Birth plans are becoming more and more commonplace and you might be wondering what purpose they hold for you in your pregnancy and childbirth journey. Not planning, or not even realizing that you can plan, your birth can leave you feeling like you didn’t have a say or like you weren’t seen or heard in the moments that mattered most when having your baby.
Having a birth plan can help you process many aspects and have ready responses, making it easier for you in the emotionally and physically charged moments that you are in the process of welcoming your baby earth side. Here are some reasons why having a birth plan is important.
The status quo is just showing up and allowing whatever happens to happen but when you have a plan, have worked through different scenarios, and know how you will respond in each situation, you are less likely to have a traumatic birth experience. Your plan will also help build your mindset and allow you to become more confident in your birth process simply because of where your focus is placed.
Thinking about what you want and envisioning your birth will help you in so many ways! Writing it out and sharing it with your spouse gives your plan even more power as you plant those visions deeper into your mind. Then as a team you can talk through multiple scenarios, allowing you to feel even more empowered through the entire experience.
Creating a birth plan can also bring more things to your awareness that you may have never considered or even knew were options before getting pregnant. Having your plan early on and discussing it with your doctor can also alert you to possible conflicts of opinion that may exist, giving you more time to search for a new care provider without being under stress and pressure, feeling like you don’t have any options later in your pregnancy
Having a birth plan is the easiest way to convey your wishes to your birth team (OBGYN, doula, midwife, friend, mother) as well. This allows for clear communication, center of focus, and tells them you are in control of your experience.
A good friend of mine even laminated her birth plan and delivered it to the labor and delivery unit at her hospital, weeks prior to her due date. She wanted to make sure that everyone who looked at her file would see her plans so she didn’t have to repeat them.
For generations the medical system has been dictating our care and how we will birth our babies. Women are starting to become aware of how this system is the leading cause of so many interventions that, in many cases, lead to cesarean births that otherwise would not have been necessary. You have the power to plan and create the birth experience you want, all you have to do is start planning.
If you aren’t sure how to get started in creating your birth plan I have the perfect gift for you. Click here to get a free copy of my Empowered Birth Checklist, that covers the basics of creating your birth plan and gives you some key components on how to have your empowered birth.
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