Have you ever imagine your baby’s “birth” day…how you would like it to go, meeting your little one for the first time, how it should proceed? Or perhaps you are scared about birth, and you would rather not think about it to avoid the panic? Either way, having a birth plan in place can help make sure that you have some choices and input on this momentous day.
A birth plan is really quite simple…it is an opportunity for you to lay out and communicate your preferences about birth! Everything from room environment, to clothing you will wear, medical interventions you would like to accept or decline, circumcision preferences, administration of vaccinations and medication, breastfeeding initiation, people you want present, how you want the placenta delivered, when to cut the cord (and who should cut the cord), and the positioning and techniques you would like to use. A birth plan is also an opportunity for you to spell out preferences if things do not go exactly as planned (in the event of an emergency c-section). In my opinion, every woman giving birth should have a birth plan.
Indeed, many people think “I am having a scheduled c-section, why do I need a birth plan?” Even with a c-section, there are still numerous opportunities for you to express your preferences. More and more, hospitals are looking to make c-sections more mother-baby friendly. Did you know that there are also ways to make a c-section experience feel a bit more like a vaginal birth experience? You can request that the baby be placed on your chest for skin-to-skin time immediately following delivery and while they are closing you up, that you and your baby are not separated, you may request that your partner or spouse initiate skin-to-skin contact if you are unavailable, you may opt to wait for labor to start before going to the hospital for your c-section, you may request music in the room, you may limit unnecessary medical staff presence in the room, you may request more than one person to be in the delivery room with you, you may delay eye drops and vaccinations after birth, and/or you may request that they not suction your baby’s mouth/airway unless medically necessary. Early initiation of breastfeeding is often critical with c-sections – recent studies have shown that c-sections are one of the biggest barriers to breastfeeding. Developing a plan for early skin-to-skin contact and the initiation of the “magical hour” after birth, indicating your preference to keep your baby with you after the procedure, and potentially even hand expressing colostrum prior to birth for early initiation of breastfeeding can all help reduce the impact of c-sections on breastfeeding.
So, what should be in a birth plan? Birth plans can be short and simple, or long and detailed. For my clients, I generally include the following:
- Environment (room, people, photography, staff, clothing)
- Labor (medical interventions, induction/labor stimulation, IVs, pain management, food, movement, labor tools)
- Birthing (positions, techniques, use of mirrors for viewing, partners role in catching)
- C-section preferences (for scheduled or in the event of an emergency)
- Cord (who will cut, when)
- Placenta (when/how it is delivered, what to do with it)
- Post-partum (for both baby and mother – location, feeding, medications/tests, circumcision)
There are many do it yourself birth plans out there! If you would like specific help in constructing your birth plan or understanding all the options and how they might impact you, please feel free to contact me for assistance!