Niall Horan Pregnancy Series

Making a Birth Plan

You were now at 36 weks pregnant and you were visiting Dr. Y/doctor/n for one of your weekly check ups to make sure you and the babies were healthy and progressing like you should be.

"Okay so we are getting pretty close to the babies coming. I know you are still 4 weeks from your due date, but I would like to talk to you about a birth plan. I like my expecting mothers to have a plan in place so that when you're water breaks we all know what the next step is. Trying to make split second decisions while having contractions isn't ideal for anyone."

"Niall and I have talked a little bit about it, but I guess I'm not sure what the different options for birth plans are." You said. "Or what decisions we need to make or think about."

"Well I have a few questions I want to ask you and they will help us create a birth plan, if you'd like me to help you create one." She said.

"Yes, that would be great if you could help us." You said as you looked over at Niall.

"Okay so the big question is where would you like to have the babies?" She asked.

"I think we both agree that we want to deliver at the hospital, just in case something happens. You will have all the doctors and nurses and equipment here to handle any emergencies." You said.

"Okay perfect, I was hoping you would say that. With mothers who are expecting just one child I am usually more open to a home birth if that's what they want. But with my expecting mothers with multiples I like to have them here just because there's a higher risk for complications with twin deliveries." She said. "Next question: who do you want to be in the room with you? I usually recommend limiting it to no more than 2 or 3 people because the more people we have in the room, the more chaotic it can get."

You looked over at Niall and then looked back to the doctor.

"I think we just want it to be the two of us." You said.

"Perfect! Have you thought at all about pain medications?" She asked.

"I want to try to go as far as I can naturally, but if the pain gets too severe I am open to getting an epidural. I will let you or the nurses know when I think I need one." You said.

"Okay, I will write that down. Do you want to use the tub or shower during your delivery?" She asked.

"I might use it to help ease the contraction pain, but I don't really want to do a water birth." You said.

"Okay, and is your plan to deliver naturally or a c-section?" She asked.

"I would really like to deliver naturally if I can. I'm not opposed to a c-section but I am a little nervous about the idea of one." You said.

"Let's talk about it while I have you here. What are you nervous about?" She asked.

"My main concern is recovery. I know it takes longer to recover from a c-section and I want to be able to help with the babies and take care of them. I don't want everything to fall on Niall's shoulders." You said.

"Well I won't let you leave until you're ready. I'm not going to send you home before your body is ready. So a lot of the recovery will take place two to four days after delivery and you will be in the hospital for all or almost all of that time." She said.

"Okay, that makes me feel a little better about it. I still would like to deliver naturally but in case of an emergency I'm okay with a c-section if you think it's the best option." You said.

"I will do my best to give you a natural birth.  We will only go into a c-section if your blood pressure or the babies' blood pressure start rising, or if we run into complications while pushing. About half of all twins born these days come into the world naturally. Usually with natural twin births the first baby comes out a little easier than the second baby, so just be aware of that if it seems like we're having problems getting Baby B out, it is totally normal. I also want to talk about you about the possibility of a mixed delivery." She said.

"What is a mixed delivery?" You asked.

"It's rare, but in some cases Baby B must be delivered by emergency c-section after Baby A has been delivered vaginally. The reason for this is because after Baby A is delivered, Baby B can be at risk for placenta abruption which can cause a sudden drop in his or her blood supply and heart rate. It's not ideal, and it is a scary thing for both the mother and the father." She said.

You looked over at Niall with a worried look. You were sure if you got taken into emergency c-section that you would be freaking out during it. Niall just gave you a small smile and squeezed your hand.

"No matter what happens, we'll get through it." He said.

"Okay and my last question is about the baby evaluation after the babies are born. It is standard procedure for me or one of my nurses to take a quick look at the babies just to make sure everything looks and sounds okay. Sometimes we take them down to the nursery to do an examination, is that something you're okay with?"

"Is there any way to do that in the room? I'd like to keep them close to Y/n and I if possible." Niall said.

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. We will keep both of the babies near you unless there is some unplanned reason that we need to take them down to the nursery for cares or something like that." She said.

"Great!" You said smiling at her.

"I think this was a great talk with you guys. I wrote everything down so that you and the team are all on the same page so that your labor and delivery can go as smoothly as possible for you." She said.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Y/doctor/N." You said.

"That's what I'm here for. Do you have any other concerns or questions for me?" She asked.

"Can I ask something?" Niall asked.

"Of course," she said as she looked over at Niall.

"I just kind of wanted to touch on privacy. One of my band mates has a son and there were fans trying to get into the hospital to steal a peek at the baby. Is there any way to protect our privacy and the babies' privacy?" He asked.

"Our labor and delivery floor is controlled and by that I mean that the doors to department are always locked. Visitors have to sign in with the nurse at the desk and give us their name and the patient they are here to see, and then the nurse will give them a visitor tag and let them in. If you would like we can take a list of names of people who might be coming and we will only let those people in." She said. "Or there's always the option that the nurse at the station can call down to your room and tell you who is here to see you and you can let her know if you're okay with that person coming down to the room."

"I like that idea. Can we make that happen somehow?" You asked.

"Of course. I will put a note in your profile that once you check in that the nurse needs to call down to your room and talk to either you or Niall before they send any visitors down." She said.

"Perfect! Thank you so much!" You said.

"You're welcome. I will see you same time next week for your appointment!" She said.