If you are expecting, it's time to work out a birth plan to determine your ideal birthing situation. Patricia Madden, Chief Nurse Midwife at UPMC Lititz, discusses the importance of a birth plan and how things can change when it's time to deliver.
Transcription:
Caitlin White (Host): If you’re expecting a baby, you’ve likely thought of everything from names to childcare to how many diapers you’ll really need. But have you given any thought to how you want your actual labor and delivery to go? Today, we’re talking birth plans with Patrician Madden, a Certified Nurse Midwife who serves as the Chief Nurse Midwife at UPMC Lititz and OBGYN of Lancaster.
This is Healthier You, a podcast from UPMC Pinnacle. I’m Caitlin White. So, let’s get into it Patricia. What exactly is a birth plan?
Patricia Madden, CNM (Guest): So, a birth plan is written documentation for a patient to consider what it is that they would like for their ideal birth. Things such as if they want an epidural or if they don’t and what their overall plans are for pain management, for care throughout the pregnancy perhaps or just for the delivery.
Host: That gets into a bit of my next question. What should be included in a birth plan? It sounds like it not only includes the delivery but some post care as well.
Patricia: Yeah. Some people think of the birth plan as being for the delivery itself, but it really can be helpful if you do it early in the pregnancy so that we’re not finding out at the end some of the things that you would like to have. Perhaps maybe the practice that you’re going to doesn’t allow for the things that you are looking for. And so, it’s important to think about what it is that you want and if you don’t know what it is that you want; you can always go online and review what other people have written in there’s. And that will give you consideration for things to put in your birth plan.
Host: So, tell it to me straight. Will my birth always go as I plan it?
Patricia: Absolutely not. So, the birth plan should be your ideal birth, what it is in a perfect world what you would like to happen with the knowledge that that doesn’t always happen that way. And so, if we can accommodate all of those things, this is what we would like to do. But knowing that there is no one specific way that people labor or deliver. Each baby is different just like each person is different and so we need to accommodate based on that and our ultimate goal is the health and safety of both the mom and the baby.
Host: And if I’m someone who is having their second or third child; is a birth plan still important?
Patricia: I think so. Because you change and you grow as you go through your family and so what you might have wanted for your first birth, may not be the same thing that you want for your third birth per se. So, sometimes you find out about things along the way that you didn’t know about then or sometimes something within the events that happen for a prior pregnancy you either want to replicate them or you want to make sure that they are not replicated.
Host: Now I haven’t had any kids, but I imagine I would end up in a hospital when I do. Why would I need a birth plan if I’m planning to go to a traditional medical facility?
Patricia: Well it’s amazing that babies are delivered all the time, but they are done differently in different settings. So, in a hospital setting, even though we all have to go by the rules and regs of the hospital, there are different comfort levels of providers. There’s different scenarios in which you might find yourself in and so it’s just good to think about what you would want in that situation.
Host: To sum it up, what is the goal of a birth plan? Why do we want to have this list of do’s and don’ts before we head into labor?
Patricia: Well I think the importance of the birth plan is that your voice is heard so that people know what it is that you’re looking for and even though that can’t always transpire; that is our ultimate goal is to get to what you would like to have as your ultimate birth experience.
Host: Anything else you want to add Patricia?
Patricia: If you go online, you can find the templates for birth plans so if you are not even sure where to start, you can find a template to fill in and then if you want to do your own, you can certainly do that but it’s important to put in there anything that you can think of but keep in mind that it is a legal document, once it’s in the chart. So, for example if you were to say I don’t want to have a vacuum extraction; sometimes the only other option in that is to do a C-section and so, if that’s something that you said that you don’t want; then we have to abide by that. So, sometimes you don’t want to close yourself in on the things that you are saying. So, it’s important to review it with your provider so that you know, and they know what it is that you are looking to as your goal.
Host: Absolutely. Well Patricia, thank you for your time. I hope we put some expecting mothers at ease today. that was Patricia Madden, the Chief Nurse Midwife at UPMC Lititz and OBGYN of Lancaster. Visit www.upmcpinnacle.com/maternity for a list of providers, birth centers and a link to a parent education mobile app. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out our full podcast library for episodes that may interest you. And be sure to share them on your social channels. This is Healthier You, a podcast from UPMC Pinnacle. I’m Caitlin White. Thanks for listening.
Caitlin White (Host): If you’re expecting a baby, you’ve likely thought of everything from names to childcare to how many diapers you’ll really need. But have you given any thought to how you want your actual labor and delivery to go? Today, we’re talking birth plans with Patrician Madden, a Certified Nurse Midwife who serves as the Chief Nurse Midwife at UPMC Lititz and OBGYN of Lancaster.
This is Healthier You, a podcast from UPMC Pinnacle. I’m Caitlin White. So, let’s get into it Patricia. What exactly is a birth plan?
Patricia Madden, CNM (Guest): So, a birth plan is written documentation for a patient to consider what it is that they would like for their ideal birth. Things such as if they want an epidural or if they don’t and what their overall plans are for pain management, for care throughout the pregnancy perhaps or just for the delivery.
Host: That gets into a bit of my next question. What should be included in a birth plan? It sounds like it not only includes the delivery but some post care as well.
Patricia: Yeah. Some people think of the birth plan as being for the delivery itself, but it really can be helpful if you do it early in the pregnancy so that we’re not finding out at the end some of the things that you would like to have. Perhaps maybe the practice that you’re going to doesn’t allow for the things that you are looking for. And so, it’s important to think about what it is that you want and if you don’t know what it is that you want; you can always go online and review what other people have written in there’s. And that will give you consideration for things to put in your birth plan.
Host: So, tell it to me straight. Will my birth always go as I plan it?
Patricia: Absolutely not. So, the birth plan should be your ideal birth, what it is in a perfect world what you would like to happen with the knowledge that that doesn’t always happen that way. And so, if we can accommodate all of those things, this is what we would like to do. But knowing that there is no one specific way that people labor or deliver. Each baby is different just like each person is different and so we need to accommodate based on that and our ultimate goal is the health and safety of both the mom and the baby.
Host: And if I’m someone who is having their second or third child; is a birth plan still important?
Patricia: I think so. Because you change and you grow as you go through your family and so what you might have wanted for your first birth, may not be the same thing that you want for your third birth per se. So, sometimes you find out about things along the way that you didn’t know about then or sometimes something within the events that happen for a prior pregnancy you either want to replicate them or you want to make sure that they are not replicated.
Host: Now I haven’t had any kids, but I imagine I would end up in a hospital when I do. Why would I need a birth plan if I’m planning to go to a traditional medical facility?
Patricia: Well it’s amazing that babies are delivered all the time, but they are done differently in different settings. So, in a hospital setting, even though we all have to go by the rules and regs of the hospital, there are different comfort levels of providers. There’s different scenarios in which you might find yourself in and so it’s just good to think about what you would want in that situation.
Host: To sum it up, what is the goal of a birth plan? Why do we want to have this list of do’s and don’ts before we head into labor?
Patricia: Well I think the importance of the birth plan is that your voice is heard so that people know what it is that you’re looking for and even though that can’t always transpire; that is our ultimate goal is to get to what you would like to have as your ultimate birth experience.
Host: Anything else you want to add Patricia?
Patricia: If you go online, you can find the templates for birth plans so if you are not even sure where to start, you can find a template to fill in and then if you want to do your own, you can certainly do that but it’s important to put in there anything that you can think of but keep in mind that it is a legal document, once it’s in the chart. So, for example if you were to say I don’t want to have a vacuum extraction; sometimes the only other option in that is to do a C-section and so, if that’s something that you said that you don’t want; then we have to abide by that. So, sometimes you don’t want to close yourself in on the things that you are saying. So, it’s important to review it with your provider so that you know, and they know what it is that you are looking to as your goal.
Host: Absolutely. Well Patricia, thank you for your time. I hope we put some expecting mothers at ease today. that was Patricia Madden, the Chief Nurse Midwife at UPMC Lititz and OBGYN of Lancaster. Visit www.upmcpinnacle.com/maternity for a list of providers, birth centers and a link to a parent education mobile app. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out our full podcast library for episodes that may interest you. And be sure to share them on your social channels. This is Healthier You, a podcast from UPMC Pinnacle. I’m Caitlin White. Thanks for listening.
