Why Bother with a Birth Plan?

If you're pregnant or even just know someone who is pregnant, you've probably heard of a birth plan. They're "all the rage" right now and for good reason! Putting together a birth plan is a good way to educate yourself about your options during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum. 

Empower yourself 
​with information.

1.) Information is empowering. Creating a birth plan requires some research on your part. Knowing your options is the first step in making informed choices about what's right for you and your baby.

Open lines of communication with your care providers.

​2.) When you start learning about and understanding your options, it's time to start talking about them with your doctor/midwife. This lays the ground ​​work for having a positive birth experience. Asking questions and

​listening to the answers helps you get to know your care provider and he/she to get to know you. The goal is to create an environment of mutual respect and build trust between both provider and patient. ​

Keep your birth team on the same page.

3.) Your birth team could consist of your partner, family members, a doula, multiple nurses, your doctor/midwife, or the on-call doctor/midwife, etc. Some of those people will be present consistently, while others will change shifts. Help keep everyone on the same page when it comes to your preferences by talking about them before labor and having a written plan ready for during labor.

Prepare alternatives should things not go exactly as you hoped.

4.) Birth is unpredictable. Birth plans are not just about figuring out your ideal birth; they are about informing yourself about all your choices, even if you get thrown a curve ball. So, for example, even if you're shooting for a non-medicated birth, you should know enough about the risks and benefits of various medicines so that you're overwhelmed with the decision should an unplanned intervention become necessary. Or say you know going in you want an epidural, knowing how best to utilize the benefits and either avoid or work through the risks before you're in the thick of it aids in having a positive birth experience.

I also encourage you to keep your
mind and heart open to the fluidity of life. 

A birth plan should build and grow as you create it. It starts with gathering information, talking to your provider, being realistic about the unpredictability of birth, and finally with creating unity between you and your birth team. It isn't about achieving an "ideal birth." It's completely awesome to have goals and I encourage you to actively work towards them. I also encourage you keep your mind and heart open to fluidity of life.  I often say to clients that we are going to do everything we can to "stack the deck" in their favor; through nourishment, information, education, communication, practice/preparation, etc., we will work towards their goals for their labor/birth. We hope for the best, with truly positive mindsets! But we also prepare for less-than-ideal circumstances, just in case. ​That's what a birth plan is really all about.