There are many
types of birth plans, some being very extensive in detail and several pages in length, while others consisting of only a few short paragraphs.
Start doing a little research on birth options, so you'll have an idea of what
kind of birth plan you would be comfortable with.
The
idea of a birth plan is becoming increasingly «mainstream» and more women and their partners are starting to think about birth preferences.
Talk It Over with Mom An important
aspect of a birth plan is that it requires you to discuss with your partner the major issues of the upcoming event.
The next step was to find out if the facilities had the resources to support twin births and if the hospital's culture would be
supportive of my birth plan.
Once you've finished, print out that first
version of your birth plan and take it to your next practitioner visit as a means for opening up discussion.
The
advent of birth planning has brought a whole new level to the process of childbirth, allowing parents to be actively involved in the labor and delivery of their baby.
The
idea of a birth plan is to help those who come in contact with you know more about what you would like to see happen during the labor and birth of the baby.
To see a copy
of my birth plan for my last birth, I have a guest post at Fine and Fair where I have it as well as my thoughts on it after the birth.
There is so much mixed - up and contradicting information out there: co - sleep / don't co-sleep; breast - is - best / healthy mom - is - best; have a birth plan / let
go of the birth plan; cloth diaper / disposable diaper; medicine for depression and anxiety is safe / medicine is not safe.
I recommend Lynn highly to whoever is considering her services, regardless of the type
of birth they plan on.
Many women are able to keep parts
of their birth plans intact, despite induction of labor, with the proper planning, practitioner support, and labor support from both family members and doulas.
In fact, the
goal of a birth plan isn't for you and your partner to decide exactly how the birth of your child will happen — labor involves so many variables, you can't predict exactly what will happen.
Another thing I like which works a lot with the mother who is mourning the
loss of the birth plan is: «To bathe with the baby.»
Your Birth Experience Parent's Guide is an interactive journal that walks you step - by - step through the process of understanding the
importance of a birth plan and discovering your own unique desires and needs in relation to childbirth.
«The position you have sex in will not prevent you from getting pregnant and will not cause infertility,» says Rachel Gurevich, fertility expert and
coauthor of Birth Plans for Dummies.
Once you have determined your due date, and begun the process of choosing colors for the nursery and names for the baby, you'll probably get down to the nuts and
bolts of birth planning and deciding whether you'll nurse or not.
I ended up with a nightmare of back labor, wanted and received medications to ease that pain,, so not part
of the birth plan LOL My MIL did not respect boundaries, and within hours of delivering I had to get ugly with her regarding our plans for visitors, etc..
I was also quite glad that I had informed my
doctor of my birth plans and even though they were a conservative practice, I did think they tried their best to accommodate me and give me a natural delivery.
But the overall risks to the baby remained small
regardless of the birth plan — there were about two deaths per 1,000 births among planned hospital births, vs. four deaths per 1,000 births planned at home or in birthing centers.
«Had it not been for the class, we would have never taken the time to learn about birth options
outside of our birth plan (because we're just too busy), but the «non-plan» items ended - up being some of the most important things we learned.
After reading the final version in print, Penny could not be more pleased with the authors and
editors of Birth Plans for Dummies.
Our team of doulas have been educated in a
variety of birth plans such as natural birth, medicated birth, VBAC's, cesarean birth, and home birth.
Gun shy from my first experience that had gone awry, I was hesitant to have another hospital birth - but after meeting with a doula, I became much more comfortable with the
establishment of my birth plan and the hopefully minimal inclusion of Doctors and Hospitals.