3 Keys to Creating a Great Birth Plan

From the moment you find out you’re pregnant, your mind jumps into planning mode, and you consider everything from where to put the nursery to how you’d like to deliver your child. 

Each year in the United States, more than 3.6 million babies are born and they enter the world in a variety of different ways, often following the ideal birth plan of the expectant parents.

While pregnancy and delivery can be unpredictable, having a good birth plan in place from the start makes good sense. To that end, the team of women’s health experts here at Capital Women’s Care presents a few tips for creating your ideal birth plan.

The role of your birth plan

First, let’s quickly discuss what we’re talking about when we refer to a birth plan. In most cases, this is a written plan that outlines your desires and wishes for your delivery that covers everything from your labor and delivery to newborn care and breastfeeding.

Creating your birth plan

Now, let’s get into some tips for creating your ideal birth plan, which include:

1. Use a template

There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to birth plans, as there are many templates and samples. To get you started, we recommend this one from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

As for when you should create your birth plan, during your first or second trimester is always good. This allows time for us to work on any potential hurdles and it gives you peace of mind when you enter your third trimester that you already have a plan in place.

2. Work with our team

The team at Capital Women’s Care has extensive experience helping our patients to devise the best birth plan for their goals and circumstances. As you can see by the template we linked to above, a birth plan is full of choices (often overwhelmingly so for new moms,) and we can guide you by providing the information you need to make decisions that are best for you.

As well, our input is critical as we can weigh in on the health side of the equation. For example, if there's a potential health issue for you and/or your baby, we may have to tweak your birth plan to reflect that.

3. Be flexible

The only thing that’s 100% certain about having a baby is that there will be unforeseen surprises. So, plan on being flexible, and think of your birth plan as a living document that can easily change.

For example, you may wish to have a natural birth, using a stool and no medications, but the position of your baby might force us toward a Cesarean section (C-section). It might surprise you to know that, in 2021, slightly more than 32% of deliveries in the US were via C-section, some planned and others not. 

While a C-section would be a big change, there may be other slight alterations you might make to your birth plan along your pregnancy journey as you learn new information, so it’s important to remain flexible.

Again, our team is here to help you every step of the way during your pregnancy, and we’re happy to sit down with you to come up with a positive and affirmative birth plan that instills confidence.

For help creating your ideal birth plan, please call one of our conveniently located offices in Frederick, Urbana, and Mount Airy, Maryland, at 301-663-6171. Or, you can request an appointment using our online form.