Birth Plans

Cat Melodeon

Thaedydal wrote: »

Another thing which the mammy's to be who are not married should be aware of it that their partner is not their legal next of kid or medical guardian if anything goes awry ...

... If you are not married your legal next of kin and medical guardian is your father, if your father is not alive it is your mother. If you are not married and your baby is born you are the legal nest of kin and medical guardian and then it is your father and then your mother.

It's unbelievable how archaic our family laws are. What have our Ministers for Children/legislators been doing for the last 50 years?

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Sometimes that's not only confined to non married couples. When I was in recovery after the section I got a phone call from the nurses on the ward where my son was telling me his blood sugars were low and asking me if they could give him formula milk. Even though my husband was there with him, and was perfectly capable of making the decision.

Maybe that's more related to their breastfeeding policy? Fathers might not be aware of the impact that offering formula so early on can have on the establishment of breastfeeding and the nurses might need to check how the mother feels about it. If this had been me I would have asked them to bring the baby to me to feed rather than give formula. My husband would probably have okayed the formula, not knowing I would have had an issue with it.

Hannibal Smith

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

Maybe that's more related to their breastfeeding policy? Fathers might not be aware of the impact that offering formula so early on can have on the establishment of breastfeeding and the nurses might need to check how the mother feels about it. If this had been me I would have asked them to bring the baby to me to feed rather than give formula. My husband would probably have okayed the formula, not knowing I would have had an issue with it.

Breast feeding policy of the hospital or not, my husband was well capable of making the decision.

I was in recovery after a section, with other women waking up from all sorts of operations, it really wasn't the place for a newborn infant.

Nevyn

Some new mothers who intend to breast fed find they aren't up to it after a section so I think it's reasonable to ask.

wmpdd3

I had a v. short plan too.
1page, took it from The pregnancy bible, just filled in yes or no.

I had been warned by my best friend to ask for what I wanted and make sure I got it, but I was more than happy with the way things went.

OH was with me from the moment I went into the labour suite, but I was on the ward on my own for 6hrs in labour before this.

I ate (toast and biscuits) and drank (isotonic pop) right through labour.

The midwives and doctors explained everything to me and asked me twice if I really wanted epi etc.

I tore and the midwife on the ward couldn't tell me how many I had, but it took 1hr to get them. Only tight once there was in,no pain at all.

The only thing I found different and not covered in the book was the breastfeeding policy. I got loads of support and had to combine feed after 3 days due to lack of milk. Every morning when they delivered the bottles of formula to the other patients, they left me out.

If I wanted a formula bottle I had to ask a midwife who got permission from the head midwife! It was like being and alcoholic and asking for a shandy!

It was only after 3 days this was explained to me!

Also I brought too much stuff like pumps and sterilized bottles, these were all supplied. (Ardkeen in Waterford).

I also got very tired in the last hour of pushing and was threatened with forceps, "NO MATERNAL CO-OPERATION" made me laugh out loud, thats the way I felt they though about me but they never said it!

metrovelvet

Thaedydal wrote: »

Another thing which the mammy's to be who are not married should be aware of it that
their partner is not their legal next of kid or medical guardian if anything goes awry.
This means that if during the labour you are considered no in a fit state to make decisions the drs/midwife/consultant can and will take over and make decisions with out having to ask your partner.

Also once the baby is born the mother becomes legal and medical guardian of the baby from birth and the father won't unless he is married to the mother, and again if the mother is unable to make decisions the medical team makes them about the baby and the father does not have to be consulted and has no power to make medical decisions.

I remember running into this while having stitches after my first and being asked about the Vit K shot and my son's father saying to the dr to give it to our son but the dr saying that he needed my consent.

If you are not married your legal next of kin and medical guardian is your father, if your father is not alive it is your mother. If you are not married and your baby is born you are the legal nest of kin and medical guardian and then it is your father and then your mother.

IF you are not married you can make your partner your legal next of kin and medical guardian, it is a matter of going to a solicitor and getting the forums filled out.

To add to this, to those mom to be's who will be giving birth without the presence of the father, it might be wise to sign a health care proxy so someone can make decisions for you if you are out of it or incapacitated or whatever.

metrovelvet

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Breast feeding policy of the hospital or not, my husband was well capable of making the decision.

I was in recovery after a section, with other women waking up from all sorts of operations, it really wasn't the place for a newborn infant.

Well, they cant assume that all people are telepathic and able to tell how a post major surgery woman fees at the time.

There are a lot of if ands or buts when it comes to starting them on bottles when you are trying to breastfeed because it can make breastfeeding even harder [nipple confusion.]

lynski

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

What's a hypno birth? What was it like having a birth after a Section? I'm pregnant now on my second and the first was an Elective Caesarian Section, so I don't know what to expect

Hypno birthing is using hypnosis through the labor see, http://www.gentlebirth.ie/ for more info, TOTALLY worth it (i am like a broken record on this, but it was so great).
The VBAC was so worth it, 36hrs in hospital, 3.5hr labor, recovery really fast and much much easier. coombe very supportive and equally this time, strange but between the positive experience and the hypnosis i cant wait for the birth

Cat Melodeon

+1 on hypnobirthing, will be starting it much earlier if no.2 ever comes along!

Hannibal Smith

metrovelvet wrote: »

Well, they cant assume that all people are telepathic and able to tell how a post major surgery woman fees at the time.

There are a lot of if ands or buts when it comes to starting them on bottles when you are trying to breastfeed because it can make breastfeeding even harder [nipple confusion.]

Again I say, my husband was well capable of making the decision.

Hannibal Smith

lynski wrote: »

Hypno birthing is using hypnosis through the labor see, http://www.gentlebirth.ie/ for more info, TOTALLY worth it (i am like a broken record on this, but it was so great).
The VBAC was so worth it, 36hrs in hospital, 3.5hr labor, recovery really fast and much much easier. coombe very supportive and equally this time, strange but between the positive experience and the hypnosis i cant wait for the birth

thanks for that, will have a look at the link.

it says in my post you quoted that mine was an elective Section, just to clarify it was an emergency one

wmpdd3

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

+1 on hypnobirthing, will be starting it much earlier if no.2 ever comes along!

I also found the hypnobirthing cds brill, I put them on my phone and listened to them in labour on the ward, would have gone out of my mind otherwise.