Elective caesarean birth plan

If they know they’re having a caesarean, some women like to make a caesarean birth plan so that their carers know what they would prefer. Even if you’re not having a planned caesarean, you might like to think about what you would like if it were to happen. Here are some suggestions

Pick and choose what suits you:

• We would like my partner to stay throughout
• I would like my privacy and dignity to be respected at all times
• I would like to carry out the shaving myself at home / I would like shaving to be kept to a minimum / I would like a wet rather than a dry shave
• I would like information about any medication before receiving it, including the purpose, potential side effects on me / the baby and options on timing e.g. before or after the baby is born. I wish in particular to avoid any drugs which will make me drowsy during the operation.
• I would prefer the use of spinal/epidural/general anaesthetic
• I am happy for up to x number of students to be present at the birth / I prefer not to have any students present at the birth / I would like the number of people present in theatre to be the minimum required for the operation.
• We would like to have a commentary of what is happening up to and including the birth / for the whole time spent in theatre
• I would like the curtain present throughout/I would like to have the curtain dropped for the moment of birth / I do not want to have a curtain blocking my way at all
• I would like photographs / video to be taken of the birth
• We would like the theatre to be as quiet as possible at the moment of birth
• We would like to play music during the birth
• We would like the lights to be turned down for a few minutes at the moment of birth, if possible
• We would like to discover the sex of our baby ourselves
• We would like to hold our baby immediately / we would like the baby to be washed first
• We would like our baby to stay with one of us at all times
• We would like to be consulted if our baby needs to go to special care
• If the baby needs to go to special care we would like to be taken to him/her as soon as possible after the operation
• I would like to be offered regular pain relief which does not conflict with my desire to breastfeed. This includes not being given a drug that will make me too drowsy
• We do not want our baby to be given any artificial milk/we are happy for our baby to be given artificial milk
• I intend to breastfeed on demand
• I would like our baby with me at all times unless I request otherwise
• I would like to be present when our baby has a nappy change or bath