Making A Birth Plan

The birth of your baby should be a joyous, stress-free moment for you. To make sure that happens, it’s usually a good idea to plan ahead of time and make sure all your preferences are catered to beforehand.

What Is A Birth Plan?

birth plan is a written outline of your choices and preferences regarding your delivery and the postpartum period. This can include anything that you would consider important when giving birth or after.

This can be as simple as a few lines indicating special requests or it could be a detailed plan outlining every single preference you want during your delivery. It’s recommended that you share a copy of this birth plan with your healthcare provider or anyone else you want directly involved with the birth process.

How To Research Or Learn What To Put On a Birth Plan

To get a feel for what kinds of things people put on their birth plans, you can ask other moms around you what they put on it. If you don’t know any new moms, you can join online forums for new moms-to-be and start a discussion about birth plans. However, remember that everyone’s wants and needs are different, especially during birth. Using their preferences as ideas for what you like and don’t like can help you get started.

You can also download different types of birth plan templates such as this one to get an idea from or copy it as it is.

It’s always a good idea to discuss the birth plan with your doula, midwife, or obstetrician. You can ask them about what choices you have regarding your birth settings and what other decisions you need to think about beforehand. This will give you a basic idea of what you can put on your birth plan.

Who Can Help With My Birth Plan?

You can take help from whoever you want when drafting your birth plan. You’d probably want to discuss it with your partner, your friends, your mom, your doula, and of course, your healthcare provider.

Certain aspects of your birth plan such as the method of delivery will need to be discussed with your healthcare provider beforehand so both of you are prepared for it and don’t have any last-minute mix-ups.

What To Include In Your Birth Plan

While it’s up to you how detailed or simple you want your birth plan to be, some of the things you can put in it include:

  1. How do you want to give birth? Do you want a normal delivery or do you want to try a water birth?
  2. Who do you want with you while you give birth?
  3. Do you want any special settings around your birth suite? Lights, music, scented candles, etc
  4. Would you want any pain relief? What method of pain relief would you prefer?
  5. Do you want to be able to walk during the first stage of your labor, or do you want to stay in bed?
  6. Do you want a doula?
  7. Your take on fetal monitoring
  8. Any special snacks or drinks that you’d want?
  9. Would you be willing to have an episiotomy?
  10. Would you be willing to try interventions if need be?
  11. Do you want to breastfeed the baby immediately?
  12. Do you want to wear any special clothes during or after birth?
  13. Any plans for the baby soon after they are born?

Or to make things simpler, you can think of questions under these headings:

  • Specifications before labor
  • Special requisitions during delivery
  • Preferences for possible medical interventions
  • Preferences regarding the newborn, if any

 

Remember, there is no right or wrong when it comes to drafting a birth plan. The entire purpose is to make you feel comfortable about the process of giving birth, so don’t be hesitant to ask questions or make requests! We’ll try our best to cater to your needs to the best of our abilities.