What if I can’t keep to my birth plan? Doesn’t that make it a waste of time?

You have to accept that no matter how well a birth is planned and how strong your opinions are, things may not go your way. If you really don’t want to take medication to speed up your labour, and the doctor wants to give you this medication as a last attempt to avoid a ceasarian during a slow labour, then it would not be in the best interests of you or the baby to refuse this intervention. You are entitled to opinions but you also have to trust your doctor and accept that sometimes the doctor knows what is best in a situation. He has seen many similar situations and has a wealth of experience to draw on. He has your best interests at heart. And this is where a rigid birth plan can be more of hindrance than a help. It is more important to accept that a healthy baby and mother is the only important outcome, than to want to follow the birth plan. It is purely a guide to help you anticipate situations which you may not have the time or energy to think through when the moment arises. The birth plan is supposed to help you through the situation, but is not a business plan!

This is true even if everything goes according to plan and no problems arise. You may strongly believe that soft music is an essential part of the birth process. Yet there is no way to anticipate what you will actually want once labour commences. It’s possible that you won’t want music at all.

Even if you don’t stick to your birth plan, it is never a waste of time. It helps to reassure you as you go into labour, that your wishes concerning the event will be taken into consideration wherever possible. It allows you to discuss issues with your partner, doctor and midwife or doula, in a calm manner well before the time the very issues that may cause you to stress during the labour itself.

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