The Positive Birth Book Visual Birth Plan Cards

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Make sure your partner (whether husband, wife, or other birth partner) is also aware of your birth preferences, so they can advocate for you. The maternity team will tell you what they advise in your particular circumstances. Don't hesitate to ask questions if you need to. Things to consider This is a simple birth plan that covers some of the most important aspects of what should be included in all birth plans.

As per what I have written above, keep this one in your natural birth template if you want someone to help during the last stage of labor. That said, make sure to discuss your preferences in detail with your birth team before going into full labor, and that they support your plan of having a natural birth. This is particularly true if you choose to have an OB (obstetrician) over a midwife as, in general, obstetricians tend to be less supportive of natural births. For example, I want to use essential oils because they are soothing to me. Not because I necessarily expect them to help with pain management.A birth doula is a trained professional who provides emotional and physical support before, during and after birth. While a doula doesn’t have medical training like an OB or a midwife, she will still be able to help you with different techniques on how to cope with labor pain, advice on labor positions, and so on (take a look at our article on types of contraction simulator).

List any specific things you really want to happen, such as birth positions and holding your baby straight away.I would recommend avoiding an induction (whether medical or natural) unless there is a real medical urgency (i.e. your baby is distress) and let nature take its course. Not to mention they are not necessary: they are mainly just a progress report of how your cervix is doing! So, I don’t think they are worth the risk just to find out how dilated you are, with no guarantee of finding out when labor is going to start. Labor & Delivery

I personally wouldn’t want my baby to be vaccinated straight after birth unless I was Hep B positive and my baby had a greater risk of contracting the virus.

But, most importantly, a doula will also act as an advocate for your birth plan and birth wishes when dealing with hospital staff, making sure that you get the birth that you’ve always wanted and that you deserve.

I have collected here a list of the best online birthing classes (including a free class). Whereas if you want to enroll in a hypnobirthing course, have a look at these online classes or my free hypnobirthing introductory course. If you also want to take a breastfeeding course, there are lots of online courses here (including several free ones). If you are going into labor with the mindset of having a natural and unmedicated birth, then make sure to include this in your natural birth plan. You definitely don’t want to have medical staff constantly asking if you need pain medication – you know your limit and will tell them if you can’t take it anymore. Birth plans aren't required, but they're nice to have, especially if you have specific desires and want a place to make your wishes clear. Making a birth plan may even help you get more comfortable with and prepared for the childbirth process. Once you are admitted to hospital, it can help to share some key information, and then bring up that everything is summarized in a birth plan if they’d like to see it. Good for: Those looking for a comprehensive, very specific list of interventions. Mama Naturals Visual Birth Planner

Example Plans

You should start thinking about your own birth plan and what kind of birth your wish for from the beginning of your second trimester of pregnancy. However, you don’t really need to get it ready until you are about 32-36 weeks and approaching full term. Don’t wait until the very last minute and the first signs of labor!