Labor Plan

Usually you will either wake up or go to bed feeling different. Maybe you start to notice more cramping. The best thing to do is to go about your day and continue as normal. As you start to notice things more, more cramping, and maybe you notice they are coming more consistently, you might even notice more discharge or the mucus plug.

You can contact me at any time to keep me updated. I can help guide you on what to do depending on what you are experiencing. I can come to you at any time, I just need about a 1-hour heads-up to get to you in time.

Most women need support from their doula when contractions get to a place that they can't really talk through them. There is no right or wrong time to ask me to come, use your intuition.

Usually your OB will recommend you go to the hospital after you have had contractions lasting 1 minute, 5 minutes apart, for at least an hour.

Once you arrive at the hospital, you will go to triage and the front desk will ask you a few questions, including your social. It's helpful to have that written down, so it's easy to access in case your husband needs to give out that information.

The nurse will take you to triage, and this is where they will evaluate you to see if they will admit you. Typically they will require you to have a cervical check, monitor the baby for at least 20 minutes, and start an IV and take blood. You can decline.

If you are dilated to a 3, they will usually admit you. They will either wheel you or you can walk to your room.

Once you are in your room, they will ask you several questions, who is your pediatrician, etc. Have that information ready.

Once you are in your room, the goal is to get back in the zone. You just went through a lot of commotion from the commute and getting admitted. It is not uncommon for your labor to stall a little bit because of all that.

Things to get back in the zone:

• •Turn the lights off, turn on music.
• •Go into the bathroom with your spouse where it is really dark and spend a few moments to take it all in, pray, and be together.
• •Sit on a birth ball with a cold compress and meditate and pray.
• •You are not people-pleasing. You are not caring about the hospital staff or doula, you do you!

Your contractions might start picking back up, get in the groove. I will encourage different positions and go off your cues.

The nurse will come in occasionally, and an OB will eventually come in. Most common things they will offer you: break your water, cervical checks, continual fetal monitoring.

Cervical checks can give important information to your provider, but you must remember that the number means nothing. You can go from 1-10 in a few hours. You can go from 8-10 in 20 hours. You can go from 4-10 in minutes. The point is, you must not associate the number with time.

Write this down and practice using it. BRAIN isn't a formula for automatically declining interventions, it's a tool for making an informed decision rather than making a decision out of fear or pressure.

Memorize these, because in labor you may not remember an entire birth plan.

1. 1

   What is the baby's heart rate?

   This helps you understand whether there is evidence of an immediate concern.

2. 2

   Am I okay? Is the baby okay?

   Ask the provider to explain what they are seeing and why they are concerned.

3. 3

   Is this an emergency?