Birth Plan
From the desk of our certified nurse-midwives
Our goal is to have a healthy birth. While low-risk women need minimal interventions during birth, as medical conditions occur, it is important to understand that birth preferences may need to change due to a change of circumstances. The certified nurse-midwives believe in shared decision-making, so any conditions that may necessitate changes in your birth plan will be discussed.
As a reminder, your birth will be attended by the Rosemark certified nurse-midwife that is on call that day. Please take the time to get to know each of the midwives. We are all committed to helping women through their particular journey.
Unless there is a medical reason regarding selection, those women over 25 weeks pregnant can go to either Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) or Mountain View Hospital. Idaho Falls Community Hospital does not have a birthing center. Women who are less than 25 weeks pregnant and are laboring should go to EIRMC.
Departing for the Hospital
Before you depart to the hospital:
- Labor at home until contractions are every few minutes and strong enough that you are breathing through them and unable to talk during a contraction.
- Go to the hospital for any bleeding that is not blood tinged mucous. Call the certified nurse-midwife if you believe that your water has broken.
- Review our Signs of Labor page for detailed information about labor.
- Remember that there is always a midwife and physician “on-call,” so if there is a concern after office hours, you can call our answering service and the person on-call will return your call as soon as possible.
- Call 208-557-2900 and please identify yourself as a patient of Rosemark since the answering service takes messages for several practices.
During Labor
- You may bring items to the hospital that will make your room more comfortable (music, favorite pillow, blanket, aromatherapy, etc.).
- We have birth balls, peanut balls, a labor bar, and a birth stool available for you.
- Mountain View Hospital has tubs while EIRMC has showers for hydrotherapy.
- It is helpful to change positions during labor. Both hospitals offer wireless monitoring, however with some low-risk women, we will need to simply listen to the baby’s heart rate at regular intervals during labor.
- All admitted patients generally have their blood drawn and, at a minimum, have a small tube placed at the same time in the hand, wrist, or arm as an access site in the event of an emergency.
Labor Coping
- Hopefully, you and your partner have learned some coping tools through birth classes or discussion with your provider. The nurses and certified nurse-midwives will have other suggestions that may help.
- Additional therapies that may be available include IV pain medication and an epidural.
- While we believe strongly that women should be able to choose their coping strategies in labor, understand that the certified nurse-midwives may offer suggestions, based on experience, that may affect the overall progress of your labor and not just your ability to cope.
- We became nurse-midwives because we want to support you in birth. When/if you feel that you need additional support, please notify the nurses and we will be happy to come to the hospital to assist you with your journey.
During Pushing
We will help you find pushing positions that will be comfortable and potentially facilitate the birth of your baby. Most women will use several positions.
- A mirror is available. In addition, we may offer to let you touch the top of your baby’s head during the birth process. You do not have to utilize either of these options, however, some women find additional motivation for pushing when they can see or feel their progress.
- We do not routinely perform and episiotomy. We may discuss an episiotomy if we believe that your baby’s birth needs to be expedited, however, and episiotomy is never performed without employing shared decision making.
After Birth
- We encourage skin-to-skin contact with mother and baby.
- We practice delayed cord clamping as nationally recommended – approximately 60 seconds.
- We generally recommend a Pitocin infusion following birth that will help minimize blood loss.
- All of the nurses can provide breastfeeding assistance. In addition, both hospitals employ lactation consultants that will be available certain days of the week and times of the day.
- Your baby will be in the room with you throughout your stay unless the staff needs to take your baby for an evaluation and/or treatments. All staff should be wearing a badge that identifies them as employees of the maternal child units.
- If you choose circumcision, the provider you chose for your baby (i.e.pediatrician) should discuss this process with you.
Prepare Now
- Download and write down your labor/birth preferences.
- Download and select a pediatrician for your baby, and sign the document to have ready for your next Rosemark visit. You will need to choose a pediatrician to release your baby from the hospital.