A birth plan is a written document that outlines a parent’s preferences and wishes for their labour, delivery, and postpartum care. If you’re a first time parent like many, you may be thinking the doctor knows best and they will inform you and whatever will be will be – well let me prove you wrong.
For expectant parents, preparing a birth plan can help them feel in control of the birth process and provide a framework for discussing and deciding on important aspects of the birth with their healthcare provider.
Here are several reasons why someone would need a birth plan:
1. Promotes effective communication: By creating a birth plan, expectant parents are encouraged to engage in open discussions with their healthcare providers regarding their preferences for the birthing experience. This fosters better communication and collaboration throughout the entire process.
2. Facilitates informed decision-making: Through creating a birth plan, expectant parents can research and discuss various options and interventions beforehand, allowing them to make informed decisions about their care during labour and delivery.
3. Creates empowerment: Creating a birth plan gives a mother a sense of control and empowers her to make informed decisions about her labour and delivery. It ensures that the mother’s needs and wants are taken into consideration, helps to minimise anxiety and stress ensuring better overall satisfaction with the experience.
4. Helps ensure a birth experience that aligns with the parent’s wishes: A birth plan allows expectant parents to outline their preferences for pain management, support during labour, delivery positions, and other aspects of the birth experience. This helps ensure that the healthcare team supports the parent’s choices as much as possible.
5. Managing medical interventions: Medical procedures such as inductions and c-sections can be stressful for a mother. A birth plan can help mothers communicate their desire for natural childbirth and minimise unnecessary medical interventions.
6. Tool for others: A birth plan can be used as a tool for the birth partner, doula, or healthcare provider to advocate for the mother in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
7. Provides further health information: A detailed birth plan can ensure that the healthcare team is well-informed about any allergies, pre-existing medical conditions, or other health risks that may impact the mother’s and the baby’s health.
8. Guides postpartum care: A birth plan can outline a parent’s wishes for postpartum care, such as breastfeeding, rooming-in with their baby, or any other concerns they may have.
By creating a birth plan during pregnancy, you give yourself and your partner the opportunity to become knowledgeable about various aspects of labour, including pain relief, interventions, the use of medical instruments and everything in between. This preparation allows you ample time to evaluate whether an obstetrician or midwife, a home birth or hospital birth aligns with your preferences and needs.
