5 Major Things You Need on Your Birth Plan

• Personal information – Your birth plan should tell us who you are. Remember, I want you to treat this document like your voice. You want the first few lines/bullets to tell us who you are. I’ve see so many birth plans that tell all the things, except who they are LOL. I’m not saying that I want you to have a document that makes you sound like a physician but I need you be to tell me certain information. 

• Medical History

  • Medications – So we know what you’ve been on during the pregnancy. Dosages, Frequencies. We want to know any allergies or reactions you have to medications. 

  • Surgeries – Mommas, for the life of me, I don’t’ understand how people don’t know what surgeries they have had in the past. Of any part of your body has been cut, then you need to know why. If something was removed, you need to know why and what it was. 

• Obstetrical History

  • Number of pregnancies. Births and miscarriages

  • Deliveries

  • Complications

    • Antepartum

    • Intrapartum

    • Delivery

    • Postpartum

• Support Person- The labor process and birth are such intimate moments. You’ll have times of laughter and tears. Happiness and fears. You want to make sure it’s people in the room that can support you through all these emotions. People that are your advocates and want to make sure decisions are being made to keep you and the baby safe. This isn’t the time to invite someone in the room that you don’t like or trust just to save feelings or hopefully mend broken relationships/friendships. You need to be surrounded by nothing but love, peace, and support. Anyone that will disrupt that, shouldn’t have the privilege to be there. The only person with the right to be there is you and the person you’ve trusted to deliver your baby. Don’t get guilted into allowing anyone in your room that you don’t want there. 

• PAIN MANAGEMENT. Just saying “I want a natural birth” doesn’t amount to anything if you don’t have a plan for pain management. You should put on your birth plan your plans for pain management. 

These are some of the major things that I believe belongs on ALL birth plans. This information paints a great picture of the patient and even if you come through the door and you’re unable to speak, this document could speak for you. Of course, you can add other things like who is going to cut the cord, whether you want the baby to have a circumcision, the environment you want for you labor and delivery. Yes Momma, you can put all the essential oils on your birth plan. You can make it all the pretty colors and have all the amazing pictures, but at the end of the day, can it speak for you? That’s what is most important for the persons taking care of you. 

On episode 8 I dive deeper into each one of these tips. If you want to hear how to built the perfect birth plan, click the link above or head over to your favorite podcast app and tune in: