How to Write a Birth Plan (Template Included!)

A birth plan is a document that lets your medical team know your labor and delivery preferences in regards to things like pain management, postpartum care, newborn procedures and even the vibes of the delivery room (lights, aromatherapy, etc.).

The ideal scenario for any birth is that things go smoothly and everyone is healthy. But there are a lot of different ways to give birth, and your version of things "going smoothly" could be different from someone else's. Birth plans aren’t just for vaginal births—you can still have a birth plan if you’re having a C-section, since you’ll still have some control over things like drape options and vaginal seeding.

But what does a birth plan look like? Read on for a step-by-step guide to creating yours as well as a downloadable template.

Download this template for free!

What Goes on a Birth Plan?

Almost anything you want can go on your birth plan. But we emphasize almost, because the available options may vary by location, depending on whether you’re giving birth at a hospital, a birthing center or at home—labor and delivery options can even vary by hospital, so before you start writing out your preferences, research your options ahead of time. Tour the location and find out their procedures and practices, and request a list of all their available options for pain management and labor tools. Ask about what you're allowed to bring with you and if there's anything they can't accommodate.

Once you're clear on what options are available to you, it's time to write out your preferences! Think of your birth plan as a roadmap that communicates your unique version of an ideal birth scenario. You have your destination (healthy baby and healthy you) and your preferred path for getting there, and your healthcare team will stick to that path as much as they possibly can.

And try to keep it simple—your care team will have an easier time understanding your birth plan if it’s short and easy to read at a glance. There's typically a lot going on in the labor and delivery department, so don’t make your care team read through multiple pages. When we spoke to L&D nurses, they recommended that birth plans be kept to one page and use bullet points or highlighting when possible.

Essential Medical Info

While you’re probably hoping that your regular obstetrician will be the one to deliver your baby, it might happen that you arrive at the L&D ward and there's a doctor on call whom you’ve never met. This is also true for your labor and delivery nurses.

While all your important medical information should be on your patient chart, it's a good idea to list it all in the same place as your birth preferences as well. Include things like:

• Healthcare team

  • Ob-gyn name, clinic and phone number

  • Pediatrician name, clinic and phone number

  • Any other specialists

• Medical history and conditions, especially pregnancy-related conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, high or low amniotic fluid, placenta previa or if you're positive for Group B Strep; should also include general conditions like high blood pressure, STIs and anemia

• Allergies

• Medications

• What kind of delivery you're planning for (vaginal, C-section or VBAC)

• If this is your first, second, third, etc. time giving birth

• Childbirth preparation method (Lamaze, Bradley Method, HypnoBirthing, etc)

• Language preferences/interpreter needs

Birth Team 

Besides your doctor, nurses or midwife, you’ll likely be allowed to have additional people with you for extra support during both labor and delivery. That could include your partner, a family member, a friend or a birth doula, and your birth plan should include their details as well as what roles they’ll play during the birth (like if your partner will be cutting the cord, if you’ll have a birth photographer present, etc.). Keep in mind that hospitals and birthing centers typically have limits on the number of people who can be in the delivery room, so be sure to get that information before you gather your official support group.

Additionally, if you give birth in a hospital, you may be asked if you’ll allow medical students to observe the delivery as a learning experience—you can indicate on your birth plan if you’re okay with this or not.

Here’s all the information you should include about your birth team:

• Labor Support

  • Who will be present during labor

  • Their roles and contact information

  • Preferences about medical students/residents

• Delivery Support

  • Who will be present during delivery

  • Special roles (cord cutting, photography, massage, etc.)

Labor Preferences 

If you’re having a vaginal birth, you may have some flexibility with your labor options. If you’re having a C-section, your options for things like pain management, movement, fluid intake and monitoring will likely be very limited, and your doctor should go over them with you prior to your procedure.

Here’s what labor preferences to include on your birth plan:

• Pain Management

  • Medication: epidural, a spinal block, opioids via IV, local anesthetic and/or nitrous oxide

  • Non-medicated options: breathing techniques, hot/cold compresses, massage and counterpressure, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy (bath or shower), meditation

• Movement 

  • Labor tools: birthing ball, peanut ball, squat bar (you’ll need to check with your care team beforehand which tools they have available)

  • IV preferences: full line vs. saline lock (both options allow for movement, but having a full IV line will require you to walk around with an IV pole whereas the saline lock offers more freedom)

• Fetal Monitoring (either constant or intermittent): this may be required if you have a high-risk pregnancy, but it can be option for low-risk pregnancies

• Fluid Consumption: you may be allowed clear liquids (water, ice, broth) during labor, so if you’d like to have some to help keep you hydrated, mark it on your birth plan. But you may not be allowed fluid consumption if you have an epidural or a C-section.

Delivery Preferences

To some extent, even in the hospital, you can make decisions on what your birthing environment looks like. Let your healthcare team know your preferences on:

• Environment

  • Room lighting (whether you want the lights dim or bright)

  • Sound/noise level, including speaking voices

  • If you’d like to use a sound machine or play music

  • Temperature 

  • Photography/video preferences

  • Mirror for viewing the birth

• Positions

  • Preferred delivery positions, including lying on your back, lying on your side, squatting, standing, kneeling or having a water birth

  • If you’ll allow touch, especially from the care team

• C-section preferences, if applicable:

  • Vaginal seeding

  • Drape options: full drape with no view of the birth, lowered drape so you see the birth but not the rest of the operation or clear drape so you see everything going on down there

  • Monitoring devices (computers) placed out of your field of vision

  • Gentle Cesarean

Earlier, we referred to birth plans as a roadmap, but keep in mind that there might be detours along the route—sometimes, things don’t go as planned. While it can be scary to think about something unexpected happening while giving birth, it doesn't necessarily mean your birth plan goes entirely out the window. Your care team still has your and your baby's health, safety and comfort top-of-mind, so including a space on your birth plan for unexpected procedures can help things go just a little more smoothly.

• Procedures

  • Vaginal delivery interventions (episiotomy, forceps, vacuum)

  • Emergency C-section preferences

    • Vaginal seeding

    • Drape options: full drape with no view of the birth, lowered drape so you see the birth but not the rest of the operation or clear drape so you see everything going on down there

    • Monitoring devices (computers) placed out of your field of vision

Newborn Care 

Hospitals and birthing centers have several procedures and care options just for newborns, and they're also important to include on your birth plan. Be sure to confirm first whether your hospital or birthing center offers these option, then write down your preferences for:

• First Moments with Baby

  • Skin-to-skin contact, including whether you or your partner will be doing skin-to-skin first

  • Cord clamping, either delayed or not

  • Whether you’ll keep the placenta

• Initial Baby Care

  • If you’d like to be present during baby’s first pediatrician checkup

  • Vaccination preferences

  • If you’d like a support person to accompany baby

  • Who can hold baby, and when

  • If you’d like to feed baby immediately

• Feeding

  • Plans to breastfeed, give baby formula or donor milk or a combination

  • Pacifier preferences

• Rooming and Care

  • Where baby will sleep (your recovery room, the nursery or a combination)

  • Circumcision preferences (if applicable)

  • Bathing preferences, including if you’d prefer to wash baby yourself or delay baby's first bath

Ready to build your birth plan? Use our free editable PDF template to get started!

Once your birth plan is finished and printed, highlight your main preferences on it for fast reference. That way if a care provider only has time to glance at it, they'll easily be able to spot the most important parts of your birth plan.

Bring your birth plan to one of your prenatal appointments and discuss it with your provider so they understand what you're hoping for during your birth. And make sure to include it on your hospital bag checklist so you'll have it with you on the big day.