Do You Have A Birth Plan? Why you should and How!
Women have been giving birth forever without a plan, so I can yeah?
If you’re anything like me (with my first pregnancy) you just have an idea in your head and have spoken to your partner and a little to the midwife about your birth preferences and don’t really want to plan much so you can’t be disappointed, I mean women have been doing this forever yeah - and accept whatever happens, happens right?
I was sooo lucky I had an amazing, supportive network of health professionals with my Hubby and Mum. Although they all knew I wanted a natural birth with minimal pain relief and interventions, I hadn’t discussed throughly with them complete details and to be honest I didn’t know much about what I wanted myself.
So when I was exhausted and asked for an epidural my midwife simply distracted me with encouragement and said ‘How about we give it another 10mins and see how you are going then’ Thankfully I totally forgot about it and she didn’t ask me again in 10mins.
This time around I’m feeling far better mentally prepared and so does my partner having a birth plan should we or he need to make any difficult decisions.
A Birth Plan is far more than a written description of your ideal birth, it’s not a set in stone ‘How it is going to be’ but rather it’s a place to plan, explore and define your informed choices should various and unexpected events occur. Setting guidelines and preferences within your plan will allow you to have the best possible chance of achieving your desired birth experience. It will help to prevent setting you into a frenzy of not knowing the possible consequences of your choices which may be un-rationale or un-informed when you’re well into active labour, having to make decisions on the spot can also affect the hormonal balance required during labour for a natural and respected birth not to mention the later affects on bonding, breastfeeding etc.
It is important to do your own research, everyone is different and your Mum, cousins, friends, sister, friends-sisters-cousins-wife’s experience may be far different from yours. Keep your mind open to stories and helpful suggestions that you can note in your birth plan but it’s truely important to thrive on the positive and empowering experiences rather than overload yourself with doubt and negative thoughts.
Don’t be afraid to seek other care providers should you not feel supported in your choices or that you feel your current provider just isn’t quite the right fit for your journey. Surrounding yourself with supportive health care providers is truely important.
Explore how you feel about birth. Read empowering books and blogs and follow people that provide informative birthing options so that you are aware of the importance of your choices.
Reference for your Birth Support Team. Partners can feel really helpless during labour, those verbal instructions you gave them can completely go out the window when they too are feeling stressed or anxious. Having your preferences in writing for everyone to refer to is going to give them confidence and empowerment that they are doing their best for you and baby.
It is far easier and more efficient for midwives and medical practitioners to respect and adhere to your wishes if they are in writing also.
Empower you as you have a choice. Information is power. You deliver your baby not the Doctor/midwife, they are there to help. You birth plan will remind everyone of your wishes and that they are there to aid you in achieving the best possible outcome for you and the baby.
Plan for all scenarios. This will help to ease a lot of fear for both yourself and partner should something unexpected or undesired occur. Your preferences will be written for others to follow so you can concentrate on the most important task, keeping calm and labouring.
So, where do you start?
It's never too early to start!!
There are many Birth Plan templates out there to get you started. Remember to keep it clear, short and simple It’s going to be much easier for your partner and health professionals to read and reference without feeling as though they are doing homework and/or reading a novel.
I have provided a couple of links below of a couple of resources and birth plan templates some I like ;)
Ina May’s guide to Childbirth / Ina May Gaskin http://inamay.com
A Modern Womans’ guide to a Natural Empowering Birth / Katrina Zaslavsky - http://www.birthgoddess.com.au
Microbirth (Documentary)
In-Shape Moms is an App that includes the birth plan free and you can print it out or send it to anyone as you go. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/in-shape-moms/id463411926?mt=8
The Bump A really great guide! https://www.thebump.com/a/tool-birth-plan
Visual Birth Plan Guide https://combatbootmama.com/2014/06/25/creating-your-visual-birth-plan/
