Get Started On Your Birth Plan

Why it’s important to have one and what you should consider

A birth plan is a guide that highlights your preferences for your labour and delivery. By taking time to contemplate your options, through research and discussions with your partner and healthcare provider, you will be better prepared for the important decisions you need to make. A birth plan helps expectant moms feel more in control on labour day, and if you are not able to express your wishes, your birth partner can advocate for you.

Keep in mind that labour and birth are unpredictable and it is impossible to determine exactly how things will play out. Instead, see your birth plan as a checklist of your preferences rather than a strategy to follow to the letter. You can adjust your choices at any time and work with your labour and delivery team to get the best care for you and your baby. Never feel pressured to stick to your ‘original plan’. If you feel you want to deviate, do so.

Plan of Action

It’s tempting to go into the finest detail when writing up a birth plan, but rather than be too prescriptive, drill down your choices and produce a plan that is easy to read. A flexible birth plan sets you up for success, rather than leaving you feeling disappointed that things haven’t ‘gone according to plan’.

Build your birth plan in three easy steps:

Step 1. Research your options

Step 2. Consult others

Step 3. Write it down

Let’s take a more detailed look:

Step 1: Research Your Options

Learn as much as possible about the various pain relief and birthing options available to you. Aim to break down your birth plan into sections for easy reading.

Background details

• • Your details and your partner’s and/or birth partner’s details.
  • Names and contact details of your birthing facility, healthcare provider and midwife (if required).
  • Any medical conditions/details you want to disclose.
  • Complications you may have experienced in this pregnancy or a previous one.

Labour options

• Who will be in the room with you? This may be your birth partner and/or a doula or private midwife. Check that your facility accommodates this.
• What environment do you want to create? Low light, soft music etc.
• Do you want to use a birthing pool or take a bath or shower as part of your pain management?
• What non-medicated or medicated pain-relief options will you consider?

Labour options are:

• Breathing exercises and/or massage (birth partner support).
• TENS machine – it uses electrical pulses that lower pain messages to your brain (you can hire one and bring it with you if your facility doesn’t supply one).
• Gas (a mixture of nitrous oxide gas and oxygen) – you inhale the gas at the start of the contraction.
• Pethidine, an opioid painkiller that can be effective during labour.

Also to consider:

• Do you want an epidural? This is a local anaesthetic injected in your lower back to block pain during labour and delivery. You can have an epidural with a normal birth or a C-section. With normal birth, you will still be able to push your baby out.
• What labour positions are you considering? Do you want to remain upright as much as possible?
• Do you prefer intermittent foetal monitoring (occasional, allowing you to stay mobile) or continuous foetal monitoring (you will be attached to a monitor and will need to stay in bed).
• What birthing aids do you want to use – a ball, stool, chair etc.

Birthing options

• What is your chosen birthing option – natural birth, C-section or water birth?
• Would you rather tear naturally or prefer an episiotomy (an incision made in the perineum, the muscular area between the vagina and anus), if one is necessary?
• When will you consent to assisted delivery (using forceps or vacuum)?
• If you are considering a normal vaginal birth, in what instances will you consider a C-section in the event of an emergency?

Post-birth care for you and your baby

• Will your partner cut the cord?
• Do you want baby to be placed on your chest and start breastfeeding right after the birth?
• Are there any cultural practices that need to be adhered to, for example, with the placenta?
• Are you banking your baby’s cord blood?
• What are your preferences for baby’s care directly after the birth and for the first night?

Step 2: Consult Others

Consult with people who are part of your pregnancy, both personally and professionally, and ask questions or discuss your options with them.

• Your partner and/or birth partner – discuss your choices with them and listen to their preferences.
• Your midwife or doula – they can support and advise you, and answer your questions you may have on pregnancy, labour and birthing options
• Your healthcare provider – ask questions about their protocols and preferences during labour and consider how these align with your own. Voice your views, then give your healthcare provider an opportunity to explain theirs. Have this conversation in the second or early third trimester so if your viewpoints differ, you can negotiate or make changes if needed.

Step 3: Write it Down

Once you have completed your birth plan, share it with your healthcare provider. Give your  birthing partner a copy and place one in your labour bag.  You can also ask to have a copy put in your file at your birthing facility or give your midwife one if you are planning a home birth.

Contact your midwife or healthcare provider for support.

Resources: https://www.webmd.com/; https://www.parents.com/; https://www.whattoexpect.com/; https://www.babycentre.co.uk/; https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/; https://patient.info/; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/