Go With the Flow

As I approached my due date, everyone kept asking me if I had a birth plan. People kept inquiring if I'd talked to my doctor about how I wanted the birth to go and what things I wanted done. The more people asked me, the more I realized that I didn't have a birth plan.

Really, when it came down to it, I just wanted to ensure that the baby was healthy and that I made it through the birth alright. I wasn't picky about how things happened, just that the end result was that we were both happy and healthy.

If there is one thing I've learned in life, it's that things don't usually go as planned. You can meticulously lay out exactly what you want to happen and then have everything blow up in your face.

And that is why I was really glad that I didn't make a birth plan. Not only did everything blow up in my face, it all happened in the most unpredictable manner.

I couldn't have foreseen that my water would break on my Obstetrician's table when getting a check-up the day after my due date. I couldn't predict going into that appointment that I wouldn't be able to go home that night. It was a surprise to me, my partner, and my doctor.

I made my way over to the labour and delivery ward and began what would be a four-day journey.

I couldn't have foreseen that my labour would last for twenty hours. I couldn't have planned for my epidural failing while they were chemically inducing contractions. I couldn't have planned for the amount of pain I would be in, even if I had tried. And after all of that, I definitely couldn't have planned for an emergency caesarian section.

In the end, myself and the baby were healthy. We made it through and now we are home safe and sound.

I am glad that I didn't make a birth plan. I'm glad I didn't obsess about what should happen or what could have happened. I'm glad I just went into it with the plan of going with the flow.

I was lucky to have a supportive partner that helped me make choices as they came up. I was lucky to have friends and family that offered advice and helped out while we were in the hospital. And I was lucky that, even though nothing went right, nothing went extremely wrong either.

There are many things in life that you can plan and there are many things that you cannot. Sometimes it is necessary to go with the flow.

If you have a birth plan and everything went smoothly, that's fantastic. If you have a birth plan and everything went chaotic, that's also okay. There are certain times in life you just need to take a back seat and let someone else drive.

You have very little control over how and when a baby arrives. So just ride it out. Try to enjoy the moments that you can and ultimately you will love the end result.

It doesn't matter how it all happens. It doesn't matter how long it takes or how quickly it goes. It doesn't matter if you have a regular birth or a caesarian. It doesn't matter if you choose the drugs or choose to embrace the pain. Everyone will do what they want to when it comes to the birth of their child, but sometimes your "plan" going in is not possible. And you have to be prepared for that.

No matter what happens, love and cherish your little one. You worked hard to bring them into this world and they are all yours.