A birth plan can help you stay informed about all the different options you have when it comes to the delivery process. It also helps your support team stay informed on your first choices when it comes to those options.
But what even is a birth plan, and do you really need one? Let’s find out!
What Is a Birth Plan?
A birth plan is a written description that lays out your ideal version of how you want your birth to go. The plan is a way to communicate your wishes and desires to your care team — your doctor, obstetrician, midwife, or doula. That way, come the big day, everyone is on the same page regarding your vision.
Remember that not everything always goes according to plan, though. Keep in mind that a birth plan is a general guideline or blueprint made to be flexible or adaptable at a moment’s notice during the dynamic process that is birthing a new tiny human.
What Would I Put In My Birth Plan?
Your birth plan can be as simple as a few sentences or as long as a two-page listicle of your biggest hopes and dreams for your baby’s birth. In a plan, there’s a wide variety of notes, such as whom they want to deliver their baby to and what type of birth they want. It’ll mention how much healthcare team involvement versus at-home birthing care involvement, to name a few.
We’ll start by breaking down the categories of details. Then, we’ll circle back to how detailed you might want to get in your personalized birth plan template.
Background Information
The background information on your birth plan should give your support team and healthcare provider a good idea of all the general information surrounding your personal information, medical history, delivery provider choices, and desired birth location.
Personal Information and History
Your birth plan’s personal information and history section should include fundamental information: your name, your expected due date, and your primary support person (such as your partner, a family member, or a close friend) and their contact information.
Include the name and sex of your baby if you know this information ahead of time.
Medical History
List any relevant medical history in this section, including whether this is your first time giving birth or not. A positive Group B strep test result, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or high blood pressure are all relevant medical history pieces that can affect you or your baby.
Who Will Deliver Baby?
You should make a note of who you would like to deliver your baby. Some moms prefer a full medical care team by their side for the birthing process. In this case, they might want a doctor or obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) to deliver their newborn. Other moms prefer a midwife to oversee the delivery.
In either case, you’ll want to decide whether you would like a doula. A doula can be your main point of contact between you and the delivery team. A doula is one of your primary support persons and can help with calming techniques and birthing positions during labor, among many other eclectic things.
Desired Birth Location
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you’ll probably want to give birth in a hospital delivery room with a full healthcare team by your side. However, if you do not have a high-risk pregnancy, then you may desire other options, such as a birthing center or your own home.
Wherever you give birth, there is always a chance that you could require medical intervention. Even if you plan to give birth at home, you might need to grab your hospital go-bag and drive over to the nearest medical care facility anyway.
That’s why it’s important to hold space for flexibility when you create your birth plan, and always have a hospital bag on hand!
Labor & Delivery Information
The labor and delivery section of your birth plan includes information on pain interventions as well as options for labor and delivery.
Labor Pain Interventions
Specify whether you want a medication-involved birth or a medication-free birth. If you opt for a pain relief medication, you should try to specify what type you want as your primary option: An epidural? Nitrous oxide? Something else?
If you choose not to have medication, you might want to list more natural pain management options: Do you want a water birth/a birth pool, a hot shower, or a birthing ball during labor? Would you like aromatherapy or acupuncture to help ease the pain?
Labor Options
Write down who you would like to be by your side when you go into labor and who you would like to stay in the room throughout your labor journey. It is also helpful to include how involved you would like your support network to be during labor.
If you choose to give birth in a hospital, you’ll want to include whether you would like to have 24/7 fetal monitoring or whether you only want to be monitored should a complication arise.
Additionally, how mobile would you like to be during labor? Do you want to be able to walk around? What positions would you like to try, and what breathing exercises would you like to engage in?
Other questions to consider are:
- Would you like any music or playlists to listen to during labor?
- How would you prefer the lighting?
- Do you want any comfort items by your side?
- Do you want someone to take photos throughout labor? What about videos?
Delivery Options
For delivery options, specify which delivery method you prefer. If you choose an at-home birth, then vaginal delivery is your first choice, for example. You might prefer a vaginal birth in a hospital setting, or maybe you opt for a cesarean section (C-section) birth. Hospital birth options may include an assisted vaginal delivery, which means that your healthcare team might use tools like forceps or a vacuum.
Emergency Interventions
Remember that birth plans are subject to change at a moment’s notice. You might want a vaginal birth but need assistance through forceps, a vacuum, or a C-section. Or, you may need an episiotomy to avoid vaginal tearing to keep you and baby safe.
Select your most preferred delivery method with an open mind and heart. Go into the birthing process with the understanding that your plan may change due to unexpected events.
Postpartum Care
There are a couple of additional things you’ll want to consider around your little one’s umbilical cord, your placenta, and the first feeding time for baby. When it comes to the umbilical cord, write down whom you would like to cut the cord. Additionally, consider whether you want to engage in cord blood testing, which could help measure your baby’s infection risk or other health complications.
When it comes to your placenta, think about whether you want to preserve yours. If you have a vaginal delivery, your placenta will come out during the last stages of labor. However, if you have a C-section, your doctor will need to remove your placenta from your uterus during the surgical delivery process.
A couple of other questions to review are:
- How soon after birth would you like to try breastfeeding your baby?
- Do you want skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth (also called the golden hour)?
So Do I Need a Birth Plan?
You definitely do not need a birth plan. It’s not a requirement, and it’s not like your baby is not going to come out of you if you don’t make a formalized plan.
We recommend that you treat a birth plan as a loose and dynamic guide and be OK with a change of plan. So, it’s truly up to you how detailed you want to make your plan (if you even want one in the first place).
You can write a few sentences that outline your desire for a pain-free at-home water birth with candles, aromatherapy, a midwife, and your doula and partner by your side. You can also write a two-page high-detailed essay on your medical history, pregnancy healthcare summary visits, and your primary pain medication choices with three different backup options listed.
It’s whatever floats your boat, mama, and whatever makes you feel the most empowered, confident, and at ease going into your birthing process! And remember that the birth plan includes postpartum plans, too. List out your own personal plans for your postpartum recovery, wellness, and healing journey.
While what they say about the best-laid plans might be true, with a plan in your back pocket, you could feel a tad more prepared for the big day with a plan in your back pocket.
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