Whether you’re currently pregnant or in the process of getting pregnant, you probably already know the staggering amount of planning that goes into having a baby.
One of the most important things you can prepare for is labor, and that’s where a birth plan—which we prefer to refer to as your “birth preferences”—comes into play. In this article, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of putting together a birth plan and going through the exercise of teasing out your birth preferences. It’s helpful to go through the exercise of thinking through your preferences beforehand—but the thing about birth is that it can’t really be planned.
What is a birth plan?
A birth plan is a written-out plan that communicates your wants, desires, and preferences before, during, and after birth. Once you go into labor, you may feel overwhelmed making big decisions (and even some small ones). When it comes to writing a birth plan, though, try to prioritize the 5–10 decisions most important to you.
If you’ve communicated your birth plan with your practitioner beforehand, you can even get their opinions on what is and isn’t medically viable for you so you feel even more prepared going into labor.
Birth plan examples: Before birth
When it comes to what happens before birth, think of what will make your labor and delivery more comfortable for you. Think about the atmosphere of the room you are giving birth in.
Things to consider before birth when you’re writing a birth plan are:
- Lighting: Do you mind hospital fluorescents, or do you want the light dimmed?
- Sounds: Do you want music playing? Do you prefer quiet? Do you want to minimize instruction, or do you want someone walking you through your labor and delivery as much as possible?
- Do you want people taking pictures or videos? Some hospitals don’t allow photographers to take so-called crowning shots. (In turn, some photographers don’t service those hospitals. Find out your nonnegotiables, and advocate for your preferences.)
- What kind of equipment do you want? Think things like birthing tubs or a birthing ball.
Birth plan examples: During birth
This part of your birth plan is where you want to think about things like pain management and how you plan on physically handling the actual birth.
Some things to consider including in your birth plan are:
- How do you plan on managing labor pain? Do you want an epidural? Are there alternative pain medicines you want? This is important to discuss with your practitioner beforehand so you know what is and isn’t available to you. For example, nitrous oxide is less common in U.S. hospitals, so if that’s a priority, inquire early. Similarly, if you think you want to try to go without an epidural but are adaptable, consider including a note like “Don’t offer an epidural; I will request it if and when I am ready.”
- Do you want to be in bed during the experience, or would you rather be able to move around?
- Do you want ice chips, or do you want to eat and drink if your doctor approves it?
- Do you want external or internal fetal monitoring? External fetal monitoring will measure the baby’s heart rate and can measure the length between contractions; however, it will limit your movement during labor, as you need to be extremely still to get an accurate reading. If you aren’t able to get a good reading from external fetal monitoring, your doctor will try internal fetal monitoring, but it is a bit more invasive and isn’t recommended if you have an active herpes outbreak or are HIV positive.
- If a provider recommends an episiotomy, do you want to try XYZ first? Some doctors may let you push uninterrupted a few more times or try a different position before an episiotomy.
- Should an intervention be necessary, do you have a preference between a forceps or a vacuum to be used to assist you during labor, or do you want the option to do XYZ beforehand? Sometimes baby needs a little help making their debut into the world. Forceps are a metal instrument used to guide the baby through the birth canal, while a vacuum attaches to baby’s head via suction to assist them out of the birthing canal (don’t worry, it’s not like the Dyson you have at home).
Birth plan examples: After birth
Lastly, you should clarify your preferences for what will happen directly after birth in your birth plan.
Some things to consider are:
- After birth, do you immediately want to breastfeed? What are your breastfeeding plans? If you are having trouble, do you want a lactation consultant to help? Do you want to be consulted before they try formula feeding baby?
- Do you want skin-to-skin contact before they take your baby to be cleaned up?
- Do you want to delay the baby’s bath?
- Do you want your birth partner to catch the baby or cut the cord? Do you want to delay cord clamping?
- Do you have preferences on what is done with the placenta?
- If you’re giving birth to a boy, do you want him to be circumcised?
Be as detailed (or not detailed) as you like
This is a lot to consider, but your birth plan can be more or less detailed depending on your personality. Do you consider yourself a planner? If so, you might be one to write out a more detailed plan. Are you more of a “go with the flow” kind of mama? You might just write down your more pressing preferences and figure out what is best for you as labor continues with the help of your practitioners, doula, midwife, and your partner, of course. There are also birth plan templates that can be filled in that cover the basics. Want to take a look at our founder Chelsea’s personal birth plan? Take a look here.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, calling this a birth plan is probably a bit of a misnomer. You can plan to your best abilities, but you aren’t in full control of what happens when labor begins. Everyone’s birthing experience is a little different, so you might plan one thing based on something you read and then be told that’s not safe for you or your baby while you’re in the delivery room.
So if you plan one thing today, plan to be flexible and open to all the crazy experiences life as a parent is about to bring you.
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