Where travel is uncertain, the safest births are planned ones. Six decisions to make with your family well before your due date.
Labour does not wait for a convenient day. In places where roads close, transport is scarce or movement is restricted on certain days, the families who cope best are those who decided what they would do long before labour began.
A birth preparedness plan is simply those decisions, made in advance and shared with the people around you.
Six decisions to make now
- Where you will give birth. Choose a health facility with a skilled birth attendant, and a second choice in case the first cannot be reached.
- How you will get there. Know who has a vehicle or a motorbike, how to reach them at night, and how long the journey takes.
- Who will go with you. Pick a companion you trust, and someone to care for your children while you are away.
- How you will pay. Put a little aside each week for transport and for costs at the facility.
- What you will carry. Keep a bag ready: your antenatal card, clean cloths and clothes for you and the baby, soap, and any medicines you have been given.
- What to do if you cannot travel. Find out in advance who the nearest trained health worker is, and how to contact them.
Moving closer before the day
If you live far from a facility, or travel is likely to be difficult near your due date, ask at your antenatal visit whether you can stay nearer the facility in the last weeks of pregnancy — with relatives, or in a waiting home if the facility has one. This is especially worth asking if you have been told your pregnancy needs closer watching.
Share the plan
A plan only you know about cannot help you when you are in labour. Tell your partner, your mother, a neighbour. Make sure at least two people know where the bag is, where the money is and who to call.