Have you made your birth plan?
Have you made your birth plan? When that exciting day you've been waiting for for about nine months comes, you and your companions can forget many things. Preparing a birth plan in advance for a healthier birth will allow you to be less tired.
Have you made your birth plan?
Birth plan is a document prepared in writing by the expectant mother, explaining what and how she wants to be done to the health personnel and their relatives who will give birth. Writing a birth plan may not mean that you will have a definite impact on the decisions of the doctor and team who will perform the birth and on labor. The aim is to make it easier to identify and remember only certain situations in writing. For some expectant mothers , you can divide your birth plan into two as wishes for the mother and for the baby, or you can get support from a birth coach if you wish. When creating this plan, be sure to prepare all the items with your doctor's knowledge. It will be more comforting for you to be informed in advance in case of a situation that your doctor will not approve later. While preparing your birth plan, you can ask the following questions:
Mother's wishes
- Who should be with you before and after birth? Who do you want to see in the hospital room? - Some people may come to visit later, for example a relative you do not see very often, when should they come to visit, can they come? - Would you like a photographer to accompany you during and after the birth? Are you going to use the hospital photographer or do you not want it? - Do you have a particular item for your room, a preference for music or something to relax you? - Want to take a little tour around before giving birth? - What would you like to eat and drink before giving birth? - Do you prefer to have an enema before giving birth? - Who will go into labor with you? Your birth coach, spouse, or relative? If your spouse is going to enter, is he someone who can manage this situation well? - "Push, breathe!" Do you want directives like this or do you want absolute silence? - Which pain medications do you want to take/without taking (within the knowledge of your doctor)? - If normal delivery does not occur during labor , do you want epidural ? What is your preference in getting narcosis? (You can read more about the birth methods in our article titled What are the birth methods?) - If you need to have a cesarean section with general anesthesia , to whom will the baby be given first? - Who do you want to cut the umbilical cord after the baby is born?
Baby requests
- Should your baby be given to you as soon as it's born? - Want to spend your first seconds with the baby without interference from anyone? - When will you breastfeed your baby? Especially the first breastfeeding is very important and necessary for both the baby and the mother. - Will your baby be bathed right after birth or at a time you want? - Is there any special vitamin, medicine (within the knowledge of your doctor) that you want/do not want to be given to your baby? - Will the baby sleep in the nursery or sleep with you? - Who can hold the baby other than you? - If male, will baby be circumcised ? Who will decide on the circumcision of the baby? Will she be circumcised in the hospital immediately after giving birth? - If you have other children, who will take care of them? - You can also request that pictures of the baby not be taken or shared on social media until you give your consent. Read the full article