Creating a “birth plan” can seem like a daunting task during pregnancy. Your social media feeds, friends, and family members are full of overwhelming options and opinions on which way is truly best. Then Pinterest and google provide you with massive checklist birth plans that try to plan out every detail of every minute of the birthing experience.
So where do you begin? Do you not create a birth plan at all and just go with the flow? Or do you try to plan every detail so you can feel prepared for labor and delivery?
Here are 4 tips to help you create the birth plan and birth experience that is right for you!
1. Keep It Simple
Feel free to peruse all the birth plans out there because knowledge is power and knowing what you may be asked is important but when it comes to making your birth plan, keep it simple. Overcomplicated and over-detailed birth plans are not only unrealistic but will also lead to more anxiety and disappointment when the birth doesn’t go exactly as planned. The more adaptable you can be without compromising what is most important to you, the better birth experience you will have.
2. Set Goals
Prioritize which aspects of the birth are most important to you and set goals based around these. These may include the setting in which you want to delivery (hospital vs home vs birthing center), who you want to be with you in the delivery room, the environment you want surrounding you, the pain techniques or medications you are willing to use, positions you’d like to push in, the importance of breastfeeding or early skin-to-skin contact, etc. Your goals should be simple, easy to communicate, and realistic. Some examples may include – Keep moving as long as possible, No IV pain medications, No epidural until after 6cm dilated, Stay informed throughout the whole process, Breastfeed right away, No episiotomy and take measures for minimal perineal tearing.
3. Communicate
Your goals mean nothing if you don’t communicate them to the birthing team including your birth partner, the OBGYN or midwife, the hospital or birthing center staff. Do not hand them a printed-off three-page birth plan because its very unlikely they are going to read it. These people are busy, do this every day for a living, and a likely overseeing multiple births. Instead use a whiteboard to write your goals in the room you will be birthing. This way when each member of your birthing team enters the room, you can direct them to your goals or read of your goals for them. This simple technique will help keep everyone on the same page.
4. Find Support
Find a birth team that can make your birth plan a reality. Everyone on your birthing team – partner, midwife, OB, nurses, doula, pelvic floor physical therapist – should be aware of your birth plan and able to support ALL of your goals. If they are not able to support your goals, then FIND A NEW TEAM! If you go in wanting a water birth but have chosen a hospital, provider, or partner that does not support this, you will be disappointed and inevitably have a negative experience. Surround yourself with a team that you trust and respect, that understands your priorities, knows your goals for your birth experience, and is willing to do everything in their power to help you achieve the birth you want. At the end of the day, you may have goals that were not fully met but if you trust your birth team you will feel confident in your providers’ decisions even if they deviate from what you had anticipated.
Creating the birth plan that is right for you can be difficult but these simple strategies can help to prepare you for the birth experience that is right for you. Women who feel in-control, respected, and communicated with are much more likely to have a positive birth experience which can impact everything from the mother’s confidence and self-esteem to her attachment with her new baby. If you want help creating the birth plan that’s right for you or want to prepare yourself for an empowering birth experience, sign up for Life Changes Physical Therapy’s Plan, Prep, Push birthing preparation course today! This class is offered in private or small group settings and will help to prepare your body and mind for pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum experience!