Birth plans mean exactly what they say, they are a plan about how you would like your labour and birth to be. It’s unique view into what is important to you on one of the most special days of your life. 🌍
HOW TO WRITE A BIRTH PLAN?
Try to keep your birth plan focused upon the important factors to you and make sure it is easy to read, with bullet points or highlighted text. Make sure that the midwife who is caring for you reads your plan at the start of your care and that anyone else who takes over, or needs to be involved in your care, reads it too.
Whilst every detail on your birth plan may not go exactly to the letter, we are all individuals and as such, how we want to labour and birth should be too.
THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER
💙 Where you would like to labour and give birth and how you would like the environment around you to be.
💚Think about how you would like your room. Do you want dim lights, do you want to bring your own home comforts to help you to relax?
💛 What positions and equipment would you like available to you during your labour and birth? You may want access to a birth stool or to use the water pool. What position would you prefer for birth? Lots of women don’t want to give birth on their back, so stating this in your birth plan will enable your midwife to facilitate alternative positions for you.
🧡 How would you like to birth your baby? Look into to the research behind what is being recommended to you and make your own decisions.
💜 If you need an assisted delivery (forceps or ventouse), you may have specific wishes, such as ensuring your baby still has delayed cord clamping.
❤️ If you are having a planned caesarean section you can include how you would like things to be, such as having your own play list or having the drapes lower so you can see your baby being born. Most theatre teams will be happy to accommodate any of your wishes where possible.
Most importantly, remember you can change your mind about your wishes for labour and birth at any time. ❤️
Have you written a birth plan? For more advice on planning your birth take a look at step 1 of our 5 ways to prepare and recover on our site! Visit @my_expertmidwife for more
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