Working out your birth plan
Giving birth is less daunting if you have a birth plan prepared to help the day go as smoothly as possible. See our birth plan guide below.
- Think about where you’d like to give birth. Hospital, home, or birth center.
- Consider what kind of pain relief you’d like, if any.
- Talk to your healthcare provider (HCP) about skin-to-skin after birth.
- Talk to your HCP about interventions that are sometimes needed to assist vaginal deliveries, like vacuum or forceps.
- Consider where and how your birth partner can offer support.
- Share the birth plan with your birthing partner—maybe they can help write it.
- Consider any equipment you might like to use during labour. Check with your hospital or birth center as they may provide equipment and have policies on what you can bring in from home.
- Think about whether you’d like a water birth and ask your HCP if that is an option.
- Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your risk of needing a Caesarean section.
- Ask your HCP how your baby will likely be monitored during labour.
- Discuss any other birth plan options and preferences with your HCP.
- A vaginal birth is the ideal form of delivery, as long as there are no health complications and it is safe for you and baby. Be ready by knowing that things don’t always go to plan, so it’s best to keep an open mind. What matters most is for you and baby to be healthy.
- Once you’ve got your birth plan sorted, you can start thinking about what you’ll need to pack. See our Hospital bag checklist for help.
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