In 2022, around 3.6 million newborns came into the world in the United States. Many babies are born on time and are delivered according to plan. But not all.
Having a birth plan in place is a step that Dr. Fernando Otero and the team here at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley highly recommend for all expectant families. While pregnancies and deliveries are not always predictable, creating some guidelines for your wishes and goals is a great practice and, in many cases, we can follow these plans to the letter.
If you want a birth plan of your own, read on for some great points to consider when creating this important document
Millions of women create birth plans, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you want to create your own birth plan, there are plenty of templates out there you can use. For example, check out this birth plan template from What to Expect.
Whether you use the plan exactly as it's presented or you modify it to better reflect your wishes, you don’t need to start from scratch.
We also want you to bring your working birth plan with you to your prenatal appointments so we can work together on it. We can answer your questions, and we can make tweaks and suggestions from our position as your pregnancy care team.
It’s important that you don’t think of your birth plan as set in stone. During the nine months of your pregnancy, things can crop up and your situation can change. For example, it’s not uncommon for a pregnancy to become a higher-risk pregnancy if a condition like gestational diabetes develops, and this can change your birth plan.
Of course, we make every effort to follow your birth plan, but you should be fluid when it comes to change so we can adapt the plan to unforeseen circumstances.
Let’s say you want a natural birth with no medications. We work toward that goal, but it might not be feasible at the eleventh hour. Of the 3.6-3.7 million live births in the US in 2022, almost 2.5 million were vaginal deliveries while nearly 1.2 million were Cesarean section deliveries.
Some of these Cesarean sections were planned in advance as part of the original birth plan, but some became necessary during delivery. So, we suggest that somewhere in your birth plan you acknowledge a contingency plan.
While births don’t always go as planned, the advantages to having a clear vision in place are well worth your time and effort. A birth plan provides you with some peace of mind as you work on everything else you need to get done to welcome your child.
If you’d like some help coming up with a birth plan that meets your needs and goals, we’re thrilled to help. To get that ball rolling, please contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule an appointment.
