Pregnancy is a magical time for every woman. Going through this journey of bringing a new life to this world, it is necessary to take cautious steps and to map each and everything of it. It's better to have a birth plan in place rather than making last-minute decisions and regretting them later. 

What is a birth plan? 

A birth plan is basically a complete outline of all the important things that you need during the labor and delivery period. It's not a schedule, rather anticipating everything you need, and choosing the right option for your needs. For example, what kind of atmosphere do you want to be in, which hospital would you want to go to, etc. 

How to Create a Birth Plan? 

Sit back and think of every important decision you have to make throughout the process. Make sure that your birth plan is precise, to the point, and legible for everyone. 

Here are a few birth plan ideas:

The primary information 

Of course, you start creating a birth plan with the basics like your name, your partner's name, and birth preferences like the hospital that you are going to/would want to go to, the doctor(s) you are seeing/would want to see and any other classes that you are taking or would want to take related to childbirth. 

The Environment 

Decide what kind of environment you would want to create for the baby. What kind of pictures and colors you want to have around you, the kind of movies you would want to watch, or the kind of books you want to read. Basically anything related to your surroundings will indirectly have an effect on your thinking. 

In the labor 

You are said to be in labor when you get regular contractions. So here you have to decide whether you want to be hospitalized immediately or not and do you want to have the painkillers or epidurals while childbirth. These birth preferences need to be thought through well in advance. 

Post-childbirth decisions

Where would the baby stay in your house? Would you like to breastfeed the baby or not? What immediate care and assistance would you need from the hospital immediately after childbirth is to be decided promptly here. 

Why is this essential? 

I am sure that after looking at the above questions you would be very clear on this question already. There are a lot of things that need to be thought through and discussed with your partner or the family. Creating a birth plan is essential so that you have anticipated every situation and are prepared with your decisions way in advance. 

Final Words 

You should know that this plan is just a setup and not permanent. Stay flexible and allow some healthy changes to occur as and when required. Certain things might change in the course of time and it's completely okay to do so! 

Hope you are all set for creating a birth plan for yourself now! Good luck!