DEVELOPING YOUR ORIGINS' BIRTH PLAN

Birth plan Signs of labour

At around week 36, your Origins' obstetrician will help you to develop a personal birth plan. It's best to make crucial decisions about your labour and delivery before the big day. You'll receive a hard copy of the plan for your own records, along with advice sheets about labour and postnatal health.

Question for your Birth Plan

These are the questions that your obstetrician will ask you:

Do you want a natural labour or a painfree labour or just see how it goes?
Do you have any drug allergies?
Who will be with you in labour?
Do you have any special requests for the birth environment?
What are your views on induction of labour?
Have you thought about the positions you'd like to use during labour?
Would you like foetal monitoring during your labour?
Do you want an epidural? If so, when?
Are there any other types of pain management you would like to try?
Are you willing to have an emergency caesarean section if required?
Do you want an elective caesarean section?
Will you allow instrumental delivery if required?
Would you have an episiotomy if required?
Would you like the baby delivered straight onto your tummy or checked first?
Who will cut the cord?
Will you have an ecbolic to reduce bleeding after delivery?
Would you like to see and/or keep the placenta?
Do you want your baby to have a vitamin K injection?
If you have a negative blood group, are you aware that you might need an Anti D injection?
Do you wish to have a private paediatrician attend the birth?
Do you wish to breast feed?
Where will you have your post-natal stay?
Do you know about the Guthrie test?
Do you need any special post-natal support?
Are you aware that babies should sleep on their backs to avoid sudden infant death syndrome?
Who will conduct the six week baby check?
Have you thought about contraception after the birth?
Are you due for a cervical smear?

The signs and symptoms of labour

How will you know when you are in labour?

There are several stages to labour. The first stage is when contractions have started and the cervix softens, shortens and begins to thin out (first stage). It then progressively opens until it is 10cm dilated. The baby is now able to be born (second stage). After the baby is born, the placenta comes away (third stage).

Signs that it's time to call Origins:

Low backache or low pelvic cramps (like period pain) that come and go regularly.
You may have a 'show' - a mucousy, blood-streaked vaginal discharge.
Contractions that become increasingly painful. They gradually become longer, stronger and closer together.
Your waters may break - either as a gush or as a constant trickle of fluid from the vagina.

When to call an ambulance on 111:

Your waters break with a gush and the umbilical cord comes down into the vagina. Go into the knee-chest position (on all fours with head down and bottom up in the air). Put the cord back into the vagina if you can feel it. You must stay in the knee-chest position.

Other warning signs that we need to know about:

Any vaginal bleeding (not mucousy).
You feel unwell, i.e. upper tummy pain, headache, hot/feverish.
You have abdominal pain that is constant, or your tummy is very sore or tender to touch in one area.