How To Write A Great Birth Plan

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If you are currently pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you know there is a lot of preparatory work to do. You have to stock up on diapers, clothes, and more for baby. Mom has undergone a couple of changes and will need to prepare for postpartum life as well as every other member of the household. What you should also be preparing is a birth plan – this will lead up to the moment the baby is born.

What is a Birth Plan and Why is it important?

A birth plan is an important piece of communication. It has all the information about your wishes for your birth. These wishes can be communicated to the staff taking care of your delivery as well as your postpartum team.

Each birth is unique and with a birth plan, you are empowered with the ability to choose your options during labor. It is the tool that will tell your health care team the options that you prefer at every stage and phase of delivery.

Do I Really Need a Birth Plan?

Yes, you need a birth plan. When you write your birth plan it helps you to organize your thoughts and your options for our baby’s care as well as your care throughout the process. A written birth plan creates a framework for a conversation with your nurse, midwife, and doctor so they know your preferences going into the birth. For example if you would prefer to have a birth free of pain meds, a hospital may be able to assign you the on-duty nurse that is most experienced in this type of delivery because they know this is your preference.

What Should l Include in my Birth Plan?

The first thing you want to do when creating your birth plan is to check with your birthing center or hospital of choice. They have templates or forms that you can use to create your own birth plan.

You want to keep your birth plan to a maximum of 2 pages so it can be easily understood and read. Keeping it short makes it easy to reference during the labor process especially if you are under general anesthesia.

Your birth plan should focus on these key topics:

Delivery Room Atmosphere – In this section, you can describe the ideal atmosphere including temperature, lighting, music, etc.
People in the Delivery Room – In this section indicate who you would like to have in the delivery room with you and who may not be allowed in during the delivery. You can also indicate if you give permission for other medical personnel or students to observe the birth.
Pain Management – Indicate in this section how you want to work through your labor pain. Make note of if you would like a medication-free birth, pain medications in early labor, or an epidural.
Fetal Monitoring – Indicate how you would like the team of health care providers to monitor your baby’s heart rate while you are in labor. Most commonly they will use a monitor that is attached to the mother’s abdomen throughout the entire delivery. You may be able to ask for periodic monitoring or ask for the volume to be turned up or down.
Labor Options – Here you can outline the types of techniques you would like to engage in to help you relax or to help your labor progress. These can include breathing techniques, standing, laying down, and walking. You can consider the use of special birthing devices such as a warm bath setting, a birthing chair or a birthing ball.
Medical Interventions During Labor – Here you want to indicate your preferences for assistance during your delivery. You should talk to your doctor about breaking your water, inducing labor, vacuum extraction, the use of forceps or a c-section. Just remember you have to be flexible with your demands in this section as when the moment arrives you may not be able to have an option of your choice.
Umbilical Cord and Placenta – In this section you want to indicate who you want to cut the umbilical cord. You also want to indicate if you would like to save the cord, the placenta, or the cord blood.
Babycare – Here you want to indicate things such as if you want your baby in your room at all times or you want them to spend some time in the nursery. Also, note how you want your baby to be fed. If you are having a boy you want to indicate if you have plans for circumcision as well.
Spiritual Traditions – Indicate any traditions that you would like to include as a part of your labor, delivery, or aftercare process.

When Should I Write my Birth Plan?

You want to have at least a draft of your birth plan ready a couple of weeks ahead of your due date. You want to have your doctor or midwife/nurse review the birth plan and address any of your concerns. They can also help you make the best decisions based on your current prenatal status and health.

You will want to go over your plan with anyone who will be with you for the birth as well.

What are the Different Types of Birth Plans?

There are a lot of resources online to help you choose a birth plan. As mentioned above your choice of hospital or birthing center may even have their own forms and plans that you can simply fill out. You can find simple birth plans with boxes for you to tick as well as more complex ones where you have the opportunity to be more specific by writing out your needs, wants and preferences.

If you are the creative type you can create your own and make it into a nice graphic presentation.

Whatever you choose to do, ensure that it is clear and easy to follow. Show it to your health care provider and let them provide their professional advice. Make changes if you need to and remember to keep your birth plan flexible as this is highly important.

Where You Can Find Birth Plan Templates

Check out Our Birth Plan Template
What to Include in Your Birth Plan
What to Expect When You are Expecting Birth Plan Template
The Bump Birth Plan Tool
The Bump PDF Birth Plan
Short Simple Birth Plan from Parents.com

Conclusion

Your birth plan is kind of your wishlist for your labor and birthing experience. In it, you get to express your ideal delivery scenario and this is in turn presented to your health care team.

Try to think of your birth plan more as a “birth wishlist”. It lays down your hopes for birth and delivery while it also provides a useful guideline for your healthcare team.

Remember that ultimately we all want to see a safe delivery for you and baby and so there may be times when all your preferences cannot be met. You may even change your mind about some things as you are experiencing labor. Every labor and delivery experience is different so if you are a seasoned veteran mom or a new mom you must always bear in mind to remain flexible when it comes to your birth plan and your birthing experience.

Use our birth plan template below to create your birth plan quickly and easily.

Our Birth Plan Template

Fill out this page according to your own wishes for your birth. Keep in mind that you might not be able to follow every wish on this page depending on hospital policy or if complications arise during your labor. Share your plan with your support team, practitioner, and labor nurse.

My Name:

__________________________________________________________________

Due Date:

__________________________________________________________________

Labor Companions:

___________________________________________________________________

Healthcare Provider:

___________________________________________________________________

Labor

Dim Lighting
Quiet
Play Music
Wear my own clothing
Bring things in from home like blankets or photos
Aromatherapy scents
- - - - Video/photos taken by_____________________ Wishes/Requests not covered above:

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