Do I Need A Birth Plan?
Do you need a birth plan?
Truthfully no!
So why do we here at The Delivery Womb offer a birth planning session? While the written plan itself may not be for you, going through the process of understanding all the options available to you and envisioning what you’d like that experience to be for you is important.
Now, everyone has their own reason for wanting to create, or completely avoid, a Birth Plan. With the way society has described it, there is no surprise that people avoid it like the plague for fear of disappointment, or stress that they haven’t finished it. Again, the intention is not to plan how your labour progresses or create unrealistic expectations for your births. The intention of your Birth Plan … pause, we actually call it a Birthing Map here ... is three-fold:
One
Understand Available Birthing Options
You create intentional time to discuss each of the common medical procedures that are offered to birthing families. Have you ever heard of a membrane sweep, the Bishop Score, Pitocin, artificial rupture of membranes, or an episiotomy ? Well they are all procedures and tools offered depending on the circumstances that arise during labour and I only naked a few that we talk about during our Navigating The Medical Stuff class. So while you are reviewing common medical procedures, you should also learn about their benefits and associated risks for each of them and if there are any alternatives available.
Without those key details about the procedures and tools, how could you make an informed decision during your labour, while you’re experiencing contraction sensations every three to four minutes?
Two
Establish Clear Priorities
A Birth Map gives you an opportunity to begin thinking about your priorities. What is important to you? Do you have a strong preference for your support person to be in the room with you every step of the way? If yes, then it’s important to know that during an epidural, some anesthesiologists ask that your support person step outside for the procedure and you may need to advocate for yourself in that situation. How about staying unmedicated? If you have a strong desire to not use pain medication, then you may consider advocating against an induction for (given you and baby are safe) for as long as possible. How do you know if you and baby are safe when your care provider may suggest otherwise? Ah ha! Those are the important conversations we need to have now before emotions lead our decisions rather than making an informed decision.
So again you ask yourself, what is truly important to YOU? What are the things you’d like to avoid experiencing? What are the things you’d love to experience, whether that be during labour or childbirth itself?
Three
Identify How to Reduces Foreseeable Obstacles
Three, what is necessary for your family to feel supported. Now that you have a better understanding of the things you may be faced with, what your preferences are towards them and what your biggest priorities are, how can we get you there? What do you and your family need to feel heard, seen and cared for? Do you need a care provider that is on board with your vision? Do you need a team around you that understands your vision and preferences? Do you need someone to keep you accountable to those daily stretches you’ve been trying to implement?
Or another way to ask this question is, are there any obstacles that may prevent you from experiencing the birth you are desiring?
With each of those elements in mind, your prenatal efforts will be more intentional toward making informed choices, understand what feels right for your family and be more satisfied with your birth experience. And you don’t have to talk through this alone. We have a team of doulas waiting to chat with you and walk with you through the birthing process so you can identify your priorities and preferences. So again, just to remind you, doing this activity is not to create a rigid plan, but to show you where you can be flexible, what options you can lean on if needed and what changes you may need to make now to stack the odds more in your favour.
So let’s connect you with one of our doulas so you can begin mapping your birth today.
