Some things to consider adding to your birth plan
These are things to research and ask for whether you're delivering in a hospital, at home, or at a birthing center!
Delayed cord clamping
Immediate skin to skin bonding
The Baby’s temperature, breathing, and heart rate are regulated by mom. Immediate skin-to-skin bonding keeps babies warm, eases their transition earthside, your breath helps to colonize their sterile gut with friendly gut bacteria that they will use for the rest of their life. you are all they have ever known in their life, you are their comfort and home. all measurements and checks can be done in mom’s arms or can wait an hour or two.
Freedom to labor in any position
Freedom to push + deliver in any position
Things to research
Hep B shot:
This is the second shot that is protocol to inject your 20-minute-old infant with. Let’s take a peek at this, shall we? Hep B is a vaccine used to immunizing your infant against infection caused by all known types of hepatitis B virus. Causes: Hepatitis B virus spread by some body fluids. Ways to contract this virus: Intravenous drug use, sexual intercourse, or dialysis. Do these sound like the lifestyle of your newborn? if you, as the mother, do not have hep b yourself, then you have several other options to this vaccine.
The “safe” amount for that baby is only 25 mcg per day. In the infant dose of hep B for your baby on the day they’re born = .25 mg – .25 mg converted into mcg is 250. Exponentially higher than the “safe” dose.
Circumcision:
Swaddling - Moro reflex:
The startle reflex in particular helps the baby process startling sensations (loud noise, sudden movement, waking up/falling asleep, etc.). When they are able to integrate this information, their brain learns that they can experience these sensations without imminent danger or harm. This lays the foundation for their brain’s understanding of all other sensory information like noise, touch, taste, smell, balance, vision. Without proper integration of the Moro/startle reflex, a child can develop an overreaction or hypersensitivity to sensory information. The Moro reflex starts in the womb at 9-12 weeks gestation and is ideally integrated (meaning baby does not startle easily or express the reflex) by 4 months old. This is the first primitive reflex to integrate, so it sets the stage for future nervous system development!