Preparing for Labour - A Good Birth Plan

Now that I am 8 and a half months pregnant, it is constantly on my mind that in approximately 40 days I will be in labour. To say that I am nervous is an understatement - I'm freaking terrified! But the type of person that I am - I know exactly how to prepare for it - plan, plan and plan some more. I am trying to walk this line between ignorance is bliss while simultaneously being prepared for every scenario which I may face.

So here is what I have been doing to prepare for labour.

I started my prep by speaking to women who have recently gone through labour - I want to be clear here, this will not be your story. Every and I mean every labour is different so you can't expect what happened to one women will happen to you - but learning from their situations can still be beneficial to you. So let them speak and tell you what happened, listen to their advice. From the women I spoke to it have learned:

1. It's important to stand up for yourself, if you feel like something is wrong or you're ready to push or that the medicine you were given isn't working, you need to make sure your nurses are listening to you. Do not let their busy work day put you or your baby in harms way. I know it can be intimidating to tell a professional what to do - but at the end of the day you know your body, you know what you're feeling best.

2. Don't be so caught up in your birth plan that you become blinded to what the doctors are saying. A vaginal birth without medication is great if you can do it - but don't try and be a hero. Labouring for 30 hours is difficult and painful - so if you need the drugs or epidural to relax then take it. You don't want to be too tired for the big show and not end up being able to push.

3. What works for one mama won't necessarily work for you - My hospital bag may look very different than yours simply because I like different things then you do. My hospital bag will include a tripod and camera because capturing the moment is important to me - but I plan on being in the hospital gown up until the moment I leave. On the other had your hospital bag might include 2 or 3 comfortable pyjamas because you need to look good to feel good. Don't get caught up in what your friends or people you see on social media do - collect that information and adjust it to work with what you need.

My second method of preparation was watching videos online of labours and other influcencers on what they packed and their labour stories. Now this is where the ignorance is bliss part comes in - once it came to the push part I ALWAYS skip ahead. I like to see the moments when they are home and they start counting the contractions, the drive to the hospital and their pain relief methods - and that's it. Then I like to see how happy the family is when baby is nice and clean with mom. Referring back to my previous paragraph. - this might not work for you, but it sure helps me wrap my mind around the labour.

And finally, lists! Looking at, designing and checking off lists has made this process so much easier for me to prepare for my own future delivery. Seeing something on paper which I can review, discuss and check off makes me feel like I am accomplishing something during this very long waiting game. For today's blog I wanted to focus on a birth plan.

So what exactly is a birth plan?

A well thought out birth plan will help guide you and your birth partner before, during and after your labour. Sharing your birth plan with your midwife, doula, nurses and doctors helps communicate your plan and expectations for your delivery. Not everything on your birth plan will pan out exactly as you hope - but it is a good understanding of your personal expectations and a great ice breaker to have with your doctor to see what you can expect from the hospital.

The birth plan checklist I have designed is completely customizable and has every situation I could come up with during labour. However, I made sure there are sections which allow you to add in your own wishes in case I missed anything. This list guides you through each step and takes into consideration every possible situation which may arise during your labour and delivery. My husband will be my birth partner, so him and I sat down and discussed what our expectations were as well as learned and discussed scenarios we otherwise would not have discussed.

I hope that you find this birth plan helpful and useful during your labour. I recommend printing out the PDF version here so you can take it with you, but also you'll be able to make additional notes and write down questions which may arise as you go through it.

Best of luck mama - you got this!

Written August, 2020

Sandra Iwona