If you’re at that point in pregnancy where your belly is really starting to pop, finding comfy but cute maternity clothes is becoming more and more difficult—and you are taking a trip to the bathroom about two to three times a night , you should start looking into creating your birth plan. For first time moms, here’s a refresher if you’re unfamiliar: A birth plan is a written way for you to communicate your wishes for your labor, delivery and afterbirth process to your medical team. You can follow a birth plan template to ensure your healthcare team understands your vision.
Beyond encouraging you to think about what matters the most to you during your labor and delivery, having a birth plan can help ease some anxieties and nerves you will inevitably have when you go into labor. Sometimes, when you’re actually in the hospital room getting ready to welcome your baby into the world, it’s easy to let emotions or nerves talk.
So, sitting down in advance, before you have a single contraction to collect your thoughts, is very important. Whether it’s your preferences for pain medications, who you want with you in the delivery room, how you want to navigate unexpected situations or how you want your baby to be cared for afterward, a birth plan allows you to document what is most important to you during this process. It can offer you comfort and confidence as you welcome your baby into the world. We’ll help you take steps towards creating your own birth plan template, covering these topics:
- What is a Birth Plan?
- Key Elements of a Birth Plan Template
- Birth Plan Template to Follow
- Getting Started with Your Birth Plan
- How to Communicate Your Birth Plan
- Adapting & Preparing for Changes in the Birth Plan
What is a Birth Plan?
A birth plan is a written summary of your specific desires preferences for when you are in labor, delivering your baby and your postpartum care for you and your baby. It’s a very effective way to communicate before you’re knee-deep in painful contractions and raging hormones.
“Having a birth plan—or as I prefer to call it, birth ‘preferences’ or ‘wishes’—is essential for a smooth and empowering birth experience,” doula Lisa Maltz explains. “It allows you to think critically about the type of birth you want and helps you communicate effectively with your healthcare team. Rather than a rigid plan, it’s more about aligning your expectations with your provider and ensuring your voice is heard.”
Is having a birth plan a requirement? Absolutely not—and not every mother will opt to create one. That said, there are so many benefits of having a birth plan. First, you can lay out and clarify what you want to happen during labor and delivery.
This includes more than just your preference for medication or food—it can include everything from music and lighting to the movie you want to watch. Following a birth plan template not only allows your healthcare team to get to know you better but it’s also super helpful for your partner. When your partner sees you in pain, they may feel helpless since they can’t take it away. But, knowing what would make you feel supported during this time—like holding a fan to your face, a cool washcloth or telling you how proud they are of you—allows them to better support you.
Key Elements of a Birth Plan Template
Everyone will have a different approach to a birth plan template. Generally speaking though, it’s helpful to keep it straightforward with key information. If you’re giving birth at a hospital, your nurses will spend the most time with you during your laboring process, with the doctor usually only coming for check-ins and the delivery. Nurses are busy, so they’ll want to be able to skim and glance over your birth plan quickly. If you’re giving birth at a birthing center or at home, your doula and midwife may take more time to go through the details of your birth plan, and if you’re able to answer questions, they may ask for clarification. We recommend this layout for your birth plan template:
- Personal Information and Preferences
- Labor and Delivery Preferences
- Pain Management Options
- Postpartum Care and Newborn Procedures
- Contingency Plans
Personal Information and Preferences
Start by including the basics.
- You and your partner’s full names.
- You and your partner’s contact information like your phone numbers.
- The contact information of your healthcare provider.
- Your insurance information.
- If you’re working with a doula, include their information.
- Where you are planning to give birth (at a hospital, at home, at a birthing center, etc.)
- Any allergies to medications or foods.
- Any medical conditions you have and medications you take.
- Who do you want with you in the delivery room—and who shouldn’t be allowed in the delivery room, if applicable.
- Note what kind of delivery you are planning to have (vaginal, assisted vaginal, c-section, VBAC, etc.)
Labor and Delivery Preferences
In this section, explore your preferences for labor and delivery. Do you have a specific labor position you want—like standing or using a birthing ball? Note it here! Also, consider how you want your room to feel. This can include everything from the lighting to whether you want a room with a lot of windows, a birthing tub, what music you want playing, and everything else that can help make you more comfortable. Try to think back on times in your life where you felt overly stressed, anxious or you were recovering from pain. Whatever provided comfort, confidence and reassurance during these experiences may be helpful during labor. If you have friends and families who have been through birth before, don’t be shy to ask them for their recommendations.
Pain Management Options
This is where you can go into depth about your preferences for pain management. If you want or are open to IV pain medication or an epidural, list it here. You should also list any unmedicated pain options that you want. This can include hydrotherapy, certain breathing techniques, meditation, water compresses or massages. Here, you can also list some backup wishes you have in case you find yourself in more pain than you expected. You can also name someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate, whether due to pain or to an emergency. This can be your birthing partner, a doula, your doctor and so on.
Postpartum Care and Newborn Procedures
Despite the name, your birth plan does not end after you finish giving birth. After delivery, your birth plan template should also include how you want to spend those precious first few minutes and hours with your baby. . In this section, you can include your preferences about who cuts the umbilical cord, if you want a delayed cord clamping, what newborn medications you want, when you want to bathe your baby, how you want your baby to be fed and how you want to spend the golden hour (the first hour after birth). Your preferences on things like circumcision and what to do with your placenta can also be added here. You can include whether you want immediate skin-to-skin contact with your baby, where your baby will sleep will sleep and who can hold your baby.
Contingency Plans
While our hope for you is that your birth goes exactly as planned, that’s not always the case for every pregnancy and delivery.
In this section, you should include your preferences for handling emergencies or complications during your labor and delivery. This could include going to a C-section if certain complications arise, being open to induction medication if needed, and so on. While it can be terrifying to think of what could go wrong, including your backup plan in your birth plan template can provide a peace-of-mind and give your support team valuable insight into your preferences. It can be helpful to talk to your doula or doctor on what you should consider including in this section. (See the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists template for a more detailed plan that covers every situation.)
Birth Plan Template to Follow
Here’s a template of everything you need to create your own birth plan:
Your Name’s Birth Plan:
Personal Information:
Your name:
Your partners name:
Due date:
Name of your healthcare provider and their information:
Insurance information:
Name of your OB/GYN:
Name of your doula:
Hospital/birth center name:
Allergies/medications/medical conditions:
Who you want in the delivery room:
Who shouldn’t be allowed in the delivery room:
Delivery plan:
Labor and Delivery:
Preferred labor positions:
Environment preferences:
Labor interventions:
Pain Management:
Medical pain relief options:
Unmedicated pain relief options:
Backup plan:
Postpartum Care:
Immediate postpartum care preferences:
Newborn procedures:
Rooming preferences:
Who can hold my baby:
Contingency Plans:
Getting Started with Your Birth Plan
When it’s time to sit down and put pen to paper, try to find a time and place where you can focus, feel relaxed and think deeply and thoughtfully about your hopes for labor. Just like any dream, not all aspects will come true, but having a clear vision helps create a positive mindset and empowers you to make decisions for your body, your baby and yourself.
When you’re writing your birth plan, keep your lifestyle, vision and values in mind by connecting to what is important to you now, as well as the topics you still need to research, ask more about and gauge your thoughts, Dr. Lindsay Faber, a pelvic floor expert, women’s health specialist and doctor of physical therapy suggests. “Embrace and understand that you may have a few drafts as your birth plan evolves, and that is okay,” she continues. “Be sure to learn the options of the birthplace you choose, hospital, birth center or home. Figure out your birth team. Is it just going to be you and your partner? That is perfect. Or do you want your siblings, partner, parents, doula and bestie all present?”
After you’ve listed all your preferences, it might be helpful to rank them in order of importance to you. This can ensure that your top concerns are recognized if labor progress doesn’t follow your plan. Remember to be open to flexibility. Being able to mentally prepare for the possibility that your birth plan might not go exactly as planned can help reduce some anxiety you have going into your birth.
Schedule meetings with your doctors, doulas and midwife to discuss your birth plan. They can offer reassurance and answer any questions or concerns you have.
How to Communicate Your Birth Plan
As Maltz says, effective communication starts with regular conversations throughout your pregnancy. She suggests writing down your questions before each visit and don’t assume that all care providers will follow the same protocol.
Sometimes, a provider may say, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”—which can feel dismissive when you’re trying to best prepare for your delivery.
Maltz says it’s okay to advocate for yourself and push back by saying, “What will we do if we come to that point?”
She calls this proactive approach the “slow doula method” and it helps to slow down the process, ensuring your concerns are fully addressed. In the heat of the moment, when you’re in labor with a room full of hospital staff, it can be intimidating to stand up for yourself.
This is where having a doula can be crucial. A doula serves as your advocate, helping ensure your birth preferences are respected and your voice is heard, even when it might be difficult for you to speak up. They facilitate communication between you and the medical team, remind you of your preferences, and ask questions on your behalf when necessary.
With a doula by your side, you can focus on the experience itself, knowing someone is there to help navigate the situation with a clear and focused mind.
Adapting & Preparing for Changes in the Birth Plan
While your birth plan should create a guide of what you want to happen, it might not be what actually happens. If changes or complications arise, try to practice mindfulness and breathing. Lean on your partner, doula, and your support system to provide you with comfort and assistance.
Lastly, trust in your healthcare team. They know what they are doing and want to make your birthing experience as comfortable as possible. “Remember, your ‘birth plan’ is primarily for the nurses—so make it clear and concise. And always keep the conversation going with your healthcare team, partner and doula throughout your pregnancy—not just at the end,” Maltz adds. “The only big surprise should be meeting your baby!”
Creating your own birth plan is a powerful way to empower yourself and prepare for one of the most important moments in your life. You can feel more confident when you enter the delivery room by listing all of your preferences and bringing your vision to life on paper. We encourage you to use our birth plan template to help you get started on documenting your needs. It’s easier said than done, but if you can prepare for the unexpected, you can face any challenges that come your way with just a little bit more confidence. The goal with any birth is simple: a healthy, happy mother and baby. A birth plan can get you one step closer to that goal.
