When you are pregnant, you have a lot on your mind. One of those things is developing a childbirth plan for the birth of your new baby. Creating a childbirth plan is a very personal and almost intimate thing in a woman's or a couple's life. And in the process of developing this plan, there are some important factors to consider. Get to know some of the factors to keep in mind when choosing your childbirth plan. Then, you can be sure you are doing what is best for you and your new baby.
Consider Your Health Throughout Pregnancy
One of the biggest factors that can contribute to your childbirth plan is how healthy you are throughout your pregnancy. When you go to your OBGYN appointments, pay special attention to what your doctor says about your pregnancy health.
Do you have high blood pressure? Gestational diabetes? Or do you have other underlying health conditions that need to be closely monitored during pregnancy? These health issues can also affect your labor and delivery. In such cases, a home birth or midwife-assisted childbirth may be ill-advised. It may be better to have a doctor of obstetrics (like your OBGYN) be the one to deliver the baby and monitor you through the labor and delivery process.
Consider If You Have Been Told You Have a High-Risk Pregnancy
There are numerous factors in a woman's life that could make her pregnancy "high-risk." For example, maternal age can play a role in the riskiness of a pregnancy. If a woman is under 17 or over the age of 35, pregnancy becomes riskier with the chances of miscarriage and other complications going up. The risk of genetic abnormalities in the fetus goes up at age 35 and increase even further after 40. Women in these age groups should work closely with an OBGYN throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
Preexisting medical conditions can also make a pregnancy high-risk. If a woman has diabetes prior to pregnancy, for example, the pregnancy could be considered high-risk. Heart, liver, kidney, and other diseases or conditions can also make a woman have a high-risk pregnancy.
In these cases, anything but a hospital birth with a trained medical doctor would be inadvisable. The conditions need to be monitored closely throughout childbirth to prevent health consequences for the baby and mother.
Now that you know some of the factors to consider when you are choosing your childbirth plan, you can be sure you choose the right plan for you and your new baby. Visit an doctor like Xiao-Mei Zeng MD for help making a decision.
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