Informed Choice: Using Your BRAIN in Labor

pregnancycommunicating with your providerbirthbirth plan

Dec 31

Despite your best efforts and preparation, it’s highly unlikely that your birth will unfold in just the way you imagined. In fact, most folks end up needing to make at least a few decisions during the course of their birth that they hadn’t anticipated. Using the acronym BRAIN can help ensure shared, informed decision making is taking place.

Using Your BRAIN in Labor

B - What are the benefits of said procedure or intervention?

R - What are the risks?

A - Are there any alternatives? Could you try something else instead?

I - What is your intuition saying? Also, what are the implications of a procedure? How will doing or not doing this thing affect your labor and birth?

N - What happens if we do nothing? Ask if you may have 15 or 30 minutes before reevaluating. Sometimes patience is the answer, sometimes not; your team will let you know. Finally, what comes next? What does this action mean for the course of your labor?

birth planlaborinduction of laborinterventions during laborshared decision making