A birth plan is a personal document that outlines your preferences for labour, delivery and the immediate post partum period. It helps medical staff and your birth team understand your expectations, needs & preferences how you wish to handle various aspects of the birthing process. Here are key elements to consider including in your birth plan:
- Your Labour preferences: Location for labour and birth, pain relief options, positions for labour, and any specific techniques, or tools you wish to use. Communication and language is also often one that is overlooked.
- Birthing environment: Lighting, music, smells and other forms of comfort, whether you want a quiet environment, or if you’d like photographs or videos taken.
- Medical interventions: Preferences regarding induction, monitoring, episiotomy, and types of delivery (vaginal, caesarean, or assisted birth – use of forceps/vacuum). Top tip, think about the use of your dominant side and whether or not you would like to still have skin to skin if you have a caesarean birth etc.
- Post-birth care: Decisions about cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, and whether the baby should be breastfed immediately. As well as what your preferences are for the placenta, vitamin k and screening.
Communicating these preferences clearly with your healthcare provider ahead of time can enhance your birthing experience and also address any concerns.
Taking this opportunity to detail any additional needs whether it be communication, disability, mental health needs, neurodiversity, trauma, cultural/philosophical/religious beliefs and traditions, gender identity or family dyad can all be useful information to share with the team to help them to support you appropriately.
Here is a template you can use to create your birth plan:
Birth Plan
Personal Information:
- Name: __________________________
- Partner/Support Person: __________________________
- Due Date: __________________________
- Healthcare Provider: __________________________
- Hospital/Birth Center: __________________________
Labour Preferences:
- Preferred environment (e.g., dim lighting, music, essential oils): __________________________
- People allowed in the room (partner, family, doula, etc.): __________________________
- Mobility preference (walking, birthing ball, etc.): __________________________
- Pain relief preferences (natural methods, epidural, nitrous oxide, open to anything etc.): __________________________
- IV fluids (yes/no, intermittent or continuous): __________________________
- Fetal monitoring (continuous, intermittent, wireless, etc.): __________________________
- Induction preferences (if needed): __________________________
Birth Preferences:
- Birthing positions (squatting, side-lying, hands-and-knees, etc.): __________________________
- Use of birthing tools (peanut ball, squat bar, etc.): __________________________
- Episiotomy (prefer to avoid, only if necessary, etc.): __________________________
- Pushing preferences (spontaneous pushing vs. coached pushing): __________________________
- Vacuum or forceps-assisted delivery (only if necessary, avoid if possible, etc.): __________________________
After Birth Preferences:
- Immediate skin-to-skin contact (yes/no): __________________________
- Delayed cord clamping (yes/no): __________________________
- Cord blood banking (yes/no, private/public donation): __________________________
- Placenta preferences (encapsulation, disposal, etc.): __________________________
- Baby’s first bath (immediate/delayed): __________________________
- Breastfeeding/bottle-feeding preferences: __________________________
Special Considerations:
- Allergies or medical conditions: __________________________
- Cultural or religious preferences: __________________________
- Additional requests: __________________________
Emergency Situations:
- If a C-section is required, I prefer: __________________________
- Partner present during C-section: (yes/no): __________________________
- Post-surgery preferences (skin-to-skin, breastfeeding, etc.): __________________________
This birth plan is a guide to help communicate my preferences. I understand that situations may arise that may require flexibility and medical intervention. Any deviations are to be communicated and explained to me so that I am able to give my informed consent.