Planning for your Birth
by Julie Olson and Katie Immel
The
day your child is born is a day you’ll remember forever, so it makes sense to put
some thought and planning into how you would like it to go. It is important to
keep an open mind during pregnancy, labor and birth, because things can happen
that are outside of anyone’s control. However, your preparation, planning and
goals will affect your experience and may alter the decisions that you make
along the way. If you understand and give thoughtful consideration to your
options ahead of time and communicate your desires to your care provider (and
to the people who will be supporting you), you are more likely to have a
happier and more satisfying experience.
Books, websites
and discussions with friends can provide helpful information and serve as a
valuable starting point, but a childbirth class offers you and your partner a
dedicated time to focus on your upcoming birth, discuss information you have
learned and put more concentrated effort into identifying and clarifying your desires
and goals.
Sometimes, parents
believe they do not need to take a childbirth course because they are planning
an epidural, but childbirth education
is about more than pain management. Classes
provide education on all kinds of topics, such as pregnancy wellness, the
typical course of events in labor, your choices, what to expect after the birth
and possibly newborn care and breastfeeding. This information can relieve fears
and help you enjoy your pregnancy, birth or postpartum time more than if you go
through it blindly. You also have a chance to connect with other expectant
parents, learn you are not alone in this journey and maybe even meet couples
who turn into lifelong friends.
Occasionally,
parents believe they do not need to be educated because their care provider
will be there to handle things. While in some ways it might seem easier to turn
over decision-making to another person and be free from responsibility, there
is no one else as invested in your birth experience or its outcome as you are.
No one else will be taking your child home and raising him/her and no one else
will feel the emotional impacts of the birth like you and your partner. Some
decisions made for you by your care provider may not make a difference to you
or may be beneficial, while others may leave you with doubt, regret or even
trauma. You may look back at your experience and wonder if that intervention or
medication was necessary or ask yourself “what if...” questions. Important
future decisions might be affected by your birth experience, such as limiting
how many children you have or resigning yourself to a similar birth with your
next child. Your involvement in the decision-making, regardless of the birth
experience or outcome, can have huge benefits to you for years to come.
Every
woman is different, every baby is different and every labor is different. There
are no absolutes and no hard and fast rules that apply one hundred percent of
the time. Education can’t guarantee a particular outcome or ensure that your
birth is all that you desire, but it can help you feel respected and empowered
- and all families benefit from that.
Julie Olson is a mother of two, a
DONA International Birth Doula, a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and the
owner of Plumtree Baby, LLC, which provides printed materials and visual aids
for childbirth education. Katie Immel is a mother of three, a DONA
International Birth Doula and an ICEA Certified Childbirth Educator. She is an
author and graphic designer for Plumtree Baby, LLC.
