Birth Planning

M&B’ panellist Sonali Shivlani is an Internationally Certified Pregnancy Consultant and a child nutrition counsellor. She is the executive director of CAPPA India, and also trains aspiring birth professionals to achieve certification in pregnancy, birth and lactation counselling.

This is the final part in my birth planning series. And naturally, this will cover the immediate time post-birth. Yes, this also needs to be a part of your birth plan, since at that time, you will be exhausted, overwhelmed, excited and hence, it is important that your medical team and your birth support partner knows what your preferences are. This will not only result in a more satisfying birth experience but is likely to have several benefits for the baby as well. Here are a few things that you should consider :

DO I WANT SKIN-TO-SKIN RIGHT AFTER THE BIRTH?

Did you know that immediate skin-to-skin with the baby at birth can help to calm the baby, regulate her body temperature and also stabilize heart rate? If you want the baby to be placed on your chest immediately post-birth, then you must speak to your doctor about this during pregnancy itself. It is important that all medical check-up by the pediatrician is also done with the baby on the mother’s chest. Besides the physical benefits, it will also encourage bonding between the mother and child. If you have a C-section birth, the father can practice skin-to-skin with the baby after the initial check-up by the doctor.

DO I WANT DELAYED CORD CLAMPING?