Birth plan template: What should you include?

Are you getting ready to meet your new baby? As you near the end of your pregnancy, you might be feeling excited, anxious, and overwhelmed all at once, even if this isn’t your first time. Giving birth is a big deal, so it’s normal for expectant moms to have mixed feelings about what’s ahead. There’s a lot to consider, including where and how you plan to give birth, any pain relief preferences you might have, and more. 

Once you’re in labor and busy breathing through contractions, you might not feel like talking about your preferences. This is where a birth plan can help. It’s no secret that childbirth doesn't always go as planned, but no matter what happens, your medical team will be there to take care of you and your baby. And going into labor with a birth plan in place can help you feel more in control, which might help you to feel more relaxed as you go along.

One easy way to write your birth plan is to use our template. This will give your medical team all the information they need so they can know what’s important as you work together as a team to welcome your new baby into the world. 

Key takeaways: Birth plan template

• A birth plan is a great way to let your medical team know your preferences for every stage of your labor, birth, and recovery experience.
• Creating your birth plan can also be a useful learning process that helps you learn about and consider all your options.
• Childbirth won’t always go according to your plan, so it can help to think of your birth plan as more of a guide or wish list than a guaranteed course of action.
• The Flo app’s pregnancy tracker can help you prepare for giving birth. You can also use Flo’s safe community space, Secret Chats, to chat with others going through their pregnancy journey.

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is a great way to let your medical care team know your preferences for all aspects of your birth experience. From managing contractions to how you’d like to spend the first precious moments with your baby, there’s plenty to think about.

“A birth plan is how each individual wants their delivery to go,” explains obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Charlsie Celestine, US. “Plans for what [you] want and don’t want performed, even the vibe of the space can all be part of the birth plan. It can be written down or just verbalized,” she says. 

“Some things [to include] could be what form of pain relief [you want] during labor, such as no medication, intravenous [IV] medication (meaning given via an injection) or epidural (a pain-numbing procedure),” explains Dr. Celestine. Also, “the number of people in the room that you prefer. What kind of movement for your body you want during labor, such as walking the room or halls. Really, anything that makes you more comfortable [can be included].”

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed about your options, creating your birth plan can also be a useful learning process for you. Finding out what typically takes place during labor and birth can make you feel better prepared and put you into a relaxed and positive mindset for childbirth. “It’s important to have an idea of how you want [childbirth] to go,” says Dr. Celestine. “It’s a personal experience, and for some it’s comforting to have a plan.” 

If you’re not 100% sure how you feel about certain aspects of labor or giving birth yet, that’s perfectly normal. You can change your birth plan at any point, even changing your preferences during labor. And if you’d prefer to go with the flow and not have a birth plan at all, that’s fine too. “It’s up to you!” adds Dr. Celestine. 

It’s also worth mentioning that you can still prepare a birth plan if you are having a planned cesarean section (C-section). For example, if you don’t know the sex of your baby, you can ask to find this information out yourself or have your partner announce it. You could request that certain music is played or that your partner trim or cut the umbilical cord. And if you end up having an emergency delivery, that doesn’t mean your entire birth plan has to go out the window. You can still focus on what’s important to you in the postpartum period.

Birth plan template for expecting parents 

Your birth plan is unique to you and will depend on your personal circumstances, your preferences, your medical history, and the options available where you plan to give birth. You can think about your birth plan at any point in your pregnancy, but it’s best to write it up a few weeks before your due date and go over it with your doctor just in case you go into labor early.

Take some time to consider the following options before you fill out the template. It’s also important to talk through your plan with your birthing partner so they can help support and advocate for you while you’re in labor. 

Basic information 

To get started, make sure you include key details such as your name, due date, birthing partner details, and your doctor/midwife if you have one.

Include any doulas (a specially trained person you can hire to support you before, during, and after having a baby), birthing coaches, or anyone else you plan to have attending your birth.  When planning your support team, don’t forget to check your hospital or birthing center’s visitor policy. Sometimes there’s a limit on the number of people who can be with you.

Labor preferences

Everyone experiences labor differently. Early labor, known as the latent phase, can last anywhere between a few hours and several days (the average time is 12 to 24 hours), and it can stop and start. 

Contractions are typically milder and less frequent during early labor, and it can take a while. So, if there isn’t another reason why you need to be admitted, you will usually get to spend early labor at home, where you’ll likely feel most comfortable.

During early labor, you might want to try out different labor positions (such as lunging, kneeling, squatting, or rocking) or do light activities to manage contractions. This can include anything from going for a short walk to listening to music, practicing breathing exercises, balancing on a birthing ball, or taking a shower. 

Because early labor can be long, make sure you also take time to rest. Curling up in bed or on the couch after a warm shower can help your body relax. You can include any of these preferences in your birth plan so your birthing partner knows what might help. 

Whatever environment you hope to create for yourself during labor, try to make sure it will leave you as relaxed and comfortable as possible, as this can benefit your birth experience. Oxytocin — the love hormone — plays a vital role in keeping you calm during labor, according to research. Massage, cuddles, and even music have all been found to boost oxytocin levels naturally. So, factoring in time for a hug with your birth partner while you listen to your favorite music might just help your birth experience.

Birth preferences

Your doctor or midwife will always advise on what’s best for the health of you and your baby, but you have the right to choose where you plan to give birth. Depending on the facilities that are available where you live, this could be in a hospital, a birthing center, or at your home (0.9% of women in the United States give birth at home). 

Choosing where you plan to give birth is usually done a little earlier on in your pregnancy, so by the time you come to write your birth plan, you’ll probably already have decided. To help make that choice, you can research your nearest birth unit or ask your local mom friends to help you decide where you think you’ll be most comfortable. Arming yourself with facts will give you the best chance of picking what’s right for you and your baby. 

Wherever you give birth, it’s a good idea to consider who you want to be your birthing partner during labor. This is particularly important, according to the World Health Organization, because it provides “trusted emotional, psychological and practical support during labor and childbirth.” Whether you choose your partner, best friend, a family member, or a doula, having someone to keep you company during labor can really help. They can provide support and understanding, remind you of your birth plan preferences, and advocate for you if necessary.

If you were hoping for a candlelit water birth, but the reality of your situation ends up being more of a medical environment, try not to panic. There are still plenty of ways your birth preferences can be honored even when your birthing circumstances change. For example, you could still request things like:

• Trying certain laboring and pushing positions
• Using aromatherapy
• Dimming the lights
• Practicing relaxation and breathing techniques
• Playing your favorite music
• Minimizing vaginal exams when possible (for example, having them only if there are questions about how your labor is progressing)
• Limiting how often the baby is monitored to allow you more movement in labor (unless continuous monitoring is necessary for medical reasons)
• Using a mirror while pushing
• Having a warm compress applied to the perineum (the part of your body between your vulva and your anus) during pushing
• What type of encouragement you want throughout (maybe you want a lot of cheerleading, or maybe you’d prefer a more serious environment)

Don’t forget that you can always change your mind during labor about preferences like these, as long as it’s safe to do so.

Pain relief preferences

A big part of your birth plan will be laying out what kind of pain management you’d prefer to consider during labor. And, while it can be useful to have researched and thought about it, you don’t need to be 100% sure about this ahead of time. There are lots of different pain management strategies available at different times during labor. Chat with your medical team about what’s available in your birth setting. Some common options include:

Nonmedical pain management:

• Massage
• Acupressure or acupuncture
• Hypnobirthing or other breathing techniques
• Hot and cold packs
• Aromatherapy
• Counter pressure on your back or hips
• Shower or a birthing pool/bath

Medical pain management:

• IV or muscle-injected pain medication
• Inhaled pain medication (nitrous oxide)
• Epidural

If you feel strongly that you do or don’t want certain pain management options, such as an epidural, that’s OK. It’s definitely something to address in your birth plan, but it’s also OK to change your mind when you’re in the moment. Each labor is different, and you don’t know how it will feel or how your body will respond, so try to keep an open mind. 

Postpartum preferences

When you finally get to meet your new baby, there are also lots of choices you can make. For instance, if skin-to-skin contact with your baby immediately after birth is a priority for you, it’s a good idea to make this known in your birth plan. Research suggests that skin-to-skin contact helps reduce any stress resulting from birth for both you and your baby. It can also help to aid breastfeeding. At many birthing units, skin-to-skin is now included as routine care, whether moms plan on breastfeeding or not, because it has so many benefits for babies.

Other things to think about involve how and when you want the umbilical cord to be cut. You can request delayed cord clamping in your birth plan, which means waiting until the umbilical cord has stopped pulsating and has gone white before cutting it. It’s thought that this could come with some benefits for your baby, including a lower risk of anemia, increased hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen around the body) levels, and improved iron stores.

It’s also worth outlining your feeding plans on your birth plan. If you hope to breastfeed right away, experts can be on hand to help you get started. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to bottle feed or you’re having trouble breastfeeding, the team can help you learn how to prepare the formula.

Emergency or special situations

Most babies are born healthy, but childbirth doesn’t always go as planned, so it’s possible that things can change at the last minute. It will help if you are prepared to be open minded with your birth plan, as then you can feel better equipped to handle whatever situation arises. For example, your obstetrician may advise you to have an unplanned or emergency C-section for the well-being of you or your baby. Or your baby might have health issues that require specialist care in the neonatal or newborn intensive care unit. 

“Think of your birth plan as a loose framework rather than a rigid checklist and don’t feel like a failure if it doesn’t go as expected,” says Dr. Celestine. “Labor and [birth] is not something that always goes to plan. Not even for your physician or midwife,” she says. 

While these things may feel daunting to consider, try not to worry. No matter what happens, the medical professionals around you will be there to take care of you and your baby. “Your body and new baby are taking the lead. We all follow along to ensure the safest delivery possible for both mom and baby,” adds Dr. Celestine. “That’s always the main goal.” 

Additional notes or requests 

If you have any special requests, no matter how big or small, don’t forget to include them in your birth plan. These might include any religious or spiritual customs that you’d like to follow, certain equipment you’d like to use such as a birthing ball, or any special needs you might have, like the use of a sign language interpreter.

And if you’d like to keep your placenta or donate your cord blood, live stream your birth to family overseas, or listen to heavy metal music while you’re pushing, all of these can be included in your birth plan. While your medical team might not be able to fulfill every single one of your wishes, they will usually aim to respect your preferences alongside ensuring you have a safe and comfortable birth experience.

How to use our birth plan template

Everyone is different, so our template is designed to be customizable to suit your needs. To get started, simply print out our birth plan template pdf using the download button above. Then, have a think about your preferences and fill it in with your specific choices. 

Alternatively, you could use our birth plan template as a guide to draft your own, making a copy of it and tweaking the wording as necessary to suit your preferences.

Final tips for completing your birth plan 

Whatever your hopes are for your baby’s arrival, don’t be afraid to put them in your birth plan. Things might not go exactly as planned, but it can really help to research and understand the options available and then put your preferences in one place. 

Your doctor will be used to taking care of expectant moms and will do their best to honor your plan to ensure you have a safe and comfortable birth. “Try not to be too strict with it,” says Dr. Celestine, adding: “Expect the unexpected.” 

If you want to further prepare yourself for giving birth, you can use a pregnancy-tracking app like Flo to help. In the app, you can log your symptoms throughout pregnancy, as well as get the lowdown on what to expect week by week. You can read expert advice from our team of health experts and share your feelings about your upcoming birth or anything else with others going through the same things using the app’s safe Secret Chats space. Sign up for the Flo app now.