Don’t plan your birth
Please, please, please don’t plan your birth!
YUP, you read that right, I said don’t plan your birth.
When it comes to planning your birth things can go terribly wrong. You may get set in the “perfect” birth or have unrealistic expectations for your birth team and their roles in your birth.
Planning things down to the last detail is a little unrealistic when it comes to birth. Birth is messy and unpredictable, it is almost never what you expect it to be. Birth is by no means a rigid and “follow the rules” type of event.
If you have a rigid birth plan with no room for the unexpected you may end up feeling defeated, upset or even traumatized. Things can seem out of your control and overwhelming.
So instead of creating a plan that is rigid and stiff, try being fluid and allow for movement in your birth plan. Understand that plans may change and account for those changes. All this while also being clear on what your goals are for your birth.
By no means should you not have goals set for you and your birth team on what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. AND everyone on your team should be 100% on board with your goals.
So how do you do that?
Be sure to get as detailed as possible. Take into consideration all your senses, what do you want to feel, hear, smell and see.
Explore all your options, such as but not limited to; pain coping, labor and pushing positions, immediate newborn care, fetal monitoring and cervical checks. The more time you put into learning all your options and laying them out in one spot the less questions and uncertainty you will have during labor.
When you are in labor the last thing you want to do is try and learn about something you have never thought of before. So knowing the risks and benefits of as many interventions that could arise during labor is key!
I always encourage people to have two different types of birth plans. One for your doula, partner or other support person and one for your provider and hospital staff.
The one for your support team should have every detail of what you want your space to look and feel like. It can have different coping techniques, labor positions and newborn care.
For your provider and hospital staff, be clear and direct. Keep what you want and don’t want short and to the point.
Ex:
No cervical checks
Ability to move around
Mother led pushing
Breaking down the provider plan into the stages of labor is also helpful and easy for them to read and follow.
I also HIGHLY recommend creating a plan for those unforeseen circumstances, such as, home birth transfer, C-section, hemorrhage or even possible NICU stay. This way if any of these scenarios come up you know what to expect and have a guide for people to follow.
After you have your birth plan made, have EVERYONE on your birth team (midwife,OB/GYN, partner, doula, ect.) sign off on it. This way if anyone has any questions or concerns surrounding your goals they can ask questions and get clarifications.
If you need a little extra help with creating a birth plan, Birth on the Daily offers birth planning sessions. It is a one on one crash course with Hannah for everything birth plan related. We spend time talking about your goals, fears and options surrounding your labor and birth.
By the end of the 60 minute call you will have the groundwork for a birth plan that is fluid, efficient and personalized just for you.
If a 1:1 session isn’t for you we also have a birth plan template that is broken down into five sections walking you through how to create a birth plan that allows for movement and is easy to understand.
This type of birth plan is ESSENTIAL for a birth that you are 100% in control of, so PLEASE don’t skip out on it!
