#Birthing hospital bag checklist professional

When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. (And some hospitals have wireless monitors, so patients can walk around while being continuously monitored.)īab圜enter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Not being tied to a monitor allows you to move around more easily during labor. If your baby's heart rate is reassuring, you might only need to be intermittently monitored after that. Your baby will likely be monitored externally for 20 or 30 minutes when you're admitted. You may want to ask about the hospital's policy on fetal monitoring. I'd like intermittent or wireless fetal monitoring. If you plan to have the birth photographed or filmed, ask ahead of time what the hospital's policy is. Once you're admitted, the hospital may allow you to invite family and friends to be with you (check with your hospital for their current policies), bring in comfort objects (such as photographs, flowers, or pillows) or food for your support team, play music, dim the lights, and move around as you need to for comfort. I'd like to have my labor photographed or filmed. Birth plan checklist: During labor and delivery

It can be wise to consider your preferences in all situations, in case you are faced with an unexpected choice. If you do make a birth plan, be sure to give a completed copy to your provider well before your due date, and pack another copy in your hospital bag for when you go into labor.īut this will give you a place to start your discussion with your healthcare provider. Making a birth plan may even help you get more comfortable with and prepared for the childbirth process.Ī birth plan can refresh your healthcare provider's memory when you're in labor, and it informs new members of your medical team – such as your labor and delivery nurse – about your preferences when you're otherwise … a little busy having a baby. Do I need to have a birth plan?īirth plans aren't required, but they're nice to have, especially if you have specific desires and want a place to make your wishes clear. That information can be helpful in guiding you and your provider in a discussion about your labor and delivery preferences. Most hospitals and birth centers provide a birth plan template or brochure to explain their policies and philosophy of childbirth, and to let you know what birth options are available to you.