What to Expect on Using a Birth Plan Template
Having a birth plan template will help you a lot in planning your labor. Of course, labor cannot be planned but at least you know what to expect in the first place.
About a birth plan
So, what is a birth plan? Generally, a birth plan looks like other plans. The difference might only be in the things you communicate in the plan itself. You will state your goals and wishes before, during, and after you give birth.
Some practitioners would ask the couple to create a birth plan. Even though not all preferences can be perfectly met, some of them can be accommodated by the respective party.
Is it important to create a birth plan?
Using a birth plan template might ease the process of filling it. On the other hand, it is pretty important to write things out considering it can help to make the delivery process go smoother.
Some people may have unrealistic goals and this plan will keep the expectant couple grounded and realistic in the first place. It is simply a plan that communicates patient and practitioner needs.
The checklist
When writing a birth plan, there are several things you may need to check. If you use a pre-made template given by the practitioner, you may just need to fill things out directly. However, if you start from scratch, you need to include your requests before, during, and after the delivery.
You need to write what your preference for giving birth whether it would be vaginal, C-Section, or others. In this plan, you can also ask for how newborn care would be given. As we have mentioned earlier, this plan is simply a communication paper.
Request before birth
In this case, there are several things you need to check. It includes how you want to deliver the baby, whether it would be with your partner, family, and so on as well as where you want to give birth. During the active labor, you can request for eating or drinking even the music and vibe you want to feel during the labor. Birthing position can be communicated as well and if you want to take pictures or videos during the process, you should write it down as well.
Request during labor
This part is where you can state what you want clearly. A few things you want to address in this section may include the birth type you want to have and the pain medication that will be used during the process.
Other than that, you can also request for other alternatives to pain medication. After you give birth, you can state whether the membranes would be left intact or artificially ruptured the membrane.
Request for newborn care
Once you have delivered the baby, you can make requests related to newborn care. For example, you can write it down if you want the father to the suction. Other than that, you can ask to hold the baby immediately after the delivery. You can also write it down in your birth plan template if you want to breastfeed the newborn immediately.
