Having A Birth Plan

Your birth plan is personal to you and it will depend on what you want, your medical history, and what’s available at your maternity service.

Your birth plan can include information such as:

where you’d like to give birth (at home, in a midwife unit or hospital)
who you’d like to be with you
what position you’d like to be in during labour
whether you want pain relief and, if so, your preferred choice (such as pethidine, epidural, or water)
if you want an injection to speed up delivery of the placenta, or if you want it to be natural
how you feel about an assisted birth or caesarean section if things don’t go as planned
where you would like your birth partner to stand
if you want your baby placed straight on your stomach before they are cleaned or not cleaned at all
how you plan to feed your baby (breastfeed or bottle feed)
whether you agree to having student nurses, midwives or doctors present

You should also include any special requirements:

Notes on writing a Birth Plan for your Korean Doctor:

Keep it short, 1-2 pages maximum. Your doctor will NOT read a 7 page birth plan
Some Korean hospitals have pre-made birth plans. Go over them carefully and add any additional notes on the bottom
ALWAYS have your doctor sign your birth plan. (Korean doctors may agree to all of your birth plan wishes but when push comes to shove not acknowledge the plan. If your doctor signs the plan in advance, the doctor will take it more seriously. Also if your doctor has signed the plan, the resident doctors can not dispute it.
Have a separate plan for the baby. There is a disconnect between the obstetrics and pediatric staff; your ob-gyn can not sign off on baby care items such as no bottle feeding. Please create a separate baby plan and present it to the head pediatrician before birth.