When you are preparing for giving birth there are a lot of different aspects that you should consider.
For instance you have to decide what kind of care provider you would like to have. In the same time you might need a birthing plan and you might want to think about the settings for the birth.
Care provider and childbirth
Having an obstetrician around is only one of the possibilities that you have. You could also have a certified nurse midwife, a family physician, a direct-entry midwife and a certified professional midwife. The role of a midwife is about the same as the role of the obstetrician.
The difference between them when thinking about natural childbirth is that the midwives are trained to handle low-risk births, while the obstetricians are trained to handle the different complications. Another thing that you have to think about is whether you would like to have a professional doula around.
You should talk to different kinds of caregivers and think about who would you like to have around during labor and childbirth. Choose the professional who has the same philosophy as you do and the professional that you feel the most comfortable with.
When thinking about childbirth and labor you should know that there are some OBs who schedule an induction to avoid the midnight births. If your provider usually schedules C-sections and inductions it will be a lot more difficult to give birth naturally than with a caregiver who tries to limit these interventions.
If you choose a care provider for your labor and birth who is a member of a group you should make sure that all the members have the same philosophy as you do. You should have an appointment with each of them before the big day. This way you will get to know them and you will communicate your preferences regarding childbirth.
Birth plan
This could be an important part of your birth and labor. This way you can tell people how the perfect childbirth looks for you. Everybody will know about your preferences. It is also important to have a contingency plan in case there are some complications.
Although you expect to have the best vaginal birth you should also think about other scenarios when not everything goes according to plan. This way the unforeseen situations will be easier to handle and you will have a plan for them as well.
Settings for birth
If you are giving birth naturally you should know that there are more and more women giving birth at home or at birth centers. The location where you will give birth also influences other aspects of your experience such as the care provider that you will be working with and in some cases it is better to have a doula.
Before women give birth they usually give the matter a lot of thought. You should make sure that on the day of birth everything happens as you want it to happen except in case of possible complications.
