PROGRAMS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT:
Create a Birth Plan
Few births go as planned... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan.
If you look online you'll find lots of tools for making birth plans. One of our favorites is [M]otherboard.
There are several reasons why a birth plan is important.
When you start creating your birth plan you start thinking about your values, priorities, and preferences.
You learn what decisions you need to be prepared to make, so you can start to explore your options.
It helps you make informed decisions and give genuinely informed consent.
It helps you address your unique medical needs and share your health history in the way you want to.
It helps you advocate for the care you want for you and your baby.
It helps you get comfortable with the language your providers will be using.
And it gives you an opportunity to start a conversation with them.
It helps you build your team, find your allies, and plan for your care.
It helps you understand what you can control.
And it helps you create a Plan A, B, and C in the event that things change.
You can print this worksheet that we created or use it to start building your own unique plan covering:
-
privacy
-
trauma-informed care
-
respectful language
-
safety + trust
-
informed consent
-
health history
-
special healthcare needs
-
shared-decision-making
-
labor
-
delivery
-
pain management
-
couplet care
-
postpartum plans
-
medication
-
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal + Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
-
feeding
-
discharge planning
-
community services + support
Learn About Your Rights as a Pregnant Patient
and a Person Who Uses Drugs
What you should expect from providers when you are making decisions about your health care.
NEW RESOURCE:
When considering a urine drug test (UDT) to screen for substance use
Ask Yourself: What does pee tell you?
The Answer: Not a lot.
Understand common drug interactions.
MotherToBaby is a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists, is dedicated to providing evidence-based information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Talk directly to the experts behind the most up-to-date research!"
​
Call 866-626-6847 or text 855-999-3525
​
Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)
database contains information on drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. LactMed® includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant. Suggested therapeutic alternatives to those drugs are provided, where appropriate.
All data are derived from the scientific literature and fully referenced. A peer review panel reviews the data to assure scientific validity and currency.
