Your Birth Plan
Prepare for the Birth of Your Baby Early
Congratulations! Your big day is getting closer. As you prepare to give birth, we invite you to share your preferences regarding everything from pain management to visitors. We have developed a Birth Plan for you to fill out so that we have these preferences on record for our Labor & Delivery teams.
We want to do all we can for you to have your baby, your way. Of course, we have to expect the unexpected. Not all births go as planned and your safety and that of your baby come first. To ensure a supportive birth experience, we ask that you discuss your birth plan and preferences with your doctor or midwife before you arrive in Labor & Delivery.
Our Philosophy & Standard of Care
At Community Memorial, we believe in family-centered maternity care, and strive to treat each woman and family with respect and support.
- We strongly encourage women and their partners to take Prepared Childbirth Classes.
- We support your choices, whether you want the experience of natural childbirth, or prefer to experience as little pain as possible during labor and delivery.
- We encourage the use of coping techniques, such as breathing, relaxation, touch techniques, heat, cold, movement, and hydrotherapy.
- We encourage skin-to-skin contact for all mothers and babies.
- We encourage and support breastfeeding. At the same time, we commit to supporting individual parent’s feeding decisions for their babies. Our nurses are trained to provide breastfeeding assistance during your stay, and we also offer unlimited free lactation consultations and breastfeeding support groups after discharge.
- We routinely delay newborn procedures, such as weighing, measuring, and administering newborn medications, to allow time for bonding and/or breastfeeding.
- We routinely delay the first bath for 8 to 12 hours to allow babies to normalize and regulate their temperature (unless an earlier bath is necessary for medical reasons).
- We do not offer or recommend pacifiers, except during painful procedures, and for our babies in the NICU.
- We routinely use regional anesthesia (spinal or epidural) for cesarean sections. Exceptions will be made based on your physician’s recommendations to ensure a safe delivery for you and your baby.
Labor Pain Management Choices
As you consider your pain management options, please know that you are free to change your mind during labor. All you need to do is speak up and let us know. For the purpose of filling out your birth plan, your choices are listed below:
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Comfort Measures
- Breathing techniques
- Therapeutic heat or cold
- Low lighting
- Relaxation
- Position changes
- Music
- Visualization
- Walking
- Massage/therapeutic touch
- Use of focal point
- Birth ball
- Smoke-free aromatherapy
- Rocking chair
- Hydrotherapy (shower or tub)
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IV Pain Medication
We give IV pain medication up to an hour before we anticipate your baby will be born. It can be administered by a nurse. While the IV medication does not take the pain away, it takes the edge off and makes it easier for you to relax during labor. It usually wears off after about an hour. -
Epidural Anesthesia
Injected through a small, flexible catheter in the lower back, epidural anesthesia provides pain relief in the lower abdomen, legs, and birth canal. It is administered by an anesthesiologist. Epidural anesthesia does not cause sedation, and usually provides complete (or nearly complete) relief of pain.
