When most of us were born, our fathers drove our mothers to the hospital when she was in labor and that was it. Our fathers either went home or sat in the waiting room until the ordeal was over. Things have changed. Both mothers and fathers-to-be are have become increasingly involved in the birthing process and in making many childbirth decisions. As a result, the birthing plan was born! It is actually quite common for couples to work with their prenatal care physician to prepare this plan.
A birthing plan is a written statement (1-2 pages) that you give to your prenatal care physician and also present to the hospital staff when you and your partner arrive to deliver the baby. The plan expresses your preferences regarding some major issues like:
Would you or your partner like to hold the baby while your partner delivers the placenta
Would you like your baby bathed and examined in front of you and your partner
Will the baby be "rooming in" with your partner or will he/she be kept in the nursery
Will the baby be breastfed or bottle-fed
Do you want the baby circumcised
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Aim to complete the birthing plan early enough so that you and your partner can discuss it with your partner's physician at her 34th or 35th week visit. As a general rule, you should make extra copies. Give one copy to your partner's physician for her medical file and bring the other copies with you to the hospital when your gal goes into labor.
To ensure that you don't panic and forget to bring your birthing plan with you, it's a good idea to pack the extra copies along with all the other things you are bringing with you to the hospital. And, in case you haven't thought about what you are going to pack for your hospital rendez-vous, thefunkystork.com has prepared a printable checklist to help you pack for the hospital.
So, if you are nearing the 34th week of pregnancy, you really should get going on preparing your birthing plan.
Here are some other pregnancy and parenting resources on The Funky Stork that you will find useful:
Thefunkystork.com is a pregnancy resource and parenting guide for expectant fathers and new dads. It provides only general information designed for educational purposes, and does not offer pregnancy or pediatric advice. You should always consult a physician about concerns you have with your pregnancy or your child's health.
PREGNANCY 101 
