What’s a birth plan?

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A birth plan is a simple, clear, and concise document that indicates the expectant parents’ preferences for the labor and delivery experience. Birth plans are not detailed itineraries for the birth process because labor is unpredictable, nor are they a list of wishes and hopes; they consist of a set of expectations, clearly and politely expressed. Many parents like to create birth plans to make the labor and delivery experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, and also to ensure that their wishes and values ​​are respected during the birth.

Typically, a birth plan is created by expectant parents and key members of their support team, such as doctors, midwives and doulas. For first-time parents, it’s especially important to enlist the help of knowledgeable people, as these people can raise questions about hypothetical situations and provide insight into the birth process. Many birthing classes also offer support with a birth plan. The birth plan is included in the mother’s medical record, and also taken with her to the hospital, to ensure that everyone involved in the labor process is aware of the parents’ preferences.

The content of a birth plan can be incredibly diverse, and most birth planning books and short guides include an extensive list of questions intended to guide parents in constructing a birth plan. At a minimum, a birth plan usually includes statements of preferences about conditions in the delivery room, such as dim lights and specific music, along with statements about the care the mother wants to receive during labor, ranging from a request for no painkillers to a stated preference for keeping the baby in the room after delivery, rather than taking him to another location to be weighed and cleaned up.

A good birth plan also includes stated preferences about what to do in the event of an unexpected situation or complication. While everyone wants a healthy, normal, and enjoyable childbirth, this doesn’t always happen, and it helps to be prepared. By deleting preferences on the desired level of intervention, parents can ensure they feel in control. Birth plans can also include specific guidance on who might be in the room, which can be a major issue for many laboring mothers.

When parents prepare a birth plan, it helps keep stated preferences positive, rather than negative. For example, instead of saying, “I don’t want pain medications during labor,” a mother might say, “I’ve researched pain management options and would prefer not to use medications unless I specifically ask for them.” It is also important to remember that labor is never predictable and that deviations from the delivery plan can occur, but parents with a delivery plan tend to have a greater feeling of control over what happens during labor and delivery, as the The birth plan establishes ground rules about the level of intervention involved in a birth.

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