Tips for Developing Your Birth Plan

Are you newly pregnant and anxious about the “big day?” Giving birth should be something to look forward to. You can help ensure your birthing day is as smooth and stress-free as possible by creating a detailed birthing plan and sharing it with us.

At both Physicians for Women and The Madison Midwives in Madison, Wisconsin, our team of compassionate board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologists and Certified Nurse Midwives can help you navigate your birthing event and assist you in developing your birthing plan, while creating a safety net in case of anything unexpected. We’re committed to helping you have a natural, healthy birth.

Important tips for your birth plan

The American Pregnancy Association strongly recommends that you talk with your birthing center or hospital’s labor and delivery department about their routine procedures for birthing moms well before your due date. This can be extremely important if you want to have a specific birthing procedure, like a planned vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC) or a water birth. Meriter- UnityPoint Health is the hospital where you’ll deliver. Check out their easy template to either print or download to begin thinking about your birthing preferences. https://www.unitypoint.org/madison/filesimages/Birth%20Preferences%202016%20FINAL%20v3.pdf

Your birth plan will be a detailed outline of your preferences and wishes to be followed during your labor and delivery. You can include any and everything you can think of to help guide the birth experience and ensure you stay comfortable. Provide a copy to everyone who will be involved in the birth.

What to include in your birth plan

Common things most women like to list in their birth plan include:

Who will attend

In addition to you Obstetrician or midwife, you may also want a doula, or birth coach. List the family members you do or do not want to be at your bedside or in the room. In the era of COVID, only one family member may be with you during your labor. Our family waiting rooms are closed. We are looking forward to having a return of family celebrations in our spacious and beautiful birth rooms!

Your birthing environment

You can let us know if you would prefer muted lighting, or natural light if possible. If you want music, you can create a playlist and add it to your birthing bag. Make sure there’s a setup to play your music, or bring your own rig. You might also want a focus object if you’re doing meditation or breathing techniques to minimize any discomfort. 

Medication

Depending on the speed and intensity of your labor and delivery, you may wish to complete the process unmedicated, or ask for specific types of pain relief based on your personal preference and beliefs.

Remember, no birth plan is set in stone. While there’s a strong likelihood that your birth experience will align with your hopes and expectations, be prepared to be flexible. The ultimate goal isn't a “perfect birth,” but a healthy mom and baby at the end of the process.  

We believe you should be in control of your birthing process. Call our office at 608-218-4835 today or schedule a consultation using our online booking system. We can guide and support you during this beautiful event in your life!