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You might be wondering if there is a point to having a birth plan for labor, birth and postpartum care for a mother and her baby.  Do the caregivers even look at the plan?  Will making one just set the mother up for disappointment if everything doesn’t work out exactly how she wanted it to?  Is it just a waste of time since birth can’t really be planned?

I tend to feel that creating a birth plan is a great way to educate yourself during your pregnancy about your choices and evaluate the risks and benefits of different interventions.  If you were looking into buying a house or a car, you would look at all the different features, research all your options, ask questions and evaluate the answers before buying one.  So why wouldn’t you have the same approach when it comes to the birth of your child?  However, I also feel that creating a birth plan can be driven by fear of things outside of our control and it is important to be clear about the purpose of a birth plan.

Finding a balanced approach to birth plans can be tricky.  Marsden Wagner describes a birth plan as, “an approach to labor, rather than a term for a specific kind of outcome” (Wagner 1).  He views a birth plan as a tool to be used to work toward a woman-centered childbirth.  Even though many aspects of labor are impossible to plan for, it is still the mother’s right and responsibility to be fully informed about the different types of maternity care available to her.  Pam England is more cautious of birth plans because she feels that it can distract a mother from trusting herself and her body for what she needs at different moments during labor.  “All women ask for the same thing:  respect, dignity and support to birth naturally with minimal routine intervention and no unnecessary separation from the baby” (England 97).

Since birth can’t be planned, it might make more sense to call a birth plan a birth guide.  This better defines what it is- a guide for your support team and caregivers to use along with you while you make decisions during childbirth.  “Remember, your birth plan is a wish list.  Its purpose is not to control birth itself, since birth, as a force of nature, is actually under no one’s control.  Rather the birth plan aims to educate you, help you make decisions and communicate them to your caregivers, and thus, to influence the care you receive” (Wagner 219).

So are birth plans important?  I feel that they are, as long as they are approached with the full knowledge that they are meant to be flexible and the main goal of putting one together is to educate yourself.  Childbirth is such an important time for a mother and it shouldn’t be looked upon lightly.  “Producing a healthy baby is a major goal of birth.  But a successful birth outcome involves so much more than mere survival.  We should not disregard the human impact of childbirth.  Positive laboring experiences set women up to become good mothers and more confident people.  Some people climb mountains or run marathons to find out what they are capable of.  Giving birth presents a comparable opportunity for the woman who decides to become a mother.  It can reveal her to herself and transform her self-image” (Wagner 4).

If you’d like to learn more about the different aspects of care to consider when writing your birth plan and for specifics suggestions for putting your plan together, I will be leading a Create Your Birth Plan class through Mommy Matters Online along with local Fresno doula, Gena Kirby.  Click HERE to schedule a spot for you and your partner today!

Sources Used

England, Pam, and Rob Horowitz.  Birthing From Within.

Wagner, Marsden, and Stephanie Gunning. Creating Your Birth Plan:  The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth.