Benefits of Writing a Birth Plan

Using a Birth Plan as an Important Communication Tool

Nov 27, 2009
Brenda Lane

Benefits of Writing a Birth Plan - Jyn Meyer

Parents can use their birth plan as a way to interview and select a care provider as well as to better communicate their needs to the medical team.

Whether you are planning to give birth at a hospital, birth center or at home, writing a birth plan is something that has many benefits.

Birth Plans Can Help You Select the Best Care Provider

Choosing the best care provider to meet your needs for pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum period is important for every expectant mother. While it is important to sense a connection to that professional, whether it is a midwife or an obstetrician, it is even more crucial that you know what to expect from them and that you share the same philosophy on important issues.

Writing a birth plan can help direct you to the best care provider by helping you ask the right questions at the beginning of your pregnancy. If your birth plan is written early in your pregnancy, you can utilize it as a communication tool so that you know whether or not you are on the same page with your primary care provider. Waiting until the end of your pregnancy would not be the best time to present your birth plan since you might find it more difficult to switch care providers if you find out that you and your provider do not agree on essential issues.

Birth Plans Can Help You Decide Your Place of Birth

Another benefit of writing a birth plan is to help you decide where to give birth to your baby. If there are several available places of birth in your area, writing a birth plan early in pregnancy can help you decide which locations best meet your preferences and needs. For example, if eating and drinking during labor is important to you, you may decide that a birth center fits more with your plan for birth than a hospital. If you would rather have a longer stay after birth, you might decide that a hospital suits you better than a birth center or home birth.

Writing a Birth Plan Allows You to Think About Childbirth and Postpartum Issues Prior to Being in Labor

During childbirth is not the time to be thinking about what you would prefer and exploring available options. Writing your birth plan many months in advance allows you think through all of the issues surrounding your birth experience before you are in throes of giving birth. Some of the common issues that parents include in their birth plans are:

positions they would like to use during first stage of labor and pushing
eating and drinking
baby Monitors - how often and which monitors are used
support people they would like present
options for pain relief such as hot pack and cold packs, relaxation, water/tubs, medications
options to avoid tearing and episiotomies
plans to breastfeed baby and when
when they would prefer to be discharged

What to do if Your Care Provider Discourages You from Writing a Birth Plan

It is not uncommon to hear medical professionals or even your care provider discouraging you from writing a birth plan. Sometimes the argument is made that giving birth is not something you can "plan" ahead of time. While it is true that no one can predict what will happen to you during birth, there are many many choices and options open to parents today with regard to how they give birth, regardless of the circumstances that play out during labor. Writing a birth plan simply provides the benefit of thinking ahead of time about the choices that are most important to you as well as being a communication tool between you and your care provider.