{"id":324,"date":"2025-03-25T20:21:57","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T04:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/?page_id=324"},"modified":"2025-03-25T20:22:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T04:22:33","slug":"birth-plan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/birth-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Create a Birth Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A birth plan helps you to consider all the aspects of the birth of your child.<\/strong> It can help you and your birth helper to clarify your ideas and communicate your feelings about what may happen during the labour and birth. It helps you to communicate to your care provider, nurses or doula what your wishes are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A birth plan is NOT helpful if it is held as the ONLY way the birth will be<\/strong> &#8211; not matter what! We never know how the births of our children will be, so flexibility is our greatest asset. Phrases such as &#8220;would prefer&#8221;, &#8220;if possible,&#8221; and &#8220;unless medically necessary&#8221;, will show your caregivers (and remind you) that you know that it may be necessary to modify your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Some caregivers may be concerned<\/strong> that a birth plan shows a lack of trust in your caregivers and the hospital. Make sure that you adopt a friendly and polite attitude to the whole process and reassure your caregiver that you are not doing this because you don&#8217;t trust them but because you want to make sure there is good communication between you and with the hospital staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here is one way of going about making a birth plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the list of items on the next page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Discuss how you feel about them with your partner or birth helper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose which ones you feel strongly about. There might be some of these you don&#8217;t care about either way. There may be other things about the birth that you really do\/don&#8217;t want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make your <em>own <\/em>list of important items.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Take this list to your care provider and discuss each item on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find out what their routines and practice are for each of your areas of concern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Find out what their concerns and limits are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Express your concerns and preferences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Try to come to an agreement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take your helper to this appointment if possible &#8211; they can take notes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Go home and write up the results of that conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Write down what you and your care provider agreed on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you disagreed about anything, write that down too.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remember to use those &#8220;flexibility&#8221; phrases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is your birth plan. (If you want to, you can use the Birth Plan form)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make two to three copies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At your next visit, take your birth plan to your care provider and ask him\/her to look it over. Ask that it be put on your chart. This way it will be sent over to the hospital and will be there when you arrive. Keep a copy and pack it in your hospital bag just in case the other one gets misplaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have a doula or extra birth helper, make sure they get a copy!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The following is a list of items to consider in making a birth plan:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>General:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Who will be at the birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plans for siblings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pictures, video<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When will you go to the hospital<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When will your care provider try to be there<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early rupture of membranes (should you call your care provider, go to the hospital?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First Stage &#8211; Active Labour:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vaginal exams &#8211; when, who will do them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blood samples &#8211; when will they be taken?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Positions for labour and birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eating and drinking in labour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Freedom of movement during labour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of birth ball<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fetal monitoring (intermittent or continuous) G I.V.&#8217;s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pain Relief<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other Medications<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Antibiotics for Group B Streptococcus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Induction &#8211; When? How? (Pitocin, prostaglandins, nipple stimulation?) G Artificial rupture of membranes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Second Stage &#8211; Pushing:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Positions for pushing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of squat bar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Episiotomy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hot compresses during crowning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Caesarian section<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forceps delivery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breech birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarian)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>If a cesarean is necessary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>anaesthesia &#8211; spinal or general<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>partner present<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>skin-to-skin with baby<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breast\/chestfeed in OR &#8211; in recovery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Third Stage &#8211; Getting the Placenta Out:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cord clamping and cutting (when, who)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pitocin for the delivery of the placenta<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cord blood banking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>keeping the placenta<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The immediate Postpartum Period:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Suctioning of baby at birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Baby placed on parent\u2019s belly right after birth or taken and cleaned up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breast\/chestfeeding immediately after birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Erythromycin ointment for baby\u2019s eyes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Newborn exam (where, when)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vitamin K<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Private time for parents and baby after the birth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Next Few Days:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Partner able to stay in hospital with birthing parent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breast\/chestfeeding and supplements\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>(formula, water)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bathing the baby<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PKU Test<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Circumcision<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When do you want to go home<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-contact-form-7-contact-form-selector\">\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f321-o1\" lang=\"en-CA\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"321\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324#wpcf7-f321-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\" data-trp-original-action=\"\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324#wpcf7-f321-o1\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"321\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.1.5\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_CA\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f321-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_nonce\" value=\"da0a6a8d69\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpcf7cfpdf_hidden_name\" value=\"birth-plan--may132026\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpcf7cfpdf_hidden_reference\" value=\"308b7b69\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpcf7cfpdf_hidden_date\" value=\"May13,2026\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<h2>Birth Preferences\n<\/h2>\n<p><label> Your name:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"your-name\" \/><\/span> <\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Your email:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-email\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-email wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-email\" autocomplete=\"email\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" value=\"\" type=\"email\" name=\"your-email\" \/><\/span> <\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Due Date:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"due-date\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-date wpcf7-validates-as-date\" aria-invalid=\"false\" value=\"\" type=\"date\" name=\"due-date\" \/><\/span> <\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Support People:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"support-people\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"support-people\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p>This is a list of our preferences for labour, birth and the hospital stay, but we realize that it is important to stay flexible.\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Most Important Issues:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"most-important-issues\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"most-important-issues\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Labour:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"labour\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"labour\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> Birth:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"birth\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"birth\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> After the Birth:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"after-the-birth\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"after-the-birth\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><label> In case of unexpected outcomes:<br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"unexpected-outcomes\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"unexpected-outcomes\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"cf7-cf-turnstile\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: -15px;\"> <div id=\"cf-turnstile-cf7-2932691452\" class=\"cf-turnstile\" data-sitekey=\"0x4AAAAAAA9WXDsk2qmwy4S8\" data-theme=\"light\" data-language=\"auto\" data-size=\"normal\" data-retry=\"auto\" data-retry-interval=\"1000\" data-refresh-expired=\"auto\" data-refresh-timeout=\"auto\" data-action=\"contact-form-7\" data-callback=\"turnstileCF7Callback\" data-appearance=\"always\"><\/div> <script>document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { setTimeout(function(){ var e=document.getElementById(\"cf-turnstile-cf7-2932691452\"); if(e&&!e.innerHTML.trim()){turnstile.render(e, {sitekey:\"0x4AAAAAAA9WXDsk2qmwy4S8\"});} }, 200); });<\/script> <br class=\"cf-turnstile-br cf-turnstile-br-cf7-2932691452\"> <style>#cf-turnstile-cf7-2932691452 { margin-left: -15px; }<\/style> <script>document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){document.querySelectorAll('.wpcf7-form').forEach(function(e){e.addEventListener('submit',function(){if(document.getElementById('cf-turnstile-cf7-2932691452')){setTimeout(function(){turnstile.reset('#cf-turnstile-cf7-2932691452');},1000)}})})});<\/script> <\/div><br\/><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" \/>\n<\/p><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"trp-form-language\" value=\"fr\"\/><\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A birth plan helps you to consider all the aspects of the birth of your child. It can help you and your birth helper to clarify your ideas and communicate your feelings about what may happen during the labour and birth. It helps you to communicate to your care provider, nurses or doula what your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-324","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326,"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324\/revisions\/326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harbourdoula.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}