The history of the birth plan and what we can learn from it today
- Zuzana Laubmann
- vor 2 Tagen
- 2 Min. Lesezeit
Women have always planned the births of their children (Kitzinger, 2000). The family environment provided all the necessary support – knowledge, confidence, care, and helping hands. In the course of the Enlightenment in the 18th and 19th centuries, medicine also became academicized, and obstetrics developed into a science supported by general practitioners.
The focus shifted to medical and technical progress and with it the development of obstetric and surgical instruments (Mertz-Becker, 2001). With the transfer of childbirth to medical care in the 1930s, the experience of giving birth changed rapidly and dramatically. From then on, women gave birth outside the family, alone, and were separated from their children after birth. Women's birth stories and knowledge disappeared almost completely (Kitzinger, 2000), as did the opportunity to actively shape and influence their own experiences.
The first birth plan
The first “natural births” in a clinical setting made it onto the front pages of lifestyle magazines in the 1950s and 1960s, complete with pictures. For many women, this made their wishes more tangible and demonstrably possible. The women's movement in the 1970s played a significant role in this. An attempt was made to give women back control over their births and to rebel against the practices of the medical system at the time.
The first birth preparation classes were offered by parents who shared their experiences of “natural birth” with like-minded individuals. In 1980, the first written birth plans were introduced by Carla Reinke and Penny Simkin (Simkin, 2007). Creating a written birth plan was a concrete way to encourage women to think about what was important to them and to clarify their wishes and expectations. As a result, the birth plan quickly became institutionalized.
The goal at the time was to enable women to communicate with medical professionals in advance, thereby creating a realistic plan for support during the birth process and ultimately making informed decisions (Kitzinger, 1992).
Conclusion: Does the original birth plan still serve its purpose today?
Does this approach still fit the goals of the present day? Does the original birth plan still serve its purpose today?
Even today, traditional birth plans are still designed to give parents an overview of the options available during childbirth and to help them become aware of their wishes and expectations.
But what functions does the classic birth plan fulfill? Does this approach still fit the goals of the present day? Where does it reach its limits or perhaps even cause problems?
