[C4EMD] Chapter Seven

[Note: This is the seventh chapter of my 2017 book, Cybertraps for Expecting Moms & Dads. It is available to paid subscribers of The Cybertraps Newsletter. The Introduction and Chapter One are available to all readers.]

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A Digital Technology Plan

Towards the end of pregnancy, pediatricians and health organizations typically recommend that expecting mothers and couples sit down and write a birthing plan. The purpose of the birthing plan is to give you a chance to think through each step of the delivery process and write down your preferences for what you would ideally like to happen. For instance, you might want to think ahead about who should be in the birthing room, the labor positions you would like to use, what type of pain management should be provided, how warm or cool you’d like the room, the type of music you’d playing (if any), and so on. [7.1] You’ll want to discuss each element of the birth plan with your physician or your midwife and make contingency plans in case things don’t go as expected.

When a couple decides to start trying for a baby or discovers that one is on the way, one of the first things that they should do is to create a digital technology plan for the pregnancy. It can come as a shock to many young couples that they don’t necessarily agree about every parenting issue that arises and that is almost certainly true as well for the use of digital technology during and after a pregnancy. In my experience, one person in a relationship tends to be much more technology-oriented or active on social media than the other and of course, each person is likely to have his or her own definition of what is or should be “private.” If the mother of your child doesn’t want photos of her in labor on Facebook, it’s good to know that before her water breaks.