It’s an important day, make your plans clear.

Seven months into my pregnancy, after much reading and consulting with my doctor, I had a clear idea of how I wanted my delivery to go. It’s the same for most pregnant women. By this time, some have already decided they want a natural, drug-free birth; others sign up for an epidural vaginal birth; or there are women who just want a c-section.

The choice is yours, but it’s important you make it clear to your hospital and medical team or your midwife how you really hope your delivery will go. This is where a birth plan will come in. Trust me, in the throes of labor and delivery you don’t want to be answering too many questions. Your birth plan should be there for everyone’s reference.

A birth plan is a written document that outlines how you want your delivery carried out. From pain-relief methods to delivery positions to the number of support people, your options and preferences should be stated in your birth plan. Your doctor or midwife should be able to help you think of all possible options that you may want included.

You may, for instance, put down that you want your husband with you throughout the delivery. I had this in my own birth plans, along with having my babies on my chest right after delivery so I could make them latch onto my breast as soon as possible. I had also specified no water or any formula feeding for them during our entire hospital stay.

Dr. Patricia Rodriguez, obstetrician gynecologist at Northwest Hospital in Seattle says that about 80 percent of her patients write birth plans. “The process gives them a chance to clarify which aspects of childbirth are important to them, and it helps me better understand my patients,” says Dr. Rodriguez.

A good format for the document would be no longer than one or two pages. You can type it up or hand-write it legibly. Organize your thoughts into a concise bullet-point format.  Start with what’s most important to you.

Now, a birth plan is not going to guarantee a perfect delivery. You should be open to the possibility that on the big day itself, some parts of your plan may be impossible to execute. Labor can be unpredictable. It’s a plan, not a contract. For instance, you can’t get hostile if you are not allowed to hold your baby right away in case there was a complication. You may even have planned for an all-natural, no medication birth, but if your baby was struggling with a chord coil or the heartbeat isn’t normal, doctors may just have to give you a c-section.

A good birth plan shouldn’t just be a list of demands. It should be written with warmth and should have some details to convey who you are. The medical staff who reads such a birth plan will tend to be more sympathetic and undertanding. For instance, you can add such details as “it took us 5 years to get pregnant so use every bit of technology you need to to make sure our baby is born healthy.”

Finally, go over your birth plan with your husband. You are a team. It’s possible your husband way want a very medicated birth but you opt for going all-natural, no meds at all. Negotiate your terms, come up with a compromise and write up a plan that you have mutually agreed on.

Yes, labor can offer surprises and it may not always go exactly as planned. Still, you can always hope for the best. Besides, we make to-do lists to plan a regular day, why not make one for one of the biggest day you have ahead?

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