As a parent to-be, preparing for the arrival of your little one is likely to be your number one priority for the better part of nine months.  In addition to regular visits with your OB to monitor the progress of your pregnancy, you will privately embark on a complete reorganization of your lives together. From rededicating space in the house to your new infant, to accumulating baby clothes, to buying furniture, supplies and toys, you will have your work cut out for you. You'll even spend countless hours deciding on the perfect baby name, making your belly cast, and choosing the right color of paint for the trim in the nursery. But aside from packing a bag for the hospital and praying for a normal delivery, what have you done to ensure that things will go well on the day your baby arrives? Have you decided on anything concrete regarding the actual birth of your baby?  For everything to work out to your liking on the day of your child's birth, it is a good idea to have a plan drawn up in advance. That is the purpose of a birth plan!

What is a Birth Plan?

A birth plan is not a comprehensive step-by-step plan for your baby's birth, nor is it a list of demands to be placed on your health care provider. Rather, it is a collection of your thoughts, feelings and expectations for your birthing experience including labor, delivery and the days that follow your baby's arrival. It is an incredibly empowering document because it clearly communicates your wishes, and has the potential to help you handle any number of what-if scenarios as they play out in real time. Often in the heat of battle, especially when things take an unexpected turn, weighing your options and making important decisions is the last thing you are prepared to do. In these cases, a birth plan is an absolute blessing. 

Developing Your Plan

You can start with a basic sketch and work your way up to a complete list of all of your preferences. One option is to first contemplate how you would like a NORMAL delivery to go, and then proceed from there. You wouldn't think it, but there are a lot of things to consider, even if the day goes perfectly.  Just to make that point, here are some of the things you might want to think about for labor, delivery and post-delivery care:

LABOR

How long do you plan to labor at home? 

Who would you like to be with you during labor: A doula? A sibling?

In what cases should labor be induced?

Do you have a favorite position for labor, or would you like to walk around?

How will you manage pain?

Will you use water during labor? 

Is there any smell that you would like to have in the room?

How about music?

DELIVERY

Where will you give birth:  A birthing center? At home? In a hospital?

Who would you like to be present during birth?

Will you request shaving of the pubic area?

What about an enema?

Are you opposed to having an episiotomy?

Should your water break on its own, or be broken for you? 

Will you save the cord blood?

How will the placenta be delivered?

Do you want to see the placenta after birth?

Who will cut the umbilical cord?

POST-DELIVERY

When will the baby be given to mom?

Will you send the infant to the nursery at night, or room in?

Will you breast feed?

Will the baby have a Vitamin-K injection?

Will the infant have antibiotic ointment smeared in his eyes?

Will your male child be circumcised?

This is not a comprehensive list, but simply a starting point. Once you have developed your list of preferences for what your ideal delivery should look like, you can begin to explore other scenarios. In many cases, this will inspire you to develop a list of questions for your health care provider. Ask them!  That's what they're there for. Do not be afraid to ask questions, especially of your friends, parents, older siblings, and anyone else that might have experienced childbirth. But remember, in most cases the decisions are yours to make.

Sharing Your Plan

It is important that once you have made the key decisions about your baby's birth, and have written them down in the form of a birth plan, that you then communicate your wishes to everyone who will have an impact on your birthing experience. Be clear with everyone involved. Tell them that you will be preparing a birth plan, that you will be sharing it with them, and that insofar as it is possible, you expect them to help you make it come to fruition. This list of people should include your doctor or nurse-midwife, and doula, and can include your family and even hospital staff. These folks will be better equipped to help you fulfill your vision for the day. 

Pack a few extra copies in your hospital bag. Attach one to your chart. If someone other than expected would be delivering your baby, share it with this person too. These people will want to help you achieve your goals, and this is all the information they will need to make that happen. 

Additional Resources

There are countless resources available on the Internet to help you with creating your birth plan, including complete templates for guiding you through the process. Although it is a relatively recent development, books have also been written on the subject. Any search engine query involving the words birth and plan should yield more results than you would ever have time to explore. That said, as long as you're here, a simple eBay search for Birth Plans might be your best first move. I hope that this guide has helped you, and that you have the birthing experience that you have always dreamed of.  Now follow that link and get started on your plan.  Good luck!

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