My Simple Birth Plan For a First Time Mom

Are you overwhelmed by creating a birth plan?

Until I was eight months pregnant, I thought a birth plan was overwhelming and mostly unnecessary. I thought I would keep it simple and just follow the doctor’s advice. Then, I heard about all the options throughout labor and delivery and all the different medical opinions on the proper care which got me thinking… What if I’m asked to make a decision that could impact my baby’s health or mine? What if my husband is asked to decide on my behalf? That’s a lot of pressure, and I would rather be overly prepared than undereducated.

This all led me to do some self-education with the help of my doctor mother-in-law to create My Simple Birth Plan For a First-Time Mom. There are a million different birth plan templates online. None of them fit what I needed. Too many sections didn’t matter to me while not focusing enough on what I wanted the doctor to know. My template is entirely customizable, so no matter what your priority list looks like, you can include it and not crowd the plan with what you deem unnecessary. Before we begin, the best advice is that the perfect birth plan is a flexible one. In certain circumstances, your doctor may need to make decisions for you and the safety of your baby, which may go against your plan, but a good team will try to respect your preferences when possible.

Before I break down each section, you can download the plan below…

Birth Plan

• What is your full name?
• What is your birth date?
• When is your expected due date?
• Who is your OB doctor or midwife and what is there contact information?
• What is your preferred hospital and their contact information?
• Who is your support person or people?

Overview

• Are you Group B Strep Positive?
• Are you Rh incompatibility with your baby?
• Do you have Gestational Diabetes?
• Do you have any additional diagnoses?
• What is your blood type?
• Do you have a anterior placenta?

For Labor…

• What type of delivery are you planning?
  • Vaginal
  • C-Section
  • Water Birth
  • VBAC
• What are your pain management preferences?
  • Epidural
  • General Anesthesia
  • Local Anesthesia
  • Natural
  • Narcotic Analgesics
  • Nitrous Oxide
  • Spinal Block
• What is your preference for fetal heart monitoring?
  • Periodical Monitoring
  • Continuous Monitoring
  • Internal Monitoring
  • External Monitoring
• What are your labor augmentation preferences?
  • Membrane Sweep
  • Balloon Catheter
  • Cervical Ripening (Medication or Gel)
  • Breaking Water / Ruptured Membrane
  • Pitocin
  • I do not wish to have any labor augmentations
• Who would you like in the room?
  • My doctor and nurses only
  • My medical team and support person
  • I allow anyone, including students, residents, and interns

For the Delivery…

• What are your preferences for an assisted birth?
  • Episiotomy
  • Naturally tearing
  • Forecep Extraction
  • Vacuum Extraction
• If a C-Section wasn’t your original plan, what are your preferences?
  • Do you want to exhaust all other options before pivoting to surgery?
  • Is being awake during the procedure important to you?
  • Do you want your support person in the room?
  • How would you like to feed the baby post C-section?

After the Delivery…

• What are your skin-to-skin contact preferences?
• Would you like your support person to hold the baby if you cannot right away? 
• Would you like to see a lactation consultant?
• How would you like your baby fed?
  • Exclusively breastfeed
  • Feed with formula only
  • Use a breast pump

For Newborn Care…

• If you have a boy, do you want him circumcised? 
• Do you approve of the vitamin K shot?
• Do you approve of eye treatment?
• Do you allow pacifiers?
• Do you allow formula use?
• Do you allow sugar water use?

Additional Notes:

• Do you have a pediatrician arranged and their contact information?
• Do you need to notify your insurance company, and what does that process look like?
• Do you need to notify your work and what does that process look like?

Now you have a birth plan that suits your needs. Good luck, momma! xx