My Birth Plan: An Easy Read Guide to Planning Your Birth

Patient and Carer Information

Image/Resources copyright © LYPFT

Easy Read Patient Information Leaflets on the trust website can be accessed via the link below: Patient Information Leaflets Or scan the QR Code.

Author ID: SH / LT / KR

Leaflet ref: ER 007

Version: 2

Leaflet title: My Birth Plan - An Easy Read Guide to Planning Your Birth

Last review: September 2022

Expiry Date: September 2024

Who I want with me during my labour and birth:

• My partner
• My friend
• A family member
• My support worker
• Or someone else of my choice

Things I would like to help me during my labour and birth:

• Birth Ball
• Encouragement and support
• Baths or showers

Things I may not like during my labour and birth:

• Too many people
• Too warm
• Too cold
• Loud voices
• Low lights
• Bright lights

Pain relief I am thinking about during my labour and birth:

• The water pool
• Paracetamol
• Gas and air (Entonox)
• Injection
• Epidural
• Tens machine

What is a placenta and how would I give birth to it:

The placenta develops in your womb during pregnancy. This provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby and removes waste products from your baby's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of your womb and your baby's umbilical cord develops from it.

• Naturally: After your baby is born, your womb will contract, and the placenta will peel away from the wall of your womb. The placenta will then drop down into your vagina, ready for you to push it out.
• With an injection: The injection causes your womb to contract strongly so the placenta comes away. Once your womb contracts and there are signs that the placenta is ready to deliver, your midwife will pull gently on the cord while pressing on your tummy to support your womb while she eases out the placenta.

What is the cord and who do I want to cut it:

The cord connects a baby in the womb to its mother. It runs from an opening in your baby's stomach to the placenta in the womb.

• Me
• My birth partner
• The midwife

What is vitamin K and do I want my baby to have it:

Your midwife should have discussed vitamin K with you while you were pregnant. Vitamin K is a substance that is found naturally in the body. It plays an essential role in the normal process of blood clotting - stopping you from bleeding a lot. The injection is given by a midwife into the muscle of your baby’s thigh.

The best method of giving your baby vitamin K is an injection soon after the birth.

• I do want my baby to have vitamin K by injection

How I would like to feed my baby:

• Breast feeding
• Bottle feeding
• Expressed Breast milk in bottle feeding

We help all mums to have skin to skin contact with their baby.

Important things I want you to know about me and my choices:

[User to fill in]

If you have anything to tell us:

The Patient Relations/Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Department can give advice, information and support to patients, relatives, friends and carers.

Contact us:

• Phone: 01942 822 376 (Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm)
• Post: The Patient Relations/PALS Manager, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan Lane, Wigan WN1 2NN

Ask 3 questions:

You should try to be included in decisions about your healthcare. You might be asked to make choices about your treatment. To help you decide, you should get the answers to these 3 questions:

1. What are my options?
2. What are the good things and bad things about each option?
3. How do I get support to make the right decision for me?

How we use your information:

To find out how we collect, use and store your information, go to the Trust website: www.wwl.nhs.uk