True necessities for actual birth?

Single FTM here, homeowner, was still trying to clear out construction debris and get things in order before discovering the short-term relationship that ended abruptly had blessed me with a baby. I’m over the moon about my baby but I’m on my own and have so much to do—constantly making dump runs and donation runs to goodwill, organizing, making baby-proofing upgrades around the house, etc. while working full-time. Not to mention preparing my late mother’s house for sale. How the hell do I squeeze birthing classes in? It always seemed like a must-have, but now that I’m here I can’t imagine having the time to do classes on top of everything else. I’m working out and preparing physically/mentally, but otherwise am just putting my faith in my doctors and going in with a can-do attitude. If we don’t have a specific ideal for how the birth goes, do we really need a birthing plan? I have been through so much over the past few years that I really don’t care as long as the baby is healthy. I don’t have the bandwidth to think about ideals, I am just racing the clock to get the dang garage organized and haul the giant pile of crap off my property before I’m too large to move. 😅

Show your support

You might need to take a moment and think about it because when it comes, it’s all encompassing, as is being a new mom. You won’t have time for anything else, at least not in the very beginning. The idea of the birth plan is so that u can be prepared for most situations and not have to try and think about what you want at that time. For example, do u want this drug or that drug, do u want numbing gel, do u want ppl in the room, if its a c section then do u want to delay cord clamping or soft music playing etc etc. u might think u dont care now but when the time comes u might care and then it might turn stressful, so the idea is that u prevent the stress by thinking a bit about it now. Good luck! U sound busy

If you can try out an audio book whilst doing your bits and pieces? I did one by midwife pip for the UK hopefully there's something similar for the US xx

I wouldn’t recommend a birth plan. I’d do research into the kinds of questions that may come up like epidural, induction, C-section etc. but you don’t need a plan because nothing will go according to plan. I didn’t do birthing classes and everything was fine. People have babies in the dirt lol.

Some women have straightforward births without any prep, but today 1 in 4 experience birth trauma—often due to unwanted interventions. Especially in the U.S., hospitals are tied to insurance and profits, so they may push procedures that aren’t always needed. That’s why I would personally recommend preparing for birth ( and also breastfeeding if that is something you are planning to do). If you’re short on time, try listening to Down to birth podcast, and I can recommend some great audiobooks too. Feel free to DM me.

Look for an online birthing class, there are probably some that aren't live and you can get to them on your own schedule. I went to one at the hospital where I was going to deliver before my first, but I mainly remember it being more educational than like helpful during birth. People have pointed out the important questions to consider. Unless you're planning on specific method (hypnobaby or water birth or something), I wouldn't stress too much about a birth plan. There's only so much you can really plan, it's more about knowing things you want to say no to in advance and communicating those with the person (hopefully) who will be by your side and can advocate for you to the hospital staff because you're going to be distracted af.