Birth plans seem to be quite a controversial topic in the birth community, especially when it comes to hospital-based providers who often chuckle at the idea of birth plans, raising feelings of disemporwerment and disrespect in the parents-to-be. Providers often feel that birth plans are a futile exercise in attempting to control what cannot be predicted, often citing women with birth plans as those whose labors end up being longer than usual or more complicated than others. There is also a thinly veiled sense of "scoffing" at those women coming in with birth plans... on the lines of "Who does she think she is?" trying to spell out what "we" should or should not do to help her out, she doesn't have a clue, she's not the doctor!
And so the dilemma arises... who is laboring and delivering? The woman or the providers? Whose knowledge matters? Does embodied knowledge matter at all anymore in today's medical world? And should birth really be so deeply entrenched in and spelled out by actors of the medical world?
I think I am getting derailed... I was talking about birth plans, wasn't I?
Pam England writes about birth plans as "a ritual of modern pregnancy" initially created with the aim of providing parents-to-be with the opportunity of assuming a more active role in birth. She writes about the useful insights that come with observing the reactions of providers as they share their plans with them. At the same time, she expresses her current stand on birth plans and the reasons why she generally discourages parents from creating one. According to Pam England, author of Birthing from Within, the need to write a birth plan often comes from anxiety and mistrust in providers, a need to enhance one's sense of control of over the unknown, and a general lack of sef-confidence and confidence in the partner's ability to express oneself during the throws of labor. She further writes about how in the end, Mother Nature may have a way of surprising she who was busy planning ways in which to fend off external forces, without spending sufficient time establishing trust in herself and her own ability to give birth immersed in her own wisdom and power.
Well, let me tell you about Mother Nature and the trick she played on one of my doula clients! Mama K. had planned to call me at the start of her labor sometime this month (her due date isn't until Feb. 19th) so that I could meet her at her home and help her labor at home for as long as possible prior to heading to the hospital to deliver. She had not put together a formal birth plan, but we had talked at length about what she valued and desired for her birth. She realized that birth was a mystery that would unfold unpredictably and had developed a trusting relationship with her provider, who was aware of her desire to keep her birth as free of unnecessary intrusions and procedures as possible. I had shared with her some excerpts from the Birthing From Within book, to help her develop a better understanding of how her inner power and wisdom would guide her through labor, and had prepared the next batch of excerpts to share with her this week as I touched base with her briefly. When the famous Nemo Blizzard hit, I texted her jokingly about how that day would be a perfect day for an unassisted home birth, since all roads were filled with snow, officially closed by order of the governor, and yet to be plowed (it was also ten full days prior to her due date). No response. The following day (yesterday) I got a text from her about how she was exhasuted and ready to take a nap. Her water had broken the previous morning (the same day I had texted her) and that after an adventurous ride with plow trucks and ambulances, she finally made it to the hospital to deliver her baby girl, whom she was already madly in love with! The irony of Mother Nature and birth planning!
I will be talking to my client today and getting the full birth story... in her text message she sounded empowered and roaring with happiness!
Congratulations Mama K. and welcome to the world Baby P.: you made quite an entrance!!! :-)
Best,
LactoDoulaDrPH
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