The power of birth preferences.
“The power of the birth plan isn’t the actual plan, it’s the process of becoming educated about your options!”
– Jen McLellan
&
“If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any!”
– D. Korte & R. Scaer
When it comes to making decisions that are informed there is usually some degree of knowledge sitting behind them. We can gain knowledge from experience, talking to friends and family, reading information, or seeking out advice from professionals. The process of writing birth preferences is the process of becoming informed about birth. It is a fantastic way to be very clear about your vision for the birth of your baby.
The development of your preferences opens communication between you, your partner and your caregivers. This conversation helps to bring everyone on the same page where the ‘birth team’ understands what your wishes are and discusses how they can best meet them based on the circumstances of your health and pregnancy.
Having two sets of birth preferences is a really good idea! One set is for the scenario where birth happens physiologically or in other words an uncomplicated, vaginal delivery. The second set is for a scenario where your birth takes a turn and needs some degree of medical assistance and management.
Making sure you have these preferences developed ahead of time is also key to ensuring your wishes are respected. Discussing these in detail on the day of labour is challenging as the vulnerability of a labouring women makes decision making really difficult.
In my classes we talk more about preferences – I even give you template ready versions that you can cut and paste, personalise to your wishes. Here are my top tips for things to consider when you develop yours:
Keep it concise and to the point, make it easy to read and understand.
Use language that respects the role of your caregivers acknowledging that things might not go to plan
Provide alternatives in situations of medical interventions and/or emergency caesarean and outline what your preferences are in these situations
Break you plan down into what your wishes are for the distinct stages of birth (active labour, birth of baby, birth of placenta and post-delivery and breastfeeding).
What happens if your caregivers point blankly refuse to honour your wishes?
It would be rare for this to occur, but if you find yourself in this situation, you can withdraw from their service and seek out a provider that will. Remember you have rights in childbirth. It might be worth your time to read this article on why you needn’t throw your birth plan out with the birth water if your caregiver criticises or refuses to listen to you.