Creating a Birth Plan
Planning your birth is super exciting, but it can also be overwhelming to plan every detail from start to finish. During birth, it might be difficult to ensure that everything goes according to your plan. Labor and birth can be spontaneous and somewhat uncontrolled. Having a birth plan can help to try and keep everyone on the same page while you are focusing on your body, birth, and baby.
A birth plan is a written game plan of what you want your labor and birth to look like. It outlines significant details about your wishes, assigns specific roles, and helps ensure things happen according to your preferences.
How do I create a birth plan?
The good thing about a birth plan is that you can customize it according to your needs. You can include as much or as little details as you want.
To begin, do your research regarding different aspects of birth. This will help outline the important decisions you need to make and consider the pros and cons of each option accordingly.
You can also look up sample birth plans or birth plan templates online to get an idea of what details you should include in your plan when you begin making one.
When making your birth plan, you can either write out your birth plan, fill out a template sheet, or even make an Excel sheet! Get help from your partner, your doula, and your midwife to ensure you don’t miss any important details. Also, make sure it’s easy to understand and not too complicated.
What is typically included in a birth plan?
As we said, your birth plan can include as much or as little detail as you want; there is no right or wrong way to do it. Make sure to include details that you consider important and don’t want your birth team to miss.
Here are some key elements of a birth plan that you might want to discuss:
- Your Birth Team: The people that you want present with you when you are in labor.
- Environmental Details: These include any special changes you need in your birthing suite. This could include scent diffusers, a specific temperature, lights, etc.
- Birth Type: Whether you want a water birth in a birth center, a home birth, a completely natural birth without interventions, etc.
- Birth Position: the position that you want to give birth in (though keep in mind that this is one of the major things that can change in the moment).
- Pain Management: What pain control methods are you open to trying and which ones do you want to avoid.
- Placental Preservation: Make sure to specify if you want your healthcare provider to preserve your placenta.
When can I make a birth plan?
You can make your birth plan as early as you want! It’s never too early to get started. However, know that as you go along, your choices and preferences may vary, so make sure to revise your birth plan in the days leading up to your birth.
If you haven’t started early on, we recommend doing so as early as you can. You will want enough time to consider all your options and research them accordingly.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!