Birth Plan

When I found out I was expecting I made a conscious effort to find the right doctor who delivered at the right hospital so I could have as close to an ideal birth as I desired. Ideally, I wanted a water birth; I always have. But given certain circumstances that was out of the question. So the next best thing was a med-free, intervention-free birth.

Although I live in Durham, I decided to go to Chapel Hill for my prenatal care. Everyone knows that the Duke Healthcare system runs everything medical in Durham, and I don't like the way they handle things. The doctors don't seem to genuinely care about the patients, and they're always experimenting on people.

All the things I heard about the UNC healthcare system made me appreciate my decision more. According to my Lamaze instructor, UNC had a 16% c-section rate, which is very low compared to other hospitals. Also, the Lamaze lady said you could eat during labor, they encouraged you to walk around during labor, and they're big proponents of breastfeeding after delivery.

My plan was to labor as long as possible at home. Then when it was time to go to the hospital to continue laboring naturally without any meds and with my husband supporting me through everything. We learned many techniques to deal with pain during Lamaze, and I made up my mind that I would do everything possible to stay away from an evil epidural and other unnatural pain management aids. In my mind things were going to be perfect: I would deliver my baby girl naturally, have her placed on my chest, and breastfeed right away.

The plans were set, and everyone was onboard with the plan: my husband, my team of 3 doctors, my lactation consultant, and anyone else with vested interest.

But like I've said before, if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans...

(Up next: A Baby Story)