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It is *so* hard to plan for labor. I chose a hospital that had tubs in every room because I assumed that I would want to be submerged in warm water to ease the labor pain. In the end, only rocking rhythmically in a glider could keep me going through the toughest, pitocin-induced contractions. I assumed I would want to squat, but didn't.

I wouldn't spend money on any accoutrements or time on any "birth plan". The birth of your baby is GUARANTEED to *not* go according to your plan.

Educate yourself so you understand any surprises/options/choices/decisions that may come up. But don't bother "planning", LOL.

MamaChilanga, I think rather than "LOLing" Elizbeth who might have concerns about her impending birth, we all should try to support her with caring advice rather than looking down on her. I think by submitting a question she IS planning and trying to educate. Dont be so harsh!

Elizabeth, my advice to you is to talk with your birth care practitioner. Hear what they think. Ask other moms. Maybe someone will post their experiences here.

I don't think MamaChilanga was being harsh at all! perhaps you misread her comment. It makes perfect sense to me. I was planning a completely drug-free natural birth, and I ended up having a c-section before 36 weeks. So it is true - don't bother planning! Just go with the flow :)
And laugh all you want because a positive attitude is key to enduring the many changes that childbirth brings to your life :)

Elizabeth - if money is no object, the birthing stool will be a nice thing to purchase and have available should you need it. Also try a birthing ball. But when the time comes, just let your body guide you :)

at our birth class, the doula suggested using one of those big inflatable yoga ball things. whatever they are called, you know the ones. so you can squat or rock or bounce or roll on your back- it gives you more options than furniture and, also, they are cheap.

of course, that would be more for labor, i don't think you'd actually want to *birth* on one of those. then again, maybe your fetus is an innate circus performer.

I had a home birth six months ago and my midwife loaned me her birthing stool. Eventhough I didn't use it, it is nice to plan for all eventualities and it was handy for extra seating (for others that is). I actually think it is a good idea to make a birth plan, knowing full well that it is like any plan...amended by reality. There are many ways to approach birth and some people really benefit from making a birth plan, which helps them to think about, prepare for, and envision their birth experience. One thing to consider about birthing stools is that squatting tends to put pressure on your perineum, not great if you have a fast labor and a big baby...

I didn't mean to be harsh. I sure hope Elizabeth didn't read it that way.

BTW: A UCSF faculty member told me about a study looking at women's satisfactions with their own particular birth experiences. According to the research, women with *no* birthplans or very general/flexible ones, tend to be the most satisfied with their experiences. The more thought out and detailed the birth plan, the more disappointed the mothers tended to be with how things went.

I still think education is more important than planning. If they have to induce, do you know about your options beyond misoprositol? Just in case you decide to forego your plans for no drugs (for example, if you are induced and the pitocin intensifies your contractions or if your labor is really long and you need rest before pushing) do you know the pros and cons of each alternative? If you compromise, is it more important to you to be drug free during labor or during pushing? I'd do the research and think work, but skip the planning ;-)

BTW: My advice to all my soon-to-be-first-time moms is to spend less time reading books about pregnancy and worrying about birth plans and nursery decorating, and more time learning about newborn care, and succesfully establishing breast-feeding and good sleep habits ;-)

Also: Most of my friends LOVED giving birth. It is a wonderfully empowering experience for most women. I think we tend to hear more horror stories than positive stories because those who do have traumatic experiences have a therapeutic need to share. THey are such a small minority.

Chances are, you will have an awe-some, as in awe-inducing, lovely experience giving birth. It is certain to be one of the most intense and amazing things you will ever do. Good luck! Enjoy it!

Back in '92, a woman I went to school with her Master's Design Project on a design proposal for a birthing chair (she was in the Industrial Design program).

Having seen where we were at that point, I am rather struck at how little we have progressed, design-wise and use-wise, with respect to birthing chairs.

Her project was for the sort of chair that would be in place in hospitals, if I recall. (she was Dutch, and it was waaaay cool, and VERY ergonomic!). And somehow, I assumed that hospitals would be moving in that direction. There was even a birthing chair at the time on Cosby, when the twins were born. All I know is that when I went in to give birth, they had "birthing beds", which I found to be incredibly uncomfortable, and which in no way resembled the concept of a birthing chair. Couldn't wait to get off of it!

Rather disappointing...

I gave birth at home and ended up delivering my baby on one of these, which my midwife provided. I found it very helpful for letting go and stimulating pushing at the end of labor.

Pam England has a good bit on birth plans in Birthing from Within--about how they sound like a great idea, but can be unhelpful. There is a difference between knowing and communicating what you want and having an inflexible plan.
NYC hospitals tend to be pretty conservative/old-fashioned.
Monika1, do you have any links to those birthing chairs? Now that's a design project!

I have a vague undergraduate memory of reading that the ancient Romans used birthing stools.

Wow! I didn't find the text of the thesis, but Monika gave enough information that I did track it down at: https://dspace.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/31336
Good luck lb, post if you can find the actual written thesis.

this might sound gross, but we just used the toilet - with my doula's hand underneath me just in case! it worked brilliantly to turn my op (face-up) baby around...

My doula and doctor both recommended sitting backwards on the toilet for pushing at least until the baby crowns. The birthing stool seems like a great idea but looks really low.

MamaChilanga, I completely agree with you. It is best not to plan! I was pretty sure I was going to have a normal birth but ended up with a c-section. I didn't even go to the child birth class on c-sections. But my baby's cord was wrapped twice around his neck, so it had to be a c-section. I was drugged out of my mind and barely remember his birth but thankfully we both survived.

Don't plan things too much because you never know what can happen.

I agree labor sometimes goes awry of plans but I felt much better having, at least, some idea of what I wanted to happen. I gave birth at a birthing center. I spent most of my labor on the yoga ball leaning on a bed. I thought I would love the hot tub but hated it! I used the exact birthing stool pictured but it ended up being way to big for me and I am pretty average (5'6", 130 before baby). I switched to a smaller 'home made' stool that worked A LOT better. My arms got really tired by the end but it was nice to have somehthing to hold onto and put my weight on. I would say find a birthing center, doula or midwife that has one and have a sit! See if it feels right before you invest. I also recomend the book and class Birthing From Within. If there is a class in your area take it, it was extremely helpfull for me. Have a beautiful birth and just remember that you can do it whatever happens!

lb -

You won't find the full thesis online, just the abstract. If you want the full thesis, you can get a microfiche version of it through your library I think. (I have done that before for research purposes). Another alternative is that if you google her name, I think you can find a work email for her, and you could try approaching her to find out if it was ever put in production, or any other info. She might be interested in talking about it. It was a great project, and I am shocked that such a think is not more available 15 years down the road.

Everything MamaChilanga said.

It's pretty hard to predict what positions you'll want to use during birthing. I found that the privacy of my two home births allowed me to follow my instincts and let my body guide me to the appropriate positions.