Plan B: making a birth plan

Emotional and personal issues:

Spending labour in the birthing pool
If the hospital has a pool, it's reasonable to state on your birth plan that you would like to use it. But prefix the request with a question mark because, contrary to what you might be told, you won't know if water will suit you during labour until you try it. You don't want the humiliation of insisting on a water birth and then finding you don't find water helpful.

Having the baby delivered onto your tummy
Some women want to receive their baby immediately whilst others don't want to hold their baby until he or she is wrapped in a blanket. From your baby's point of view it's irrelevant. Whatever you want will be the right thing for you.

Letting your partner cut the cord
If your partner has strong feelings one way or another, mention it to your midwife.

Medical issues:

Episiotomies
The decision to do an episiotomy, or to let you tear, is made by the person who delivers you and it's important to trust their judgement. Some people mistakenly believe it is important to avoid an episiotomy at all costs. But a third-degree tear, which involves the anal sphincter muscle, is bad news. An episiotomy should avoid this happening.

Staying mobile during labour
Most hospitals monitor the woman for about 40 minutes when she is first admitted to hospital. This is so the midwife can record the baby's heart rate during contractions and check that the baby is well. During this initial monitoring, you are likely to be propped up in bed with a belt around your tummy that's hooked up to a computer. It is not the most comfortable position to be in during early labour but as soon as the midwife is happy that your baby's heart rate is normal, the monitor will come off. Midwives generally encourage you to adopt any position you find comfortable during a contraction. If the midwife insists that you have to stay on a monitor, it is likely to be because she is concerned about your baby's heartbeat - only a fool would want to ignore that.