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A birth plan is a good way to communicate your wants during and after birth. It can empower you to educate yourself on all your birth options. It is also great to tool to have it is a hard copy of what is in your mind, so you don’t have to try and relay the information while in labor.
Keep it to one page. We can be real no one has time to read a book. Read on to see how to limit what is on your birth plan.
Keep it simple. You don't need pictures, tons of colors, or crazy fonts. Plain is easiest to read.
Draw the eye to the most important parts. If it is really important to you make it bold. That way doctor or nurse can skim it and see something like Immediate skin to skin.
If it’s in your control, don't add it. Yes you can keep the lights low or play your favorite songs you don't need to add that to the birth plan.
Know standard procedures. If something that you do or don't want done is standard for that hospital you can leave it you because it will be automatically done. However if the standard is something that you don't add to your birth plan. An example is if you don't want the the cord clamped and cut right away you will need to add that so the doctor knows what you want. We doulas will help you with this.
Formatting counts. Some formats read better than others. Bullets are really good, paragraphs can be more difficult to see where one idea ends and another begins.
You can get more with honey than vinegar. A list of demands will get your point across but can come across offensive. Try to write in a way that is including the staff in your birth team. Rather than making a list of demands, try to write from a perspective of creating a sense of teamwork. Please and thank you mean a lot.
Bring extra copies. Go over your preferences with your doctor or midwife in a prenatal appointment, review with your nurses keep a couple copies for them you may go through a shift change and just because you have one to the first nurse doesn't mean it will be passed along to the new one. They are very busy and it can be easily over looked.
Important names. You should make sure important names are at the top such as your name, your partners name, and your doula's name.
Remember that it’s not a concrete document. Your birth plan is an ideal guideline for your birth. Birth is very unpredictable and somethings might not be feasible in the moment. It is important to your doula that it stays as close as it can and if things need to change you are giving informed consent.
Sample Birth Plan
Labor
o I’d like to move around freely
o I’d like intermittent or wireless monitoring
o Heparin lock only
o I’d prefer to let my water break naturally
o Please do not offer any pain medication. I plan to use natural pain relief techniques.
o Tear naturally
After Delivery
o I’d like to hold my baby skin-to-skin immediately after delivery.
o I’d like to delay clamping and cutting of the cord until cord stops pulsing
o I’d like my partner to cut the cord.
o I’d like to delay newborn procedures such as measuring for at least 1hr for bonding and feeding.
o I’d like all procedures done and all medications given to my baby to be explained beforehand.
o I’d like my baby to be evaluated in my presence.
o I do not want my baby bathed.