How to Write a Birth Plan: A Comprehensive Guide and Template

Preparing for childbirth can feel like the ultimate task. There’s a lot to consider, including your experience during labor, delivery and post-birth; baby’s care after birth; how you plan to feed and much more. Luckily, birth plans can help you organize your thoughts. But what is a birth plan—and how can you make one?

“It’s your personalized wish list and ultimate road map through the entire process,” explains Sherry Ross, MD, an ob-gyn and women’s sexual health expert.

Personally, my birth plan was to feel little to no pain and get baby out of there as soon as possible. My son was also measuring big so my doctors and I decided on a planned C-section. He—all 10 pounds of him—ended up coming a couple of days before the procedure was scheduled, but everything still went fairly smoothly. Aside from that, I had a spontaneously made birth playlist on my phone that I handed to my wonderful nurse—she turned it up and he entered the world to “Halo” by Beyoncé. I also wanted to breastfeed as soon as possible, and thankfully I could.

Your plan might look similar, or it might look completely different from mine. The good news is that you can customize your birth plan as much as you want to make it yours. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to put together a birth plan checklist, and download our birth plan template to get started.

Key Takeaways

• A birth plan is an important tool to help you get organized on your options and preferences before giving birth. It’s also helpful in communicating your wishes to your provider—and figuring out what to do when things don’t go exactly as planned.
• A birth plan can be as detailed or general as you like. It covers aspects of your labor, birth and recovery experience, and the care your newborn receives right after birth.
• Important information to include on your birth plan includes your relevant medical history, your birth and support team, your labor and delivery preferences, your preferences on C-section and other interventions, what happens once baby’s born and newborn care details.

Birth Plan Template

It’s important to know that much of what happens during delivery is beyond your control. However, filling in a birth plan template will make your wishes clear to your medical providers.

Download The Bump birth plan template here, then read on for a sample birth plan. As you look it over, remember that your birthing options will vary based on your provider and birthing location. That’s also why it’s crucial to talk the plan over with your doctor and make sure you’re both on the same page ahead of time.

Click the image below to download the birth plan PDF:

What Is a Birth Plan?

A birth plan is a tool to help you get educated and organized on your options and preferences before the big delivery day. It covers every aspect of your labor, birth and recovery experience, as well as the care your newborn receives directly after.

A birth plan can serve a few crucial purposes. For starters, they help expectant families learn more about the available options during the entire birth process. “Because most people who are giving birth don’t work in labor and delivery, the topics that come up in the birth room are often new and unfamiliar,” says Rebekah Mustaleski, CPM-TN, IBCLC, MPH, a certified professional midwife and co-founder of Roots & Wings Midwifery in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Spending time beforehand reading about birth and the choices that are available gives the family time to make an informed decision about the care they’d like to receive.”

Birth plans also help create an ongoing dialogue with your healthcare provider and nursing team. This is important because “nowadays, the doctor you see during your pregnancy may not be the doctor who is doing your delivery,” Ross says. “The birth plan lays out your wish list on how you want it to be no matter who delivers baby.”

That said, a birth plan isn’t for everybody—some parents do better without one. “We opted not to do a birth plan, and I think it was the better choice for us,” says The Bump community member BriAndSean. “It helped me go into my labor with an open mind. When I found out I had to be induced, I was able to take it all in stride.”

What to Include in Your Birth Plan

Here’s a breakdown of what to include in your birth plan. Remember that you can be as detailed or general as you like.

Important medical information

Include relevant medical history and any conditions you have, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Also include any medications and allergies. This will help your birth team work with you for the best possible outcome. It’s helpful to include whether you’ve had any type of birth trauma as well.

Birth and support team

Who’s allowed in the labor and delivery room with you? This can include your partner, your parents and other family members. If you have a doula, this is helpful to mention.

Labor preferences

Make sure to note your pain management preferences, most importantly whether you’d like to receive an epidural. Will you be using any laboring tools, such as a birthing ball? If you have preferences about the environment—whether it’s music, aromatherapy or having the lights dimmed—write this down too.

Delivery preferences

While things can change, it helps to think about your preferred delivery position. Would you like to squat; be on your hands and knees; use a birthing stool, chair or ball for support—or something else?

C-section and other necessary interventions

With birth and delivery, things don’t always go according to plan—but there are some factors you can control. If you’re not having a planned C-section, you can tell your provider that you’d like a second opinion if a C-section is recommended. You can also state preferences such as whether you want baby placed on your chest immediately after birth.

During birth and after baby is born

Decide what you want to do after delivery—for example, whether you’d like to do delayed cord clamping. Then, write down your preferences on skin-to-skin: when you’d like to hold baby. Decide also which family members you’d like to join you and baby immediately after delivery, and who can join you in the room later.

Newborn care

Think about whether you want to exclusively breastfeed or supplement with formula, and whether you’d like a lactation consultant. If you’re having a boy, you’ll need to decide whether to circumcise.

Birth Plan Checklist: The Fine Details

With all the specifics childbirth includes, it’s important to think through everything that could occur (even the unexpected), and how you’d like your care handled in these stressful moments—regardless of whether you give birth at the hospital or at home. According to experts, your birth plan should include your preferences on:

• Baby’s fetal monitoring
• Pain medication and management options
• Staying hydrated
• Movement and positions during labor
• Vaginal and cervical exams
• Methods to progress labor
• Who should be in the delivery room
• Comfort measures during labor and delivery
• Natural vaginal tearing and episiotomies
• Delayed umbilical cord clamping and cord blood banking
• Saving the placenta
• Bonding with baby after birth
• Feeding baby after birth
• Baby’s newborn medical care
• Visitors after birth
• Your postpartum recovery
• Any religious or cultural traditions

It’s also important to include logistical information, such as the names and contact information of your partner and any support people (like a doula). “You should also include your doctor’s name so the nurses and on-call doctor know who to call for questions,” says Jessica Lagrone, CCCE, a certified doula and co-founder of Balanced Families, a platform that offers childbirth and postpartum classes. “Really, anything that you want your medical team to know should be on the plan.”

See the detailed checklist, ahead:

Non-medical information to include in a birthing plan

While medical procedures can take up a good amount of space in your birth plan, it may also be helpful to include other logistics, such as:

• Who will be driving you and baby home from the hospital
• When to install the infant car seat
• Who will be caring for any older children and bringing them to the hospital
• Who will care for and watch any pets
• Planning out the first few meals at home and freezing them
• Who, if anyone, will be staying with you during baby’s first few days at home

Of course this isn’t information your medical team needs to know, but having it set beforehand may help bring peace of mind and manage expectations with loved ones.

Who to include in the birth planning process

According to Lagrone, it’s important to include your partner and birth support team while writing your birth plan, as they can help advocate for your preferences. “It’s really hard to clearly communicate and ask questions when contractions are hitting you every two minutes,” she says. It’s especially helpful if your birth partner is well-versed in your birth plan and wishes, can ask questions and help talk through the decisions with you. It may even be worth it to come up with birth plans A, B and C beforehand, Lagrone adds, so you can feel confident in the options as things progress.

Birth plans are important tools for communication and managing expectations with your providers. However, it’s important to keep an open mind, have realistic expectations, remain flexible and realize that birth plans may need to change for your health and safety. “Even with your personalized road map, there can be unexpected detours and obstacles that you didn’t anticipate,” Ross says. “You must be open-minded and not feel defeated or [like] a failure if it doesn’t go exactly as planned.” Remember, the end goal is a healthy and happy baby and parent—regardless of how you get there.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.