Your Birth, Your Way
- Jul 6, 2017
- 2 min read
"Your birth, Your way"
It sounds so simple, but what does that really mean?
What most moms-to-be don't know is that you do have choices in the way you birth. While your birth can't be scripted from start to finish, you can plan out what your response will be in certain situations. The cornerstone of this approach is creating your birth plan. Below, I've listed three easy steps to creating a birth plan.
Visualize your birth
When creating a birth plan, you may feel overwhelmed about where to start. One way to begin is to visualize your birth. Think about how your environment looks, feels, smells and sounds. You may find it useful to write down what your ideal birth would look like.
From there, pull out any aspects that are of great importance to you and write those down. Some things to consider would be:
Who do you want to be present during labor?
Do you want any specific music/scents/touch?
How do you feel about fetal monitoring?
What options would you like for pain medication/Do you want pain medication offered to you?
Do you want an IV or heparin/saline lock (or neither)?
Do you want to wear your own clothing?
How do you feel about episiotomy or other assisted delivery?
In what position would you like to deliver?
How do you feel about newborn procedures (eye ointment, vitamin K, newborn bath, etc)?
Are you keeping the placenta (and does it need to be picked up by someone)?
Also consider creating a second birth plan in the event of a surgical birth. Some things to consider on that birth plan could be:
Who will be present in the room?
Would you like pictures or video?
Would you like your arms secured or have one hand free?
Would you like anti-nausea medication?
Would you like to be told what’s happening during surgery?
How do you feel about newborn procedures (eye ointment, vitamin K, newborn bath, etc)?
Are you keeping the placenta (and does it need to be picked up by someone)?
Outline your plan
Once you have everything listed, it may be helpful to break it down into early labor, active labor/delivery, and baby. Create bullet-point lists under each category to make it easy to read.
Keeping it short is also helpful. One page is ideal. Some mamas may prefer to use a visual birth plan. This site is a good resource to help you create one.
Share your plan
After you’ve created your birth plan, share it with your partner and your birth team. Bring it with you to a prenatal visit with your care provider around 37 weeks. Make sure they are able to comply with all aspects of your plan. Some things may not be possible due to hospital policy. Discuss ways that those preferences can be met. Have a copy for your provider to keep in your patient file.
Be sure to make multiple copies of your plan. Have a few in your birth bag, give one to your doula, and one to your partner. Also e-mail them a copy so they have it electronically.
Below are some resources to help you create birth plans:
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