Thinking About Your Birth
Birth Plans, Birth Preferences, Birth Wishes & Birth Mapping
People love a good plan. We plan vacations, we plan events, we plan out our entire lives. It gives us security, helps eliminate the unknowns and provides tangible markers to work towards.
But how do you plan out a major life altering event that can’t actually be controlled? The short answer – flexibility. I know that is hard to hear for those organized souls that love to know exactly how things will unfold, but alas, labor cannot be contained or controlled. She is a beautiful, wild, uninhibited creatrix that loves a good surprise.
There has been a shift away from the word plan, which denotes finality, to the idea that we all have birth preferences, wishes & desires. What are yours? Take the time to ponder how you want to feel in labor and go from there.
While we cannot control exactly when & where she will greet you, learning about the myriad of birth options, thinking about your own desires & goals and holding those plans very loosely is still beneficial when labor is on the horizon.
"If I don't know my options, I don't have any."
B.R.A.I.N
When thinking about your birth options and anticipating choices, the acronym B.R.A.I.N can aid with most decisions during pregnancy, labor or with parenting.
Step #1: Find out about the proposed procedure. How is it administered? What does it entail? Once you know more about it, you can then apply decision making tools.
B: Benefits
- what are the benefits for me and my baby
R: Risks
- what are the risks for me and my baby
A: Alternatives
- are there any alternatives to consider
I: Intuition
- what are my instincts telling me, listen to your gut
N: Nothing
- what if we do nothing
"The power of a birth plan isn't the actual plan, it's the process of becoming educated about all of your options."
The True Benefit to Planning
- Birth planning isn’t about forming a rigid birth picture.
- The process of thinking about your ideal birth helps you become informed of the best choices for your family as you navigate birth.
- It can help you make choices that are right for your own family and choose the next best alternative when the plan changes.
- It helps you choose a care team that supports your choices.
- Choosing to not formulate a plan is okay too, but be aware that you are most likely choosing the default preferences of your care provider and birth place.
Key Points to Remember
- A birth plan is not a contract, it is a communication tool.
- Understanding the benefits & risks to each procedure helps you make decisions about using them.
- A plan aids in shared decision making with your birth team which greatly increases positive feelings about birth.
- Planning is an ongoing process of discussions & decision making with your care team throughout labor.
- You ultimately get to make the best decisions for you – informed consent also includes informed refusal.
Our Birth Plan: We want the baby to come out. That's our plan.
Giving Consent
You have the right to refuse any tests, procedures or exams throughout pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. Bodily autonomy does not end when labor begins.
Informed Consent:
An autonomous decision made by a person after having been provided with the relevant facts and risks of a medical intervention. This includes the option to accept, delay or decline any test, procedure or drug.
Informed Refusal:
Where a person has refused a recommended medical treatment based upon an understanding of the facts and implications of not following the treatment.
Birth Partner -
Birth Plan Liaison:
Communicate &
Advocate
Birth Plan Overview
Start by introducing your family; include all members of your labor team including partners & doulas.
- Prioritize 5-10 items to focus on when formulating your plan to keep it simple.
- Have multiple copies printed for your entire health care team, especially since you will be meeting some of them for the first time + shift changes.
- There are lots of ways to present your plan; bullet points, pictures or click & print. (resources below)
Birth Wishes
When you visualize your birth…
Who is with you?
Where are you?
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What do you feel?
Are you interested in using pain management?
- Have you looked at the Pain Management Preference Scale and discussed it with your support team?
- Have you researched your pain management options available at your birth place?
- Use your B.R.A.I.N to decipher what might be best for you.
Would you rather avoid pain medication?
- Have you learned pain coping techniques & practiced them?
- What positions (UFOs) are your interested in using?
- Do you have a birth tub available for pain relief?
- What comfort measures would you like to use? (ice, heat, massage, water immersion)
- Have you thought about a TENS machine or sterile water injections for pain relief?
- Do you have a good birth support partner & possibly a birth doula?
Do you have a Plan B?
- What are your next best choices when Plan A isn’t possible?
- Have you researched birth variations & interventions?
- Do you have preferences about assisted birth? (forceps, vacuum)
- Do you understand the cesarean birth procedure, and can some of Plan A carry over into the operating room?
Are there any special concerns?
- Make sure the birth plan outlines any special concerns you or your baby has faced during the pregnancy.
- Outline any other needs, physical or emotional, that the birth staff should be aware of.
- Is there a plan if baby stays in the hospital after you are discharged?