I can hardly believe that we are just 10 weeks away from meeting our little man. I've had some questions about my birth plan, I think this is a pretty common question when women are pregnant, everyone wants to know what we envision for delivery day. Now, I have obviously never given birth before so I have no idea what to expect. I have heard both sides, the good and the horrid, but I realized that listening to stories shouldn't sway my feelings for what I want. Of course the things I plan now may or may not be what takes place on the actual day, but a birth plan is necessary, and this is what I'd like for our day. Let's just jump in:
1. Information and Notice to Nurses
It's important to provide your information as well as your OB's name because you will likely turn in your birth plan to a nurse at the hospital who has not met you before. We also decided to include a short note to our nurses explaining that we understand they are the professionals, but we would like them to follow our birth plan so long as mom and baby are healthy.
2. Environment
Here you want to detail who is allowed and not allowed in the room during labor as well as any additional things that you want to bring with you such as your own maternity gown.
3. Labor
Be sure that you detail out what you envision for your labor. Who will be there? What do you want the room to feel like (i.e.: rushed or relaxed)? Will you want music playing? What about lighting? Are you going to want pain relief, if so, when would you like it to be administered?
4. Birth
This is the part of the birth plan where you want to be detailed and answer questions such as who will be present, will you want to catch the baby, do you want a mirror to see baby crowning, will baby go straight to the nurses for measurements or will mom want baby placed on her? I also included that, aside from my husband, I do want the photographer to have access in the room.
5. After Birth
Depending on mom's energy levels, will you want baby to stay with you while you give first feeding or will baby go to the nursery while mom rests? This is where you will want to talk briefly about expectations for your post-partum room.
6. Notices Regarding Baby
Finally, you'll want to give a little notice to nurses and hospital staff that visit your post-partum room. For us, we are exclusively breastfeeding and request that baby not be given a pacifier or bottle. And although this may not happen, we would like to either be present during first bath or be able to give baby his first bath. This will vary by hospital requirements, so be sure to check with your hospital to find out how the first bath is handled.
Make sure that you take a copy to your 36 week appointment to go over with your OB. Most OB's will want to review your plan and may request that some things be changed. He may even be able to let you know what things will not be able to take place due to restrictions by the hospital.
I hope this gave you some ideas for your own birth plan. If you have any questions, feel free to message me!
Thanks for reading!
*Disclaimer: this is not my final birth plan; I have re-written it to better accommodate our changes and needs, and I will probably edit it once more after I've brought it to my OB*