Did you have a birth plan?

With one week to go until baby girl arrives I've been reflecting on labor and delivery quite a lot.

Going into the Mylo's birth, I had a clear plan of action. I wanted to have a natural, drug-free labor and deliver my baby vaginally. That did not happen! I ended up with a long list of interventions and an emergency c-section under general anesthesia. I was thrilled to have a healthy baby but also deeply disappointed and a little traumatized by my labor experience after he was born.

One very unhelpful thing that people still say to me is that "people shouldn't plan out their births at all, it's the one's with long and specific birth plans who end up with disappointing experiences." Sorry, but that's just BS. I am a planner and researcher by nature. I hired a doula for my labor (HIGHLY recommend!) and read several books about labor and delivery. Although things didn't turn out as I'd hoped, I had a lot of knowledge in my head that helped inform the long labor process as I was going through it. I never felt like the situation was out of my control or I didn't have enough information to make the next decision that was presented to me.

Each person has a different mentality going into birth. For me, planning and researching is calming and makes me feel more confident. For others it makes them anxious to know about all of the options and they would rather just trust the professionals.

This time, under the advisement of my OBGYN, we are doing a planned C-section. Although I would have liked to avoid major surgery, I feel confident this is the right choice for my body, our family, and my baby. It should be a totally different experience than the first time. I'll let you know how it goes!

Did you have a birth plan? Do you prefer to plan and prepare or let things just take their course? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.