Types of birth plans

Birth Plans (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

In early pregnancy, you're probably thinking of baby names and shopping for baby clothes. The reality of labor and birth may seem far off — but now's the time to start planning for your baby by creating a birth plan that details your wishes.

What's a Birth Plan?

The term birth plan can be misleading — it's less an exact plan than a list of preferences. In fact, the goal of a birth plan isn't for you and your partner to decide exactly how the birth of your child will happen — labor involves so many variables, you can't predict exactly what will happen. A birth plan does, though, help you to realize what's most important to you in the birth of your baby.

While completing a birth plan, you'll be learning about, exploring, and understanding your labor and birthing options well before the birth of your child. This can also improve your communication with the people who'll be helping during your delivery.

A birth plan isn't a binding agreement — it's just a guideline. Your doctor or health care provider may know, from having seen you throughout the pregnancy, what you do and don't want. But, if you go into labor when there's an on-call doctor who you don't know well, a well thought-out birth plan can help you communicate your goals and wishes to the people helping you with the labor and delivery.

What Questions Does a Birth Plan Answer?

A birth plan usually covers three major areas:

1. What are your wishes during a normal labor and delivery?

These range from how you hope to handle pain relief to fetal monitoring. Think about the environment in which you want to have your baby, who you want to have there, and what birthing positions you plan to use.

2. How are you hoping for your baby to be treated immediately after and for the first few days after birth?

Do you want the baby's cord to be cut by your partner? If possible, do you want your baby placed on your stomach immediately after birth? Do you want to feed the baby immediately? Will you breastfeed or bottle feed? Would you like the baby to sleep next to you or in the nursery (if the hospital has one)?

Hospitals have widely varying policies for the care of newborns — you'll want to know what these are and how they match what you're looking for.

3. What do you want to happen in the case of unexpected events?

No one wants to think about something going wrong. But if it does, it's better to have thought about your options in advance. Since some women need cesarean sections (C-sections), your birth plan should probably cover your wishes in the event that your labor takes an unexpected turn. You might also want to think about other possible complications, such as premature birth.

p

Things to Consider

Before you make decisions about each of your birthing options, you'll want to talk with your health care provider and tour the hospital or birthing center where you plan to have your baby.

You may find that your obstetrician, nurse-midwife, or the facility where they admit patients already has birth-plan forms that you can fill out. If so, use the form as a guideline for asking questions about how women in their care are routinely treated. If their responses are not what you're hoping for, you might want to look for a health provider or facility that better matches your goals.

And it's important to be flexible — if you know one aspect of your birthing plan won't be met, be sure to weigh that against your other wishes. If your options are limited because of medical needs, insurance, cost, or geography, focus on one or two areas that are really important to you. In the areas where your thinking doesn't agree with that of your doctor or nurse-midwife, ask why he or she usually does things a certain way and listen to the answers before you make up your mind. There may be important reasons why a doctor believes some birth options are better than others.

Finally, find out if there are things about your pregnancy that might prevent certain choices. For example, if your pregnancy is considered high-risk because of your age, health, or problems during pregnancy (current or previous), your health care provider may advise against some of your birthing wishes. You'll want to discuss, and consider, this information when thinking about your options.

p

What Are Your Birthing Options?

In creating your plan, you're likely to have choices in the following areas:

Where to have the baby. Most women give birth in the hospital. However, most are no longer confined to a cold, sterile maternity ward. Find out if your hospital practices family-centered care. This usually means the patient rooms will have a door, furnishings, a private bathroom, and enough space to accommodate a family.

Additionally, many hospitals now offer birthing rooms that allow a woman to stay in the same bed for labor, delivery, and sometimes, postpartum care (care after the birth). These rooms are fully equipped for uncomplicated deliveries. They're often attractive and have gentle lighting.

But some women believe that the most comfortable environment is their own home. Advocates of home birth believe that labor and delivery can and should happen at home, but they also stress that a certified nurse-midwife or doctor should attend the birth.

An important thing to remember about home birth is that if something goes wrong, you don't have the amenities and technology of a hospital. It can take a while to get to the hospital, and during a complicated birth those minutes can be invaluable.

For women with low-risk pregnancies who want something in between the hospital and home, birthing centers are another option. These provide a more homey, relaxed environment with some of the medical amenities of a hospital. Some birthing centers are associated with hospitals and can transfer patients if necessary. It's a good idea to find out what happens in case of a complication: How would you get to the hospital? How long would the transfer take?

Who will assist at the birth. Most women choose an obstetrician (OB/GYN), a specialist who's trained to handle pregnancies (including those with complications), labor, and delivery. If your pregnancy is considered high-risk, you may be referred to an obstetrician who subspecializes in maternal-fetal medicine. These doctors have specialized training to care for pregnant women with medical conditions or complications, as well as their fetuses.

Another medical choice is a family practitioner who has had training and has maintained expertise in managing non-high-risk pregnancies and deliveries. In some areas of the United States, especially rural areas where obstetricians are less available, family practitioners handle most of the deliveries. As your family doctor, a family practitioner can continue to treat both you and your baby after birth.

And doctors aren't the only health care providers a pregnant woman can choose to deliver her baby. You might decide that you want your delivery to be performed by a certified nurse-midwife, a health professional who's medically trained and licensed to handle low-risk births and whose philosophy emphasizes educating expectant parents about the natural aspects of childbirth.

More women are choosing to have a doula, or birth assistant, present in addition to the medical personnel. A doula is someone who's trained in childbirth and provides support to the mother. The doula can meet with the mother before the birth and can help communicate her wishes to the medical staff, should it be necessary.

Your birth plan can also indicate who else you'd like to have with you before, during, and immediately after the birth. In a routine birth, this may be your partner, your other children, a friend, or other family member. You also can make it clear at what points you want no one to be there but your partner.

p

More Birthing Options

Atmosphere during labor and delivery. Many hospitals and birthing centers let women make some choices about the atmosphere in which they give birth. Do you want music and low lighting? How about the freedom to walk around during labor? If possible, would you like to eat or drink during labor? You might be able to request things that may make you the most comfortable.

Procedures during labor. Hospitals used to perform the same procedures on all women in labor, but many now show increased flexibility in how they handle their patients. Some examples include:

• enemas. Used to clean out the bowels, enemas used to be routine when women were admitted. Now, you may choose to give yourself an enema or to skip it entirely.
• induction of labor. At times, labor may need to be induced or sped up for medical reasons. But sometimes, practitioners will give women the option of getting some help to move things along, or giving labor a little more time to progress on its own.
• shaving the pubic area. Once routine, shaving is no longer done unless a woman requests it.

Other procedures that you can include in your birth plan are preferences about fetal monitoring, extra birthing equipment you'd like in the room, and how often you have internal exams during labor.

Pain management. This is important for most women and is something you have a lot of control over. It's also something you'll want to discuss carefully with your health care provider. Some women change their minds about pain relief during labor only to discover that they're too far along in their labor to use some methods, such as an epidural. Also ask about other forms of pain relief, including massage, relaxation, breathing, and bathing. Know your options and make your wishes known to your care provider.

Position during delivery. You can try a variety of positions during labor, including the classic semi-recline with the feet in stirrups that you've seen in the movies. Other choices include lying on your side, squatting, standing, or simply using whatever stance feels right at the time.

Episiotomies. When necessary, doctors do episiotomies (when the perineum — the area of skin between the vagina and the anus — is partially cut to ease the delivery). You may have one if you risk tearing or in the case of a medical emergency. But if there is an option, you can discuss your preference with your provider.

Assisted birth. If the baby becomes stuck in the birth canal, an assisted birth (i.e., using forceps or vacuum extraction) may be necessary.

Cesarean section (C-section). If you need to have a C-section, you'll have to consider a few things. Do you want your partner to be present, if possible? What about viewing the birth — do you want to see the baby coming out?

After the birth. Decisions to be made about the time immediately after birth include:

• Would your partner like to cut the umbilical cord?
• Does your partner want to hold the baby when the baby emerges?
• Do you want immediate contact with the baby, or would you like the baby to be cleaned off first?
• How would you like to handle the delivery of the placenta? Would you like to keep the placenta?
• Do you want to feed the baby right away?

page 7

Give your health care provider your reasons for creating a birth plan — not because you don't trust him or her, but to help ensure cooperation and to cover the possibilities if something should go wrong. If your caregiver seems offended or is resistant to the idea of a birth plan, you might want to reconsider whether this is the right caregiver for you.

Also, think about the language of your plan. You can use many online resources to create one or you can make one yourself.

Here are some tips:

• Make your birth plan read like a list of requests or best-case scenarios, not like a set of demands. Phrases such as "I would prefer" and "if medically necessary" will help your health care provider and caregivers know that you understand that they might have to change the plan.
• Think about the other personnel who'll be using it — hospital staffers might feel more comfortable if you call it your "birth preferences" rather than your "birth plan," which could seem as though you're trying to tell them how to do their jobs.
• Try to be positive ("we hope to") as opposed to negative ("under no circumstances").

When you've made your birth plan, schedule a time to go over it with your doctor or nurse-midwife. Find out and discuss where you agree or disagree. During your pregnancy, review the birth plan with your partner periodically.

Try to keep the plan as simple as possible and put your wishes in order of importance. Focusing on your priorities will help ensure that the most important of your wishes are met.

Make copies of the plan: one for you, one for your chart, one for your doctor or nurse-midwife, and one for your birthing coach or partner. And bring extra copies in your labor bag, in case your doctor is not on call when your baby is born.

You can't control everything that happens during your baby's birth. But you do play a role in the decisions made about your body and your baby. A well thought-out birth plan can help you to do that.

Making a birth plan - what to include, purpose, benefits

6-minute read

Listen

Many expectant parents make a birth plan so they can plan for what they would like to happen during labour and birth. Birth plans help to give a sense of control and assist maternity care providers in understanding what is important to the labouring mother. While birth plans are not a guarantee of outcome, they clearly outline how a pregnant mother wants her labour and birth to take place.

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is a written record of what you would like to happen when you are having your baby. You have choices about what you’d like to include, although templates can be helpful as a prompt. Birth plans can be simple or complex — there is no one right format to suit every woman.

What’s valuable about birth plans is that they give the expectant mother a 'voice' for her body and a say in the decisions that are made. Birth plans can also be useful in supporting people so they feel included in the baby’s birth and they play an advocacy role for the woman if she cannot communicate clearly for herself.

Birth plans often change over the course of a pregnancy. It’s fine to change your mind about what you’d like to happen when you’re having your baby. Even when you’re in labour and your baby is close to being born, you’re entitled to vary from your original plan.

Do I need to have a birth plan?

Birth plans aren’t essential, so don’t think you have to have one. Speak with your midwife or doctor about what’s important to you and they can make notes in your records. Most women are asked during labour how they can be supported to have the type of birth they’d like. Conversations between you and your midwife and/or doctor give insights into the labour and birth which is important to you.

One of the main advantages of a birth plan is that it helps you prepare for having a baby. Sitting down and making a written record can help you focus attention on what’s really important. And they can also be a good way to initiate conversations between a labouring mother and her maternity care provider if they’ve not met before.

When should I think about making a birth plan?

There’s no preferred time during pregnancy when a birth plan needs to be written up. Ideally, you won’t be trying to make a plan after your labour has started. Speak with your maternity care provider about what, in their experience, is useful to include. And check to see if you need to include any factors due to specific conditions, like gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.

How to get started making a birth plan?

Some women have long-standing ideas about the type of labour and birth they would like. This helps when it comes to writing out a birth plan because they’ve done research into their options.

Aim to write up a simple birth plan which highlights what’s important for you. Too much information can be overwhelming and confusing. Make sure if you’re writing your birth plan by hand that your writing is clear. Alternatively, perhaps use an app or keep a digital copy — which would be easier to share with multiple people. Keep a spare copy and ask your maternity care provider to include this in your notes.

What to take to hospital

Checklist of what you might need to take to hospital with you.

What should I include in my birth plan?

Think about your preferences and what you would like to avoid. Importantly, remember that your labour and birth may not proceed as you would like — a birth plan is not a contract. There needs to be room for flexibility in case of unforeseen events. Sometimes interventions are necessary to avoid complications that can affect a mother and/or her baby.

What to include in your birth plan:

• who you would like to be with you for support
• culturally important factors
• where you would like to have your baby
• the type of examinations you'd prefer and frequency of checks
• pain relief options
• positions for labour and giving birth
• your preferences for skin-to-skin contact with your baby
• how you would like to feed your baby if you’re planning to breastfeed — include your preferences for breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth
• how your partner can support you
• what you would like to happen after your baby is born — for example, staying with you and not being separated

Read more

Choosing where to give birth

Advice on choosing where to give birth, including a midwifery unit or birth centre, hospital or at home, and what to expect from private and public care.

Positions for labour and birth

Choosing your own positions for labour and giving birth can help you feel in control, reduce pain and open your pelvis to help the baby come out.

How do I plan for the unexpected?

Ultimately, the goal of any labour and birth is to ensure a healthy mother and baby. But when you’re writing up your birth plan, remember to include some flexibility for when things don’t go as you’d like them to. It can be hard to predict with certainty what may happen when a baby is being born.

Sources:

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: September 2021

Back To Top

Related pages

• Choosing where to give birth
• Choosing a birth support partner
• Positions for labour and birth
• Pain relief during labour
• What to take to hospital - checklist

Need more information?

Developing a birth plan - Better Health Channel

A birth plan is a written summary of your preferences for when you are in labour and giving birth.

Read more on Better Health Channel website