Choices and Informed Consent in Birth: What You Should Know.
- Courtney
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
How to Navigate your Birth Options and Information.
By: Courtney Ferguson
When you imagine your birth experience, what choices come to mind? Most people think about the big decisions: epidural or unmedicated, vaginal or C-section. But did you know that every part of your care comes with options?
Imagine deciding if and how you’d like to be induced, choosing the way you’re monitored during labor, or even selecting which position feels best for pushing. These are just a few examples of the many decisions you can make along the way. The truth is, you have more control than you might realize. Each choice can shape your experience, and understanding what’s available to you can make a world of difference.
Where to Start?
Before we jump into how to find out our options, you will need to ask yourself how you would like your birth experience to go. Knowing yourself and your wants and needs will help guide you in how you approach information and options, who you will have to help support you, and how you will navigate things when you might have to detour from our original route for birth. Once you have this foundation (know this isn't set in stone and you can change your mind), we can start discussing how to get informed consent and know what all of your options are.
Informed Consent, defined by the National Library of Medicine, says that this is the process of communication between you and your medical staff. This is to cover the benefits, risk, and alternative therapies (Shah, 2024). This is more than a "Sign here" or "this is what is best for you and your baby.". This is a collarborative process were you decide if something is in your and your babies best interest. Another important detail to know is you can always change your mind. You may be okay with something first and decide you would rather avoid it. You have the power to say no and even if you have signed something, saying no makes that paper you signed null and void.
How to Get Info for Choices and Consent?
Let me give you some tips to help give you the best opportunities for true informed consent and knowing the options available to you.
The first step should be having a trusted provider (midwives and OBGYNs). This is someone who should give you the information you need that can help navigate these options. These are expert and should be up to date on research to bring you the best evidence based practice. They should help you through discussion and educating on all the benefits, risks, and alternatives. They also will give you their professional opinions which may be helpful if they are in alignment with your type of birth.
If you would like more information on birth choices and how provider play a part in implementing choices, check out Blog Post: Why Birth Plans Matter.
Next is all about educating. You don't know what you don't know. It is hard to ask questions to get the info you want/need if you do not know where to start. For example, you may know you want to move around a lot but do not realize that a lot of hospitals have routine orders for continous fetal monitoring that will restrict your movement. By the time you come in for labor, it can be very hard to process what is happening and remember to ask more questions to get more options. Having more information about choices before hand allows for better communication, feeling more empowered, and setting you up for success! This would let you walk in and say no to continous monitoring and ask for intermittent auscultation or ask for wireless monitors that allow for continous monitoring and movement!
One last thing that I love to use is an acroynm that I teach in my Lamaze classes all the time. If you are unsure about what is going on and are trying to figure out how to ask questions, try using the word BRAIN.
Remember that benefits and risk are a part of every intervention and you are the only one who can decide whether or not the benefits outweigh the risk or vice versa.
Alternatives tend to be left out a lot. Ask "Is there something that we can try first or instead?".
It is hard to trust yourself, especially if we have never been through this before. I am here to reminder you that you are the expert of your own body, and you know yourself and your baby better that anyone else. Trusting yourself means you listen to what is going on within and give yourself the space you need to make your decision.
You do not need me to "allow" you to say no, but if you need reassurance that you can, here it is. You can say NO. No can also be a full sentence. Things can/will shift in labor so know that your NO doesn't have to be something that can't change. Maybe it is a not at this moment.
You Can Do This!
Birth can be such an empowering experience in a pregnant persons (and support peoples) life. When feeling a part of the birth experience and having informed consent about all the different options, we are setting up a beautiful foundation to transition into parenthood. I hope this information serves you well in creating the birth you love being a part of.
Love,
Courtney Ferguson
Check out or Blog space: Informed Beginnings, for more information to help you on your pregnancy journey.
If you are unsure where to start in our space, Set up a FREE Consultation. We can help you navigate through our different services and what will work best for you.
This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. If you have any medical issues, please discuss with you medical provider.
Citation:
Shah, P. (2024, November 24). Informed consent. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430827/
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