Birth Plan Worksheet: Identifying limiting thoughts and Concerns

Identify the things that make you feel safe:

How do you usually cope with pain, fear and stress?
Review the following areas and identify those things that might be fearful for you, triggers for anxiety of previous experiences, or things you are currently thinking about related to your pregnancy, labor or birthing experience. Think about what strategies might help you work with these fears, and discuss these with your birth attendant

Trigger/Fear/Concern/Limiting Thought

Possible Strategies

Pain and Perceptions of Pain

  
Pain with labor contractions
Expressions of pain: 

facial, vocal, bodily tension
The effect of pain medications on me
Secretions: 

"show", blood, amniotic fluid, urine, stool
Body positions: 

hands/knees, squatting, flat on back, side
Birth of the baby, crowning, stretching, burning

Holding the baby skin to skin
Breastfeeding
Problems with the baby
 

People Involved
Relationship with provider
Behavior of caregiving staff towards you
Baby's caregiver at the birth
Family members present or not present
Strangers present
 
Other Concerns you might have  
Pat Sonnenstuhl, CNM, RH hypnosisforbirth@comcast.net
HypnoBirthing Practitioner http://members.home.net/hypnosisforbirth/