Writing Your “Birth Plan”
There is so much to prepare for when getting ready to welcome your baby into the world. There are a million and one options for each decision you face, and more likely than not, every person you talk to will have a different piece of advice to add. All the opinions can make things a bit overwhelming! Today we are here to talk about our suggestions around birth plans and writing your “birth plan.”
Should I write a birth plan?
The first question here is, should I really write a birth plan? After all, birth isn’t something we can necessarily plan for. The answer is, do what’s best for you! We recommend writing down some “birth preferences” and thinking about important things for you during birth.
What do I put in my birth plan/ preferences sheet?
The goal of writing out what’s important to you during birth isn’t to plan every step of your delivery. After all, birth isn’t something we have full control over. The goal is to start to think about what you feel would enhance your experience and things that you feel may make your experience not as pleasant. *Note: These things may change once you are in labor, and that is okay!
We recommend two separate lists!
Yup, that’s right, two! We recommend writing a list of things that your support people can help with, like if the lights are on or off, what music is playing or isn’t playing, etc. These are things that your partner, doula, or another support person can control in the room. When we make a list for your medical team ( midwife, doctor, nurses, etc.), we want this list to be short and have the most important things to you on there, something that only your medical team can control, or important things that they should know that may affect your birth. These may be: a history of sexual trauma, wanting or not wanting a specific medication or epidural, wanting only female doctors, etc. This list should be short and concise, so when your medical team looks at it, they can follow your wishes to the best of their ability.
Flexablity is key
While it is helpful to think ahead of things that you think you may want or not want during your birth, birth is a process and a changing process. You may consider beforehand that you would like your favorite artist playing while you are in labor and the smell of lavender next to you in an oil diffuser, then transition into active labor and not want any music or smells. This is just one small example of how our preferences can change when we are actively in delivery. That is okay! There are a million and one different preferences that can show up in labor, and we invite you to remind yourself and your partner to stay flexible with the small stuff.
For more information;
Please feel free to contact us at Bay City Doulas; we are more than happy to help and walk through different options with you and your partner.
Thank you for reading this weeks blog: ” Writing your “birth plan”. For more blogs on all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood please check out our other weekly blogs.
