Writing Your Birth Plan: A Gentle Step by Step Guide

A birth plan is not a contract or a guarantee. Birth is unpredictable and experienced midwives and doctors know this better than anyone. What a birth plan does is invite you to think through your preferences in advance, start conversations with your care team, and help your birth partner advocate for you when you are not in a position to speak for yourself.

What to include

A good birth plan is short and clear, ideally one page. It covers the things that matter most to you rather than trying to control every detail.

Think about the following areas:

• check_circleYour preferences for pain relief, including both what you would like access to and anything you want to try to avoid
• check_circleHow you feel about interventions like continuous monitoring, an epidural, or assisted delivery, and whether you want to discuss these in the moment or have a default position
• check_circleYour preferences for the environment, including lighting, music, who you want in the room, and whether you would prefer minimal verbal guidance during pushing
• check_circleSkin-to-skin contact immediately after birth
• check_circleYour plans for the third stage (delivering the placenta) including whether you want it managed with a hormone injection or prefer a physiological third stage
• check_circleCord clamping preferences, including whether your partner wants to cut the cord
• check_circleYour feeding intentions and any support you would like with them

A card deck to help you prepare

If you are finding it hard to know where to start, the Birth Deck is a beautifully designed set of cards that walks you and your birth partner through comfort measures, communication strategies, and birth preferences together. It is a wonderful way to have the conversation rather than just fill out a form.

Sharing your plan

Give a copy to your midwife or doctor at your 36 week appointment and keep a copy in your hospital bag. Make sure your birth partner has read it and knows what matters most to you.

The most important thing

Go into birth with preferences, not expectations. The parents who feel most positive about their birth experiences, regardless of how the birth went, are usually those who felt informed, respected, and listened to throughout. A birth plan is a tool for communication, not a script to follow.

You have already done something wise by thinking about this in advance.