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Birth Plans
Birth plans are a written record of your preferences regarding the birth. Discuss your birth plan with your partner and with your midwife, but know that in emergencies, some preferences will not be followed if it risks the health of you or your baby.
A birth plan is your chance to express your wishes on how you want your labour to be managed, to list your preferences and pass this information on to your healthcare team. It is not obligatory but is a chance for you to have some control over your labour.
In your birth plan include:
whether you want a birthing pool
what type of pain relief you would like - gas and air, epidural, etc
whether you want the delivery of the placenta artificially speeded up
if you prefer an episiotomy or to be left to tear naturally if necessary
if you are happy to be induced or prefer to wait for labour to start naturally
if you want music in the labour room
how you want the baby monitored
the position you want for take for labour and birth - squatting, kneeling, prone, etc
if you want the baby put on your breast immediately after birth
whether you will be breastfeeding or not.
Discuss your birth plan with your partner who may also have certain preferences. If you are unsure of the implications of some of the options, ask your midwife who will be able to explain.
Once you have written all your preferences down on a sheet of paper clearly marked with your name and that of your partner, make copies and be sure that there is one in your medical file and that your midwife and your partner both have a copy.
Don't put undue pressure on yourself either, you may have stipulated on your birth plan that you only want gas and air as pain relief and then, half way through labour, decide on an epidural. It is hard to predict how you will feel in the throes of labour.
You must understand that in the case of an emergency where there is a risk to either you or your baby, the birth plan preferences may not be followed.
Your healthcare team will do everything they can to accommodate your wishes, but keep an open mind; they have your and your baby's best interests at heart, even if they don't follow your birth plan to the letter!
