We are planning our second UC in just 3 short weeks! Before Ella was born, I wrote up this birth plan for Shawn, so he’d have something to use as a resource. We had planned on having a waterbirth, so I wrote it for that, but this time we’re planning on birthing in the bed.
Several people have asked about my birth plan, so I’m going to post it here. Feel free to use it as a base for your own, I just ask if you post it publically, you link back to me! Thanks so much! 
Start of labor:
* Help me get comfortable and relax. Offer me water or juice (something non-acidic), put on
some music, make me a snack (something high in protien), remind me to drink and stay
hydrated, encourage me to sleep.
* Daytime… Keep busy- Do whatever you would usually do… take care of the kids
* Nighttime… give me a massage, help me get some sleep, bring me water or juice (* with a
straw!)
Labor is getting more intense??
* I may want to be active…let me…
* I may want to be left alone…don’t take it personally! 
* Offer something to eat or drink
To drink: juice, water, hot apple cider (make sure it’s not too hot!) make sure drinks
always have a straw!
To eat: fruit, crackers, whatever I’m in the mood for at the moment
* Remind me to use the bathroom at least once an hour
* Ask me if I want you to fill up the tub
* Use the sheet to help me move my hips
* Take pictures
* Put on music, and ask me if I want to dance. Swaying my hips back and forth will help
labor progress.
* Remind me to surrender to the pain and relax.
* do not tell me to “think about the baby” It’s overwhelming in the moment
Labor is REALLY intense?
* Fill the pool, if it hasn’t been already 1/4 with cold, 3/4 way as hot as you can get it
* As me if I want a cold rag on my head
* Take pics
* Ask me to dance
* Remind me to relax and surrender to the pain, (but don’t push it)!
* Remind me to trust my body
* Remind me that if I keep my throat open, it will help open my body.
* Remind me that the pain is fleeting, and the empowerment will remain
* Remind me that I’m shaping the way Autumn will view birth
* DO NOT ask me if you should call 911 or ask me if I want to go to the hospital unless I am
specifically requesting “Medical Assistance.” I will get to the point where I will say I
want you to, but chances are it just means transition is coming. Remind me of that, remind
me that we’re almost done, and don’t act on it unless I say I need “Medical Assistance.”
* Take pictures
* If I’m panicking, offer me Rescue Remedy.
* Remind me to stay hydrated.
Pushing?
* If the kids want to be near, let them. If C doesn’t want to, don’t push it. Remind them
to be quiet.
* If I poo in the tub, use a strainer to fish it out, throw it away, and DO NOT tell me
about it!
* When the head comes out, remind me to touch it, and touch it yourself if you want.
* Remind me it’s almost over
* Take pictures!
* If you get in the tub with me, Remember DON’T PULL on the baby…we’re still attached!
* When the baby is out, hold it until I am in a position that I can take her.
* Before the baby is coming out, have Connor grab warm towels from the dryer.
* MAKE SURE TO RECORD THE TIME!
* If the baby is purple and hasn’t breathed yet, stay calm. Remember she’s still getting
oxygen from the cord.
* If after 45 seconds or so, she hasn’t taken a breath, remind me to turn her over and rub
her back. If that doesn’t help after 45 seconds or so, ask me about Carbo Veg. 1 pill under her tongue.
* When I’m ready, help me get out of the tub, have a bucket close by for puke, and one for
the placenta.
* After I deliver the placenta, be ready to cut a small piece off for me if I want it.
*Weigh yourself, then weigh the baby with you. We can measure her head and length later.
Important!
* After she’s born, watch for bleeding, and pay attention to how I look. If I get too pale,
have a glass of juice ready and cut off a piece of the placenta so I can swallow it.
* Have Shepherd’s purse near by incase there is too much blood.
* After I’m out of the pool, and after the placenta is delivered, cut the cord, and
nursed…then bring the baby into the bathroom with me so I can shower, but still have her
near by. Don’t leave me alone after it’s over.
* Make sure I haven’t torn. After my shower, have me put one of the frozen pads with a chux
pad underneath it to ease the pain. Offer me Advil.
* Make sure I drink a lot, but slowly, so I don’t puke.
* Do not call people until I’m ready.
* Help me set up a comfortable place on the couch where I can nurse and the kids can see the baby.
* Take pictures
