Birth Plans

A Birth Plan - How do you plan a birth?

A birth plan is actually an outline of your expectations provided by you to the healthcare professionals who will attend you during your labor and who will attend your infant after birth. Birth plans should be simple and straight forward and are easier for the healthcare providers to follow when kept to one page. It is a good idea to put together a birth plan for your doctor or midwife and a different plan for the nurses at the hospital. Your doctor or midwife should put your birth plan in his/her records, and discuss it with you throughout your visits with him/her; and the nurses plan can be given to the nursing staff when you pre-register at the birth center.

“There are too many unknowns, too many variables, to make predictions about how exactly your labor will go. Women can’t possibly know whether they’re going to have a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am six-hour labor or a grueling forty-hour labor affair with relentless back pain. The long menu of unknowns facing each woman at the end of her pregnancy makes planning ludicrous.” (Peggy Vincent, Baby Catcher)

It is important to note that birth is not some sort of family event that can be “planned” down to the last detail; there are too many variables and unknown factors. A woman can not know whether she is going to have a wild two hour precipitous labor or a long 32 hour marathon. Some women think that a birth plan is a description of their ideal birth, the birth they want. This type of planning most often leads to disappointed expectations. As a doula I have learned that when it’s over and done with there isn’t a mom who isn’t surprised by some part of her labor or birth, no matter how many times she does it. In fact I think the more babies a woman has the more she approaches labor with the nervous realization that she doesn’t know what to expect.

Having your baby your way is mainly a matter of putting together the right ingredients and trusting the recipe to turn out as it should, 95% of the time it will. The birth plan is one of those ingredients.

Labor and Birth:
· I expect to have a labor free of drugs and medical interventions.
· I expect the nursing staff to be respectful of me by not offering drugs as pain relief, but rather physical and emotional support would be appreciated.
· I expect that I will have freedom of movement during my labor and that my time on the EFM will be minimal.
· I will be accompanied in labor by my husband, mother, sister, and doula.
· I expect to use many different labor positions and request the use of the birth ball and birth stool during my labor.
· I expect to use a warm bath as a coping measure during active labor and transition.
· I expect to be free to choose which position I am in when I deliver my baby.

Post-partum:
· I expect to hold my baby after birth for as long as I like free of interruptions.
· I expect there to be minimal staff in the room during and after delivery and that those who are there respect my family by keeping the mood quiet and peaceful.
· I expect the lights to be dim when the baby is born.
· The baby care can wait for several hours while I and my family become acquainted with our new baby.

A Water Birth Story

The Gentlest of Gentle Births

Savannah’s birth was beyond anything I ever thought birthing a baby could be. She was born in a warm tub of pure water, about the most gentle and serine way possible. You might cringe at the thought of a baby being born in a tub, but actually it is very safe and much gentler on the mother and baby.

How did all this come about? Well, it started with my first child. He was born at home with my midwife, Liz. But I was not as educated, as I should have been, and when it was all over; there were some things I wanted to change. First, I wanted the pushing stage of labor to be as short as possible without any pressure, burning sensation, or tearing. I wanted to have more energy so I would be able to be in charge and in control birthing my baby.

So, I started reading some books. “Gentle Birth Choices” by Barbara Harper made the biggest difference for me; it opened my eyes to water birth. The more I read and thought about it the more I wanted to try it. So, needless to say, when I got pregnant with Savannah, I was thrilled to give it a try.

I went into labor about an hour after my regular weekly check up, where Liz had determined that I was dilated to a five. My labor was very irregular, so I questioned if I was really in labor or not. After about two hours I knew. My contractions got very close and I had to work hard to stay relaxed. During those two hours I had been in the tub, but chose to get out because I needed to have more movement to help my labor progress. But for the last 30 minutes or so I got back in, allowing the warm water and it’s buoyancy to reduce the pain.

 At this point my contractions were very close and I think I was going through transition. I still thought I had a long time to go because just an hour before my midwife had checked me and I was only at a 6. It’s at this stage of labor that I think most women begin to doubt weather or not there going to make it, transition is a very difficult part of labor. This was no exception for me, I began to doubt weather I would be able to make it, I was wrong, within 30 minutes of getting in the tub my midwife came over to check the baby’s heart rate.

 She looked at me a little strange and asked to check me. She just smiled and said your baby’s here. What? She was right, I reached down and just an inch or so up the birth canal was my baby’s head. All I had to do was push her out, but I felt no urge to push. (I think being in the water eliminated my urge to push, because it is a very low gravity environment, and there isn’t any real pressure on the perineum.) Liz helped me by applying pressure on the perineum and in one easy push Savannah slipped into the warm water of the tub, water that had been her home for 9 months. I birthed her myself; gentling gliding her through the water till she surfaced and I laid her next to my breast. It was wonderful. I had never dreamed I could have such a lovely labor and delivery.

Water birth is truly the most gentle of gentle births; the water creates a comfortable holding environment for the mother and a warm, safe, and familiar environment for the baby. Everything I had read proved to be true in my case, and I am so happy to have been able to experience labor in this way. I hope that through my experience other women will choose this kind of a birth. My experience goes to show that there are options for having easier birth the natural way.

Natural Birth Ingredients

In order to have good natural birth experience there are many factors that must come together in harmony to make it possible in today's hospital environment. The best place to start is by educating yourself, most women today know very little about the differences between a truly natural labor and birth, and the standard medical labor that doctors often portray as natural. Having your baby your way is mainly a matter of putting together the right ingredients and trusting the recipe to turn out as it should, 95% of the time it will.

Below are the ingredients you will need to make a good natural childbirth, collecting these ingredients and putting them into practice is the best way to get the birth of your choice. Once you have put these ingredients together just sit back and relax, there is no use worrying about things that are out of your control.

Ingredient 1: Belief and Confidence:

Belief... in your ability to give birth to your baby in your own unique way, trusting in your body's ability to give birth, tuned in to your intuitive sense, an inner wisdom that guides you.

“Many women’s early conditioning makes them believe they are unable to give birth normally, when women realize that their bodies know how to give birth and that their babies know how to be born, they gain confidence. Only then is gentle birth a possibility” Gentle Birth Choices, by Barbara Harper.

Confidence... that birth is a normal and natural process and that your body was designed to safely deliver your baby into your waiting arms. Confidence that birth is not inherently dangerous, anymore than being pregnant, sleeping, or eating is.

“Women’s bodies have a near-perfect knowledge of childbirth; it is when their brains get involved that things can go wrong. Women must have confidence in the intrinsic intelligence of their own body in order to find their own unique ways of dealing with labor.” Gentle Birth Choices, by Barbara Harper.

Ingredient 2: Labor Support

Besides your own belief and confidence in your self you need only a guide, a calm and experienced woman, who can help the struggling you “along the rocky paths of Laborland.” Your labor support must be calm, reassuring and most of all you need to be surrounded by people who trust in your ability to give birth. When you are surrounded by confident and calm labor support you will be able to trust yourself, your body, your partner, your baby, and this process of giving birth.

Ingredient 3: No Time Constraints

“A gentle birth is not rushed. The baby emerges at its own pace and in its own time, received into the hands of those who love and recognize it for the divine gift that it is. A gentle birth respects the mother’s pivotal role, acknowledging that she knows how to birth her child in her own time and in her own way, trusting her instincts and intuition. In the words of one such mother, “I instinctively trusted my body and its ability to birth my baby. I just knew I could do it. I felt the energy of the birth moving through me, and I just let it happen. I was so incredible.” Gentle Birth Choices, by Barbara Harper

Ingredient 4: Reassuring Environment

Most of the circumstances of a natural labor and birth are up to fate. Creating the right birth environment is up to you. Give birth surrounded by peace of mind and comfort. Here are a few ways to create a peaceful and reassuring birth environment–

Quiet…in a quiet distraction-free environment a woman is able to stay centered within herself, and more likely to shift into a more instinctive level of concentration or consciousness that will enable her to labor spontaneously. Ideally a baby is best welcomed into a quiet place, a safe place, an environment free from bright lights and jarring loud noises.

Freedom to Move…the worst possible position for laboring and giving birth is the lying-down position. Dr. Roberto Caldeyro-Barcia, has stated: “Except for being hanged by the feet, the suspine position is the worst conceivable position for labor and delivery.” Movement during labor gives a woman control of her body, and removes her from being a patient upon whom birth is performed and empowers her to become a women giving birth. 

Relaxation...A women’s ability to remain relaxed and maintain her sense of humor is the best predictor of a positive birth experience, even if there are difficulties. It’s important to keep an open mind as to how the birth will actually proceed. Flexibility is essential, because in some cases medical intervention may be necessary.

Concentration...A women in labor shifts into a deeper level of concentration; she removes herself from concepts of time. In the words of one such mother...

“During each contraction I concentrated on relaxing every mussel in my body, I breathed deeply. I went deep down and listened to my body, I did whatever felt comfortable. I labored for many more hours than my memory can account for. I was in such a deep concentration most of the time that I wasn’t aware of what was going on around me. I can’t remember much about what was going on around me during those times of concentration, but I know that the room was dark and quiet, and very peaceful. I felt the comforting presence of my husband and mother. I was lost in the magic of birth. I didn’t fight the contractions instead I welcome them as the source and power that would bring my baby into my waiting arms.” ~ Natural Birth Mom

Gentle Babies

How Gentle Birth’s make “Gentle Babies” 

Dr. John Grover commented, “I noticed immediately that babies born in this peaceful, twilight atmosphere seemed calmer and more alert than those I had delivered in the past. After awhile the nursery nurses began to comment, ‘Ah, you’ve brought us another gentle birth baby!’ Without having to point out the fact. When I asked them how they could tell, the reply was ‘Oh, most babies are either asleep or crying most of the time; yours look about more, they seem to follow us with their eyes.’”

· The First Breath…The first breath can be gradual or abruptly painful, depending on when the umbilical cord is cut. By keeping the newborn attached to the umbilical cord while it is still pulsating, the transition to breathing with the lungs is gradual and gentle. The baby moves from being breathed for to breathing alone.

· Bonding…The newly emerged baby is immediately placed on the mother’s waiting arms, receiving immediate skin-to-skin contact with mom. Newborns of non-medicated, awake mothers are significantly more responsive at delivery. If free from medication the newborn’s first response after birth is to move into a quiet but alert state of consciousness.

· Breastfeeding…Breastfeeding contributes to a baby’s emotional life as well as its health and well being, but it can also increase the mother’s sense of well-being and give her an immediate sense of her ability to mother. Skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding for at least the first hour after birth has many benefits including increased milk supply, helping to stop bleeding, and most importantly welcomes the newborn child into a peaceful and loving environment, and lays the groundwork for becoming a deeply bonded family.

Natural Birth and the Family

The Psychological Effect of Natural Childbirth

The Effect on the Mother

Years after having a child, women remember if they felt in control or out of control when giving birth; if they were treated respectfully and felt validated; if they felt ignored, put down, or inadequate; or if they felt deprived of choices. They remember each negative or positive word spoken to them. A negative experience can cause wounds that sometimes never heal.

Many women and most young girls think of birth as an illness that is bloody, sickening, and painful. Most women do not learn of the wonder and mystery and sweaty, intense power of birth, they don’t learn of the physical, emotional, and spiritual connection that is possible when women let go of their fear-based desire to disassociate from their bodies. Natural birth as described is very beneficial to the mother. As a woman this experience has the power to leave her feeling empowered by her own strength with a heightened sense of self worth. As a mother this experience has the power to lend confidence in her ability to care for and bond to her child.

It is important to note that women who do not or can not labor naturally will not love their babies less, any good loving mother can and will bond to her infant, but there is a measured advantage to birth naturally.

“My birth had been the most self-empowering experience of my life. I loved my labor, believe me, I loved it. It was the hardest work I have ever done, but the greatest satisfaction came out of that work. It was everything I had hoped for and more, so much more. I hope that every woman will dig deep down into her body and pull from it the power to birth her child by the sweat of their own brow, that she will not insist upon the mind-body separation of drugs and cheat herself out of this self discovery called birth.” ~ Natural Birth Mom

The Effect on the Father

Father’s who witness the power of birth as it is displayed in its natural form often feel a heightened sense of pride, and honor for the mother of their children. These natural birth fathers sense the wonder and power of the mother of their child as she labors to bring their baby into their waiting arms, by being apart of this significant life experience the father becomes deeply bonded to his wife and baby.

This feeling of pride and gratitude for the mother follows the father into his role husband, in the words of a natural birth mom, “for the first few weeks after the baby was born my husband looked at me different than before, he was almost giddy with excitement as he recounted to friends and relatives our family birth experience. I felt so loved and appreciated as he would boast about how awesome I was through it all.”

Studies have shown that men who participate in the pregnancy and birth of their children feel greater ties of responsibility for the welfare of their infant. They sense the helplessness of the baby, and view their primary responsibility as protector, and provider for their child.

Effect on the Baby

Babies seem to come prepared to meet their parents. Their mothers are extremely familiar to the infant at the moment of birth, her smell, her touch, her voice, are all familiar to an infant of only a few second old. Most babies also recognize the voice of their father and are curious to look at and interact with both of their parents.

Natural birth helps to facilitate this important bonding time because it usually results in the baby and mother having more energy to interact with one another. Natural birth moms generally have an endorphin high after giving birth that last for several hours, the same period of time that un-medicated infants are in their awake and alert state. This time of heightened senses and excitement is enhanced by the experience and elation of having passed through labor and birth naturally.

Birth and Family Bonding

It is important to state that what takes place during and shortly after the birth of a child may be the starting point for building the foundations of secure attachment and independence between children and their parents, but it is not the only component of bonding. The thrill of starting off successfully certainly can enhance one’s expectations about being a parent. But it is not the only source of energy that creates attachment.

Even parents who have lacked early contact with their infants after birth generally become bonded to their babies. Human beings are highly adaptable, and there are many routes to attachment. Some see the experience of birth as the most influential moment of life for the baby and the mother, and often for the father. Although birth is highly significant, it is not an isolated experience, a number of factors, converge to shape these few hours and determine their influence on the development of the family.