Making a Birth Plan

It can feel a little to a lot intimidating to build a birth plan. Especially when you are listening to other' birth stories. It can cause us to feel confused about what is most important to us and what matters most in our birth space. 

When I am chatting with my clients, I want to help them simplify their birth goals so it doesn't feel so overwhelming to get started. 

• It's important to start with an About Me section for your provider and doula. While providers have notes in their systems about you, this section is a quick high-level overview that includes details such as, How many births/pregnancies you have had to date, Your health history as it pertains to birth, Prior injuries that would be helpful for your birth team to know. 
• Labor Preferences includes details on what you want your birth space to feel, look, smell, sound like. What comfort measures and labor tools do you want to use during labor? Who do you want in the room with you? Keep this list only to the most important - if you make the list too long, things will get lost in the weeds. 
• Medical interventions may be elective or thrust upon you for many reasons. So while most people are searching for a doula to avoid any medical interventions, on way you can prepare for the unexpected is to include language here that says "unless medically necessary", and "you must explain why this is being suggested before I will agree," or "I must be informed if there is there an alternative to this plan/or if we can wait for X amount of time before we move forward"
• Sometimes induction methods are used to start labor and other times, they are used to continue or speed labor up - it's good to be informed on when an induction method is used and which you are OK with and which you are Not OK with. 
• You also want to notate what matters most to you about After Birth Care. This is not care about your newborn (which will come next), rather this section is regarding how to treat the cord, placenta, tears, etc. 
• Finally, while your provider does not need to know about the New Born Care, their baby nurse will want to know how you plan to feed baby, how to handle standardized care (Vitamin K shot, Enthromycin, Hep B, circumcision as applicable), etc. 

The image provided includes some talking points and as well as my Pro Tips:

• Include phrases such as “Education and Consent are important to me.” and “If something is not listed on my birth plan, let’s discuss before moving forward”
• Keep plan to 1 page and be clear/to the point
• Try to keep your Preferences for both OK and NOT OK to 5 or less points that matter most to you

Feel free to schedule your free consult today to see how I can support your birth goals, education and labor!