What is a Birth Plan?
A birth plan is a document that tells your medical team your preferences for such things as how to manage pain, procedures performed on you and your child, and your choices for labor style and birth.
Creating a birth plan that's right for you and your child can be daunting, as a first-time Mom, I was compelled to research and ask advice (from my Mom of course). There are some great articles and advice online that can help point you in the right direction. Though ultimately the decisions that need to be made, both in and out of the hospital, are really up to you and your partner's ideals, your beliefs, and your lifestyle.
1. A great way to start a birth plan is with knowing the facts about your hospital of choice. This includes episiotomy information, sleeping arrangements for your newborn, nursery practices and your state and local laws about several procedures for your baby that may or may not be required.
2. When researching your hospital keep in mind that YOU are the patient, if you feel that you would rather they skip or perform a procedure, you are free to act upon YOUR wishes.
3. Look up your states requirements about procedures such as Prophylactic Eye Ointment, in some states it is required by law that doctors apply this to your child's eyes soon after birth in order to keep from blindness by infection. If you have been tested positive with gonorrhea, you should consider this application.
5. Remember that you are in charge of your birth plan, but have your birth coach, partner or whoever is with you in the hospital read your plan, so that the doctors can not deviate from it unless there is a medical risk.
6. Be SPECIFIC! List full names of people that are involved with your plan, including your partner, labor coach and parents. Also list procedural terms that the doctor/midwife and nurses will understand.
Here is my birth plan as an example:
Labor
Coach: Mother
(Teresa Morris)
Visitors
after Delivery:
Mother, Father, Brother (Teresa, Jonathan and Liam Morris) unless informed
otherwise
Video
Documentation/Photography:
After Delivery
Room
Preferences:
Labor playlist
Move
around during labor?
Yes, if preferable and/or needed
Drug-free
birth? Yes, unless informed otherwise
Induction: No, unless informed otherwise
Episiotomy: No, allow natural tearing
Umbilical
Cord/ Cord Blood:
Delay severing until cord stops pulsating, cut by baby’s Grandfather (Jonathan
Morris) or Grandmother (Teresa Morris)
Washing,
Weighing, Swaddling:
Prefer “kangaroo” care/ skin-to-skin
Prophylactic
Eye Ointment: Yes
Baby’s
first feeding/Breastfeeding:
As soon as possible, during skin-to-skin if possible. 100% breastfeeding,
absolutely no formula.
Will
baby sleep in delivery/recovery room or Nursery? In delivery/ recovery room
Hearing
Test: Yes
Newborn
Heel Prick Metabolic Disorders Screen:
Yes
Vitamin
K shot: Yes
Artificial
Nipples (bottles or pacifiers):
No
Circumcision: Yes
