When it comes time to start thinking about labor and delivery, a birth plan is a good place to start.  Many doctors like you to write a birth plan and have them include things like whether or not you would like an epidural, or who can be in the room when it comes time to push. 

You can get as detailed as you want, suggesting music, low lighting, and so on.  You can also go the opposite route and go slightly vague.  My first birth plan simply stated that I wanted a healthy baby, and that the only people in the room were to be me and my husband.  With my second, I was slightly more detailed.  The only problem was that my second labor was so short the doctors didn’t have time to even glance at my birth plan. 

This leads me to my next point.  Be flexible.  Sometimes our babies have other things in mind when it comes to their births.  Don’t be upset or depressed if everything doesn’t go the way you imagined it would.  It rarely does.  Especially if this is your first child, it’s hard to have expectations that are realistic when it comes to something you have never experienced before.  The most important thing is always the outcome.  You are still a mother who has given birth to an amazing miracle of a baby, despite of how your labor went.  Whether you went natural, had a c-section, were induced, or had an epidural, you still gave birth. 

Take all this in mind when you consider your birth plan.  Understand that it is merely your ideal situation, and that some things might have to give up on.  Remember to talk to your OB about your plan as well so they won’t be caught unaware. 

-Stephanie Wright