowledgeable in all aspects of what could possibly happen.  For me, I went into my labor with the goal of everything being natural.  But I knew that things could change and I had no idea what to expect birthing a child to be like.  Therefore, I was OK with my plan being flexible. I ended going completely against my birth plan.  I got pitocin and an epidural...the exact opposite of natural.  But I think what I chose was meant to be and was the best option to keep me and my child safe.

I'm currently writing down my birth experience and hope to have it posted by this afternoon, but I'll sum it all up for you.  I received a dose of pitocin and I got an epidural because my contractions got so intense so quickly.  Ella's shoulder got stuck and as a result of them forcing her out to keep her safe, I had a fourth degree tear.  I had massive repairs and without the epidural I would've had to be taken into the operating room which would have not allowed me to spend valuable time with my baby in the hours after she was born.  I feel that I was meant to have the epidural.

Some would argue that because I got the epidural, I pushed differently and that's what caused me to tear.  I disagree.  Ella's shoulder would've gotten stuck either way because her sized resulted in her barely fitting through my pelvic opening.  My birth experience happened how it was meant to be and I'm OK with that.

I think birth plans are very good to have.  But I think every woman should be aware that every birth experience is different.  Nothing is set in stone...even if you've had three children and each one of those births has gone exactly the same, your fourth child could come into this world completely different.  Life is about change and during childbirth, boy do things change quickly.