Feeling clueless as a first time mom can be stressful and frustrating. You want to do what’s best for baby, but may not know what exactly that is. Creating a birth plan – a wish list of how you want your pregnancy and delivery to go – can help you relieve some of that stress. While developing a plan it is important to consult your doctor to make sure that those things you want will be possible at the hospital at which you will be delivering. Some things to consider are who you want to be in the delivery room as you give birth, whether or not there will be filming or photography during the event, and what types of medication, if any, you would like to receive.Your birth plan can be simple or detailed, or somewhere in the middle. For instance, some people even specify what type of music or lighting they prefer during labor and whether or not they want a mirror so they can see the birth and delivery positions (Murkoff, 295-297).
*Obviously these are personal choices and you should do your own research to know what will suit you best. My decisions were based on personal beliefs and experiences or advice from family members. There are pros and cons to all of the elements of a birth plan and you should take time and consideration to develop one that truly will make your birth experience the most enjoyable and memorable.
Works Cited:
Murkoff, Heidi and Sharon Mazel. What to Expect When You’re Expecting. New York:
Workman, 2008. Print.
What I Included in My Birth Plan:
-I wanted to let the doctors know that I prefered to only have my husband in the room during labor.I asked that all family and non-essential hospital workers remain outside during labor. This way the doctor could ask an unwanted Mother-in-law to exit the room without offending her.
-Talking to my doctor about an epidural and other painkillers was also part of my birth plan. I decided that I would like to do as much pushing on my own without medication, followed by pain medication through my IV if the pain got to be too much to handle. After researching and asking about the epidural from my doctor, I felt that I would prefer to use it as a last resort.
*Be aware that there is a consent form you need to sign before you can have an epidural, which can be signed prior to going into the hospital.
-I also decided that I did not want to have an episiotomy, but would rather my body naturally change to suit the pregnancy.
-I did not want to have a c-section unless it was absolutely essential to saving the life of my baby or myself.
-I chose to have the baby placed immediately on my stomach so I could see him and then have the nurses take him to clean him when I said I was ready.
-Then I asked that my husband cut the umbilical chord and that our son be roomed with us. I also asked to go with him to all other rooms or tests.
-I chose to breast feed immediately and didn’t want others to interfere or advise unless I requested it.
-Circumcision for our son was also a consideration we added to the birth plan to be done soon after he was born.