Customizing Your Birth Plan

There are few life events that are more momentous and happily anticipated than the birth of a child. If you’re pregnant with your first child or your fourth, it’s important to speak with your obstetrician about the birth experience you picture and want. Certain choices you make now can up your comfort during labor, which contributes to a more positive birth experience.

Dr. Kevin Hooker and the Lake Havasu OB/GYN Care team are “all in” when it comes to doing everything they can to make your birth experience the safe, positive introduction to the world you want for your baby. 

Dr. Hooker strives to be on the same page with every mother-to-be about the level of intervention she deems desirable for her birth, and does all he can to make her wishes reality.

We base our care on the fact that every woman and every birth is absolutely unique.

Why is creating a birth plan important?

A birth plan is really a snapshot of your preferences for your labor and delivery, and when you stop to think about it, there are loads of choices you need to make before your baby is born:

• Who will attend the birth? This might include your partner, other family members, or a midwife
• Are you amenable to receiving pain medication or labor accelerants like Pitocin during labor, and if so, at what point?
• What is your preferred birthing position? Some women want to stand in the shower while in labor, some use a birthing ball or chair, others labor in a tub
• Does the hospital you’re delivering in offer the features you want?
• How will decisions be made about whether you may need a C-section instead of a vaginal delivery, or an intervention like an episiotomy?
• Are you open to your doctor using assistive devices like forceps during the birth, or would you rather avoid it if at all possible?
• What environmental preferences do you have, such as preferred music, light levels, etc?
• After your baby’s birth, would you like to start nursing right away? What about banking umbilical cord blood, either for your own family’s use or donating it?

Once you stop to think about everything involved in labor and delivery, it’s clear that you face decisions prior to that first contraction. It’s comforting to know you’ve considered these issues well before you go into labor rather than having to make decisions on the fly when you’re having your baby.

Finding a birth plan template isn’t hard. There are many examples online; you just have to conduct a simple search. 

Something to remember: Your birth plan is based on everything going as expected

We know that birth is one of the events in life that often doesn’t go exactly as planned. You need to be open to change if a surprise emerges during labor. You may have been staunchly anti-pain medications before you actually started having contractions, but once you start having them and they intensify, you might change your mind quickly — and that’s OK!

Of course, Dr. Hooker updates you during labor if any unforeseen issues occur that present risks to you or your baby, and these may also cause you to deviate from your birth plan. The reassuring news is that both you and Dr. Hooker have the same goal: the safest delivery possible. 

Can I still create a birth plan if my pregnancy is considered high risk?

Absolutely and especially! Just because you may live with a condition or develop one during pregnancy that puts you in the high risk category doesn’t mean that you can’t create a birth plan that includes everything you wish for your labor and baby’s delivery, too. 

The role of a birth plan in your overall prenatal care

A well-thought-out birth plan holds an important place as you go through your pregnancy and come to us for your prenatal visits. The conversations that happen during these appointments may cause you to make tweaks in your birth plan, and that’s good. Your birth plan is really a dynamic, “living” document. 

Contact the Lake Havasu OB/GYN Care office today to start planning your birth with Dr. Hooker — what could be more exciting? You can book an appointment by calling us or arranging one through our website.