Getting Ready For Baby – Creating Your Birth Plan

The birth of a baby is one of the most exciting and important life events that a woman will have. Each birth is unique, just as each mother is unique. Families will have specific preferences they would like as part of their big day. Creating a birth plan is a great way to make sure the doctor, midwife, parents, extended family and medical staff are on the same page.

Ask yourself these questions and discuss them with your partner

• Do you want to deliver in a hospital, in a birthing center or in your home?
• Do you have any medical history that the nurses should be aware of, such as group B strep, Rh incompatibility, gestational diabetes or drug allergies?
• Do you plan to breastfeed or bottle feed? Would you like to incorporate skin-to-skin immediately after birth?
• Do you plan to use medication during labor? What other pain management techniques would you like to try? Shower, bath, exercise ball, music, focal points, massage or different positions? Does the birthing facility offer these options?
• Do you want a delayed cord clamping if possible? Do you want to save the cord blood? Does your partner wish to cut the cord themselves?
• Who will be present? Just your partner? Will you have a doula? What about grandparents, friends, aunts and uncles or older siblings?
• What preferences do you have for infant care? When to feed? Where to sleep? Will you offer a pacifier?
• Will baby receive standard medications and vaccines?
• If you need a Cesarean section , do you have any preferences?

Each birth, just like each mother, is unique. Creating a birth plan will help make sure everyone involved is on the same page. Photo by Three Moons Doula Services and Birth Photography.

Baby runs the show

Naomi Bjorgan, LM, CPM with Redding Midwifery, says “I always call birth plans ‘birth wishes’ because quite frankly, baby runs the show. I recommend they make the birth wish no more than one page with concise bullet points of their wishes in the categories of Labor, Birth, Cord and Placenta, Newborn Preferences, and Interventions/Caesarean Birth. Key to keep in mind under Interventions would be having any IVs placed high on the forearm and not in the hand, and offering a vacuum or forceps delivery before resorting to a C-section. Do they want the screen lowered if a C-section is happening? There should also be an exaggerated timeline – one hour from birth or until the placenta is delivered – until clamping.”

And Chico area midwife Dania Shelton, LM, CPM at Mercy Oceans Midwifery, would add the following items to your discussion list while drawing up the birth plan:

• What position can I deliver in?
• Do you want a water birth and is it allowed at the hospital?
• How many support people can be in the birth room? What is hospital policy?
• Do you want to circumcise? Have this discussion ahead of time with your partner.

Once you have answered these questions, you have most likely determined what you would or would not like to have happen during your birthing experience. Armed with this information, you can start to create your birth plan.

Discuss the plan with your healthcare providers

Talk with your doctor or midwife about what a typical birth looks like for them. They will be able to give you an idea of how things will go and what you can expect. If your plan differs greatly from their plan, discuss this and come up with a plan that works for all of you. Having this discussion in advance can eliminate frustration during the birthing process.

Visit the hospital or birthing center

Most hospitals offer tours of their birthing facility. These often include spending time in an empty room to get acquainted with the space and help you decide on any other preferences you may want in your birth plan. Ask the staff if pain management items such as exercise balls, jacuzzi tubs or massage are available. Also, ask if the baby will stay in a nursery or in the room with you.

Start early

It can take some time to get your birth plan together, so it is best to start on it early so you can feel confident it is ready when baby arrives. Even if this is not your first baby, you will still want to have a birth plan in place because you will have new nurses assisting with your delivery. Make sure your plan is easy to read and highlights the most important aspects that you wish for during the birth of your child.

With your plan in place, you will feel more prepared for the big day. Mikalyn Zacharias, owner of Three Moons Doula and Birth Photography, agrees about looking at the birth plan as a wish list. “A birth plan is nice to have when you’re in the throes of labor and you’re not in a logical state of mind,” she says.  “It’s a reference for a nurse, husband, midwife, or doula to double check your birth wishes without having to have a full conversation with you.”

What to pack for the hospital

• Pillow, blanket and other comfort items
• Nursing pillow, nursing pads and nursing bra
• Clothes to wear home (choose some smaller maternity clothes or loose-fitting pants)
• Personal hygiene items
• Music, focal point and other pain management items
• Clothes for baby
• Gift for the older sibling(s)
• Camera, phone or other personal electronics, and chargers
• Journal or paper and pen in case you want to take notes
• Snacks and vending machine change for your partner

Resources:

Naomi Bjorgan, LM, CPM
Redding Midwifery
reddingmidwiferygroup.com

Dania Shelton, LM CPM
Mercy Oceans Midwifery
530-559-0328
m.o.midwifery@gmail.com
mercyoceansmidwifery.com

Mikalyn Zacharias
Three Moons Doula Services & Birth Photography
(530)604-7119