The Birth Plan

In UK, because there are so much choices on how you want to deliver your baby (e.g. go to the hospital or do a home birth; deliver on the hospital bed or deliver in a birthing pool, etc...) there is therefore much talk about writing out one's birth plan as the due date draws near.

Well, though we have much less choices here, I thought we will nevertheless write down our birth plan ....

So, this is our plan:

a) I will deliver Isaac at KK Hospital. We have decided to opt for the Classic package and opt for Class A ward (single bed - for more privacy, this being our first child).

b) I will be delivered by my gyne Dr Benjamine Tham (hopefully he wouldn't be away or busy dealing with another delivery!)

c) I will only go to the hospital when the contractions are at least a regular 10 minutes apart...I do not wish to be strapped immediately onto the monitoring machine as I heard that its very painful and would make me less effective in coping with the pain.

d) I will not go for epidural and only request for "laughing gas" (otherwise known more professionally as "Nitrous Oxide Gas") This is because the gas will neither build up in me nor in Isaac's body. It is known to be the safest pain relief method, as opposed to epidural where there is a higher risk due to the spinal injection.

e) YL will be in the delivery room with me throughout...apart from being a loving husband/father cum cheerleader cum prayer warrior, his role is also to remind me what is happening at each stage. Our belief is that knowledge drives out fear and as a result, minimises pain.

f) YL, whom i believe is generally the more sensible one between us both, and definitly going to be the more alert person at the time of labour, would take charge of all the major decisions, should any be required during labour.

g) YL will cut the umbilical cord (he is so looking forward to that!!) connecting Isaac to me.

h) YL will bring the camera into the delivery ward, but would not photograph grotesque and overly bloody images of the labour process!