Planning Labor Medications

When a couple decides to have a baby, they dream of their lives with that child-and they dream of the things in life their child will experience. Part of the experience includes the dreams and thoughts about the labor and delivery of the baby. A woman will dream of her partner being at her side, coaching her through the labor-he may dream of holding his newborn baby in his hands as the child leaves the mother's body. How does all of this dreaming become a reality?

Active Involvement And Birth Plans

These days more and more men and women are wanting to be actively involved in the birth of their baby and are expressing that desire by using a birth plan. The birth plan is made up of ideas and expectations about the birth of the baby. It is useful in helping all the people involved with the labor and delivery to know more about the desires of the couple, how they've prepared and what they want from the experience.

What a birth plan is not, is directions telling the hospital staff how to do their jobs. A birth plan is not a set of orders: and for anyone who has had a baby, ordering labor and birth is impossible. However, most people do have preferences for how they would like to have things done and that is where the birth plan comes in.

What Kind Of Pain Management Do You Prefer?

Choices as to whether a woman wants to move around or whether she prefers to remain in bed during the labor and whether or not she wants access to a tub or shower are some of the things discussed in a birth plan. One of the major considerations is pain medication. Of course women dream of the perfect birth: painless, fast, and without the need for drugs. Barring that, some preferences regarding the administration of pain medication are written into the birth plan. It is only fair to say that even then, some babies come so quickly that there isn't time for medication, or the labor has progressed past the point where a spinal block can be administered. Nevertheless, it is important to discuss your preferences with your doctor in the event that everything goes according to plan.

Medications Are Different For Different Needs

What is very important to remember is that the quality of childbirth is not determined by the type of medications used or whether or not they are used. All medications will have some kind of effect upon labor and upon the baby. However, with constant, careful monitoring there are usually no problems. There is a variety of different medications which may be used during labor and they serve different purposes.

Sometimes Things Don't Go As Planned

When the birth plan is being discussed with the medical professionals, it is a good idea to go over the different medications and talk about what is preferred as well as what would be used "in the event of..." Sometimes a situation arises during labor which may necessitate the administration of a drug for medical reasons, like high blood pressure or a lack of progress in the labor which could be problematic for the baby. Everyone needs to be advised of and prepared for any eventuality during childbirth and by communicating clearly regarding the use of medications during labor all parties are ensured the experience will be a good one.