Birth Planning - Pregnancy Planning and Birth Plan Options

There is a saying that begins with the words, "The best laid plans of mice and men..." and while the ending indicates that the plans go awry, when it comes to a birth plan, that need not be the case. Birth plans, including all of the varied facets of them - from birth control planning to the birth itself - involves consideration and attention to detail.

Why Have A Birth Plan?

There are many birth plan options and once your plan is made, it is best to view it from the perspective of it being a wish list of what you would like to have happen throughout the process - in a perfect world. It is important to communicate to the healthcare practitioner, hospital or birth center that you understand that there is a need to be flexible should an emergency arise and that you do trust them and their judgment if decisions have to be made for the welfare of either yourself or your baby. If you don't feel you can work with the practitioner or staff, if they don't seem willing to consider your plans, then look somewhere else.

Begin To Plan For Baby

But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we must go back to the idea of baby planning, which goes back even further to birth control. When you and your partner decide it's time to have a baby, then your birth control methods should be evaluated in order to determine how much time you will need to be off the birth control before you should conceive. Pregnancy planning is contingent upon this and other things. While it may happen that you stop birth control and conceive within days, the likelihood is probably remote. On the other hand, depending upon your age and health, as well as the type of birth control methods you've been using, it can take anywhere from two months to two years to conceive.

Once your cycle is established and you know the number of days from menstruation to ovulation you can figure out when the best time to conceive would be. There are ovulation calendars, conception calendars, and pregnancy calendars - week to week or day to day - to help you figure it all out. Most of them are available online and are a terrific asset when you are working on developing a full cycle pregnancy plan. Never before have women had so many helps available to create a birth plan that includes explicit timing. Having said that, conception still happens when it happens and babies are still born when they're ready, unless you're having a planned Caesarean birth.

Frequently Asked Birth Questions

Birth planning centers around the actual birth of the baby. There are several questions to ask in the process to ensure you arrive at the right plan for your family's needs. Birth planning faqs include questions relative to your options. Where will the baby be born? When will you go to the place your baby will be born? Will your coach always be with you? Will you be prepped? If so, how much prepping will you have done? How will the baby be monitored during labor? Will you be able to move around at will? Is there a time limit established for the length of your labor or pushing? What about positions for pushing? How will you push? Will you have an episiotomy? Is someone going to take pictures? Will you breastfeed immediately? Who will catch the baby? Who will cut the cord? When? Will the baby remain with the parents or go to a nursery? Will you have a doula or nurses? When will you go home?

Today, birth planning approaches are more open and the parents-to-be are more involved than they used to be. There was a time when the practitioner called all of the shots and the parents basically did what they were told. Today it is possible to go to a birth planning center and check information, talk with someone who can help you formulate your birth plan and ask all of the questions you need to ask in order to know your birth planning is exactly what you have in mind.