Although surrogacy is becoming more common in American culture, many hospitals may not have specific protocol in place for handling surrogate births. Because of this, it is imperative to have a birth plan in place to ensure the Intended Parents, Surrogate, hospital, agency, and families are all aware of the role they will play in any situation that may arise during the birth. When creating your birth plan with your agency, follow these proven tips to make sure you have all of your bases covered:

• Delivery preferences. When writing out your birth plan, consider basic logistics such as where the delivery will occur and who will be in attendance for the birth. You will also want to delve into more personal decisions such as who will cut the cord, if photography or videography will be permitted, and who will be handed the baby first.
• Birth and post birth logistics. Include all nitty-gritty details in your birth plan, even if they seem to be common sense. Topics such as preferences on episiotomy, cesarean, breast milk versus formula, medication, and anesthesia should all be discussed and written up in your birth plan.
• Legal factors. Your agency and attorney will work with you on all legal matters to ensure nothing falls between the cracks; however, it is still important to discuss these factors openly. Including legal issues in your birth plan will help your hospital or birthing center understand that the IPs are the parents and whose names should be included on the birth certificate as well as recognize who will be making medical decisions on the baby’s behalf.

The birth of a new baby is an exciting time with little time to think about anything else! Having a birth plan written up in advance will provide the peace of mind that everything is taken care of while allowing you to focus on matters that are truly important. If you are looking for additional birth plan tips for surrogate pregnancies or would simply like to learn more about the surrogacy journey, do not hesitate to contact the caring team of surrogacy experts at Surrogate Solutions today!