Birth Plan Preferences
DECIDING ON YOUR BIRTH PREFERENCES
There are many options and possibilities for labour and birth. By the time you have been through pre-natal classes, read some books, seen some videos and talked to your friends, you will have some idea of the things you would like to have happen during birth and also those things you would like to avoid.
To help you clarify your ideas, the list below offers a number of possible options. Hospitals vary enormously in the services they offer and the routines they use to manage labour. In many places, you will be encouraged to labour as you wish, and the issues listed below will not arise. However, don’t rely on this – it is better to have discussed your ideas in advance than to be disappointed later when your preferences run counter to prevailing hospital routines and protocols.
Assume the pregnancy, labour and birth will be normal, unless there are clear medical indications that a problem has occurred. Go through the list, and note which options you would like (YES) those you don’t want (NO) and those options you don’t’ have strong feelings about.
DURING THE PREGNANCY
Choice of caregiver:
Independent midwife
Obstetrician
Shared care by midwife and doctor
Place of Birth
Home
Birth Centre
Hospital maternity unit
Labour
Wearing own clothes
Electronic fetal monitoring test trace on admission
Returning home if not in established labour
Food/fluids allowed throughout labour
Intravenous drip in labour only if necessary
Intermittent fetal monitoring
Freedom to choose positions and activity in labour (walking, sitting, squatting, kneeling, etc.)
Vaginal exam for specific medical indication only
Full information on risks and benefits of each suggested medical procedure
Access to water pool, shower or bath for pain relief if available
Partner/doula/chosen person present at all times
Birth
Presence of partner/doula during actual birth
Partner/doula present for Caesarean birth if required
Position for second stage chosen by mother
Mother led pushing
No specific time limit on second stage if progress is being made
Freedom to touch baby during birth
Father/mother assisting with actual birth by hand
Baby allowed to take first breaths unassisted (no immediate suctioning, etc.)
Delayed cord clamping (after pulsating stops)
Skin-to-skin contact for mother and father with baby immediately after birth
Baby on breast to stimulate expulsion of placenta
Vernix left on
Baby weighed, measured in parents’ presence after initial bonding period
There are many options and possibilities for labour and birth. By the time you have been through pre-natal classes, read some books, seen some videos and talked to your friends, you will have some idea of the things you would like to have happen during birth and also those things you would like to avoid.
To help you clarify your ideas, the list below offers a number of possible options. Hospitals vary enormously in the services they offer and the routines they use to manage labour. In many places, you will be encouraged to labour as you wish, and the issues listed below will not arise. However, don’t rely on this – it is better to have discussed your ideas in advance than to be disappointed later when your preferences run counter to prevailing hospital routines and protocols.
Assume the pregnancy, labour and birth will be normal, unless there are clear medical indications that a problem has occurred. Go through the list, and note which options you would like (YES) those you don’t want (NO) and those options you don’t’ have strong feelings about.
DURING THE PREGNANCY
Choice of caregiver:
Independent midwife
Obstetrician
Shared care by midwife and doctor
Place of Birth
Home
Birth Centre
Hospital maternity unit
Labour
Wearing own clothes
Electronic fetal monitoring test trace on admission
Returning home if not in established labour
Food/fluids allowed throughout labour
Intravenous drip in labour only if necessary
Intermittent fetal monitoring
Freedom to choose positions and activity in labour (walking, sitting, squatting, kneeling, etc.)
Vaginal exam for specific medical indication only
Full information on risks and benefits of each suggested medical procedure
Access to water pool, shower or bath for pain relief if available
Partner/doula/chosen person present at all times
Birth
Presence of partner/doula during actual birth
Partner/doula present for Caesarean birth if required
Position for second stage chosen by mother
Mother led pushing
No specific time limit on second stage if progress is being made
Freedom to touch baby during birth
Father/mother assisting with actual birth by hand
Baby allowed to take first breaths unassisted (no immediate suctioning, etc.)
Delayed cord clamping (after pulsating stops)
Skin-to-skin contact for mother and father with baby immediately after birth
Baby on breast to stimulate expulsion of placenta
Vernix left on
Baby weighed, measured in parents’ presence after initial bonding period