Should You Use A Birth Plan?

I am a very natural minded person.  I prefer alternative remedies to medicine and I avoid any medication unless absolutely necessary.  So you can imagine my apprehension when I thought about giving birth in a traditional hospital.  Between epidurals and pitocin to the various inoculations they give your infant when they are only hours or even minutes old, I was beside myself with anxiety.  I wanted a doctor that would supervise my labor rather than direct it.  Someone who would let nature take its course and step in only when necessary.  I interviewed many obstetricians and finally settled on the one I thought was a good fit.  But how could I make sure that she had a clear understanding of what I wanted along with the nurses and other hospital staff that would be taking care of us?  I decided to write out a birth plan.

A birth plan is a list of all of the preferences and choices for your delivery that you share with your doctor, nurses and midwife.  They are helpful because the last thing you want to be doing between contractions is arguing with doctors and nurses.  I found an online preformatted birth plan.  It had many subjects and you just checked a box that described your preference on each subject.  A birth plan is a great way for you to explore all of the options you have and the procedures you will encounter during your labor and delivery.  For my first baby, there were many things I was unaware I even needed to state a preference for such as an episiotomy.  I didn’t even know what that was until I did my research, but boy was I glad I found out!

The best approach is to find a good birth plan template, do any research you need to on the subjects so that you can make informed decisions, print the finished version out and bring it into you next prenatal appointment.  Show the birth plan to your doctor and have an open discussion about it.  There may some things your doctor won’t agree to.  You can try to work out a compromise or you may decide that choice it not vital enough to fight over.  If you disagree on a factor that is very important to you, it is good to find out now rather than in the delivery room.  That way you can start looking at other OBs or exploring more natural birthing options like a midwife or birthing center.  Once my doctor and I agreed on a plan, I printed a revised draft and had her sign it.  This way when I went into labor, I had it with me to show the nurses that my doctor had signed off on the way I wanted to do things.  It is important to realize that a birth plan is for your ideal, uncomplicated birth.  If complications occur, your doctor may have to go off of it to maintain your health or the health of your baby.

You don’t have to be a granola lover to write up a plan.  Even if you want an epidural and every other intervention possible, a birth plan is a great way to convey your wishes to your doctor and hospital staff.  If you have a pretty good idea of how you want things to go www.birthplan.com has a good format.  If you need a little more guidance and maybe a few definitions check out www.childbirth.org or www.kidshealth.org.  Or you can google “birth plan” and you will come across many other options that may suit you better.

(Photos By: M Pilote