Birth Plans were virtually unheard of until the 1970s/1980s. Before the age of Birth Plans, expectant parents were largely required to adhere to the strict advice of their doctors. These days, many birthing and labor methods are recognized as safe and healthy which offers many more options for birthing-parents. With this wealth of information and options emerged the Birth Plan, an integral tool for expectant parents. Birth Plans allow parents to take charge of their own birthing experience and communicate to healthcare professionals what type of birth they want.
As with most things in life, the conventional Birth Plan has some flaws in its design. Birth Plans tend to be based on (very specific) ideological beliefs about childbirth. They often read like a wish list rather than a goal. The nature of childbirth is unique and unexpected situations often arise, perhaps causing a change in direction from your Birth Plan. This leaves people with feelings of regret and disappoint when their Birth Plan ‘fails’. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write your conventional Birth Plan of what you want and don’t want, it just means you also need to write another Birth Plan based on how you are preparing and what you’ll do (or how you’ll behave) during your baby’s birthing journey.
Create a skills-based Birth Plan, one that goes above and beyond the expectations of a conventional one. There are a number of skills you and your partner can learn that become effective tools for you, your partner and your soon-to-be-born baby. This Birth Plan will help your birth provider understand your commitment to the type of birth you would like. In other words, you take responsibility for how you cope, manage, deal with, work with and behave as you work together with your baby’s efforts to be born.
Some of the skills you should emphasize in your skills-based Birth Plans:
- Commit to using breathing skills to help manage pain.
- Commit to using really good relaxation skills even when you feel pain.
- Reinforce that you have learned essential birthing skills to remain open inside and you’ll get in positions that keep your contractions effective.
- Most importantly, ensure that you will continue to work with the skills you’ve learned even if your conventional Birth Plan requires unexpected change including a surgical birth.
Keep in mind that, while making plans for your birth, you may think you want things done a certain way. You might possibly want music played or to enjoy the therapies of water during your labor. In the heat of the moment, you could very well decide that the music you brought is annoying or that you don’t want anyone touching you. Everyone feels different during childbirth and there’s no way to determine how you will feel. Although your Birth Plans may spell out some basic guidelines, don’t be afraid to go with the flow. Honor every emotion and every thought with respect, even if it wasn’t in your original plan.
Instead of simply creating a list, create a ‘plan of action’ for your birth!