I think birth plans are great. I think women deserve excellent care during labor, birth, and postpartum. It think it's fine to have preferences. I'm all for doulas, midwives, hypnobirthing, water birth, drug-free labors, whatever floats your boat. But when your medical team is telling you that your baby's life is on the line, and you refuse interventions just because it wasn't part of your birth plan, that's selfish. I'm sorry. But it is. I'm tired of social media making women think that doctors and nurses are the enemy. Most of us sincerely just want you to have a baby that's born healthy. But we can't do that if you won't listen to reason. Medical interventions exist for a reason. Have a birth plan– but don't prioritize it over your baby's life. Please.
Your baby’s health and safety should always come before your preferences for birth.
This might be offensive, but I am a NICU nurse, and I am becoming weary of the women who refuse medical interventions during birth because they don't believe they are necessary, or simply don't want them because it doesn't fit in with their birth plan. And then their babies are born not breathing, choking on meconium, suffering from HIE, the list goes on. And then they come to the NICU and I take care of these babies as they spend the first few days, weeks, or months suffering, all because their mom thought they knew better than the medical team, and/or cared more about their birth experience than what was going on with their child.
