Tuesday, January 3, 2012

birth plan?

I'm reading a book about birth plans.  About the different options in America - hospitals, birth centers, free-standing clinics.  The whole point of the book is to take control of the birth experience, or, as much as you can.  From the anecdotes, it sounds like America's obstetrics are out of control - that it's a crap shoot as to whether you'll have a good experience or not.  That - in spite of the woman's nature to pester and ask too many annoying questions in order to control outcomes, laboring mom's are often at the mercy of hospital policies and insurances.

The book gives a list of questions anyhow - suggestions of how to find the right place, a place that will fit your birth plan.

I'm 35 weeks and going to the doctor today.  In some ways, the book has helped because I realize it can be just as scary in America.  In other ways, everything is a huge question mark for me, having a baby in another country.

I wonder how she'll feel about my birth plan:

Can you speak only English so I know what's going on to?
Will you ask/tell me before sticking and doing things to me? (and not give me answers like: this is to make you feel better - like I'm five years old?)
Can I move around in the hospital or will I be strapped down for an indefinite period?
What kind of monitoring do you do?
Do I get a say as to whether I get different drugs or not?
Will I get to hold our baby right away or are you going to take the baby away and hide him somewhere for a few hours?
Can you keep my in-laws and visitors from coming into the room . . .ever?


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