Birth Plans and Options

Where will your baby come into the world (and into your arms)? Will it be in your own bed at home? In a high-tech hospital birthing room? In a family-focused birthing center? How will you be doing that birthing? In water? While squatting? On your hands and knees? How about the environment around you? Do you want the lights to be dimmed? The noise level in the birthing room to be hushed? The background music to come from your favorite CD? These days, you’ve got plenty of childbirth locales to choose from, not to mention plenty of birthing options once you get there. Assuming the choice is yours to make (sometimes it’s dictated by your medical or pregnancy history, or by your insurance coverage), selecting the one that’s right for you and your baby can take a little homework — and a lot of thinking and discussing. Explore Your Birthing Options. To settle on your selection, you’ll first need to explore the options that are open to you. Look into the hospitals and birthing centers in your area — see what they offer, what they don’t, and how they stack up according to friends or family who’ve delivered at them recently (and, if you’ve hired a doula, how does she rate them?). Check into which options your insurance plan covers (unless you’re planning to pay out of pocket, that’s really important information). Discuss with your practitioner what’s practical and what’s not in your case (for instance, high-risk preg...
Source: Cord Blood News - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Tags: babies brain development medical research parents pregnancy stem cells cord blood treatment for Leukemia private cord blood bank Source Type: blogs