When I start birth preparation with a birth, antenatal or hypnobirthing client, I always ask them if they have thought about a birth plan or postnatal plan yet. Some clients ask me why do they need a birth plan or postnatal plan? They say, "surely your birth will be what it is and you can't do anything to control it". To some degree, yes, this is true. However, having a birth plan can really help you to decide what you would or wouldn't like to happen during your birth and allow you to still be in control. Having the birth that you desire can help you to have a positive birth experience and a birth plan can help steer your birth in the direction that you wish. Not only that, but if your birth plan needs to change, you are prepared and able to make informed decisions.
Birth is a really big deal and how you feel during your birth, can impact you for the rest of your life. If you speak to anyone who has given birth before, most of them will delight in telling you their birth story, whether it was positive or negative, recent or a long time ago. They remember it and those feelings they had during their birth, can last for a lifetime. If you are lucky enough to still have your Grandmother or Mother around, speak to them about their births and hear what they have to say, ask them how they felt during their birth. However, what you need to remember is that when people recall stories, they very often embellish them. They like them to sound more dramatic than they actually were and they like them to include some drama. Don't let other people's negative birth stories create fear for you. The fear of birth often comes from listening to negative birth stories and filling the subconscious mind with negative thoughts towards birth. That's why hypnobirthing is so powerful, because it can help remove any negative feelings and fear about birth and replace them with a more positive mindset.
Birth Plans
Birth plans are a list of things that you would like or would not like to happen during your labour and birth. Birth preparation and birth plans can really help you to research your different options and make informed decisions. Birth plans are great at helping you decide what kind of birth you'd like. For example, a home birth, hospital birth or birth centre. It will help you to decide what kind of pain relief options are available to you and which, if any you would be interested in. It allows you to make informed decisions about things that might crop up, if your pregnancy or birth takes a twist in the road. E.g. the offer of induction, what an induction is and the pros and cons of an induction. Birth plans can help you to decide on different, good labour and birth positions. If you'd be interested in skin to skin and the benefits of skin to skin. If you would want delayed or optimal cord clamping. Who you'd like present at your birth, how you plan to feed your baby, how you'd like your birth environment to look. If you'd like to deliver your placenta naturally or via an injection of an artificial hormone. Birth preparation will help you to decide if you'd like to keep your placenta, use it for encapsulation and understand what happens during the 3rd stage of labour, when the placenta is delivered. There are so many different choices you can make during labour and birth and knowing about them all is really important.
Sometimes labour does go off course and birth plans do need to change. That's why I always tell my clients to make a 2nd or even 3rd birth plan, so that they can continue with their own choices and make their own decisions. If you are planning a vaginal birth, it is always worth making a caesarean section plan too, just in case a c-section is required. This way, you will be able to make certain special requests during your c-section, remain in control and be able to understand the c-section process too.
Click the link, if you'd like to receive a FREE PDF birth preparation and birth planning template. Alternatively, my birth and my antenatal doula support packages include birth and postnatal preparation, including writing birth and postnatal plans. My hypnobirthing courses also include birth preparation, birth and postnatal planning, including how to navigate the complicated maternity system during labour and birth.
Postnatal Plans
Postnatal plans are just as important as birth plans. A postnatal plan is a list of things that you would like to happen after your baby has been born. Things you might want to think about are:
Any visitors in the first few weeks
If you are breastfeeding, what could your partner do to help support you? E.g. bring you food/drink, change baby's nappy, winding, walking baby in sling/pram.
Where your healthy meals will come from. E.g. arrange for family/friends to bring nutritious food over, batch cook during pregnancy and freeze meals, use food services such as Hello Fresh, or the Food Doula.
Hire a postnatal doula
Hire a cleaner
After having a baby, your body has been through a lot emotionally and physically and you will need rest, support and help. Having a postnatal plan in place can really help you to focus on the things that are important to you, help you to enjoy those newborns days and recover from your birth, whether you had a positive or negative experience.
Have you started any birth preparation, written a birth plan or postnatal plan yet? If you would like any help or support preparing for birth or writing either a birth or postnatal plan, please get in touch with me to see how I can help.
Click the link, if you'd like to download a FREE PDF postnatal planning document.
If you would like to learn more about the services that I offer, please contact me or visit my website to find out more.
Julia xx