Writing an Effective Birth Plan

What is a Birth Plan?

A birth plan is a written list of your preferences for while you are in labor, giving birth, and during your hospital stay.

Why should you have a birth plan?

The process of writing a birth plan gives you the opportunity to picture the type of birth you want. Take some time to imagine what you want your birth to look like. Who will be there? What will the atmosphere look like? What will you be wearing? Will you have music playing? Will you want the room dimly lit?

This also gives you and your partner the opportunity to learn about the different options you have for childbirth. If you choose to take a childbirth education class, you can use what you’ve learned to write you birth plan. If you are not taking a class, do some research on common interventions and what those look like. You’ll feel better about making a tough decision in labor if you are familiar with the option ahead of time.

What to include in your birth plan

The most effective birth plans tend to be short and to the point. I like to keep it to one page so that any hospital staff can quickly read it over and its easy to remember.

BASIC INFORMATION

Name, Partners name, Providers name, Emergency Contact, Doula’s name, Allergies, Medications - Much of this will already be in your chart, but it doesn’t hurt to have it all in one place.

PREFERENCES

This is where you will include your preferences for the day of your babies birth. Do you want to move around while in labor? Do you want to choose your pushing position? Do you want to avoid excess cervical exams? Are you OK with residents performing cervical exams? Do you want to use a birth ball? Do you want to labor in the shower or tub? Do you want staff to refrain from offering pain medication? (You can always request it). Do you want delayed cord clamping? How long? Do you plan to donate cord blood? Do you want immediate Skin to Skin? Many of these are standard practice at hospitals, so take this opportunity to research your hospitals procedures.

BABY

Do you plan to consent to the Erythromycin eye ointment? Hep B vaccine? Vitamin K? Do you plan to circumcise if applicable? Do you plan to breastfeed? Would you like to request a visit from a lactation consultant immediately? Do you want to delay your baby’s bath?

RELIGIOUS OR CULTURAL

Are there any special practices or ceremonies that your religion or culture performs at birth?

If there is anything else that doesn’t really fit in the other categories, be sure to still list it in your plan. Our birth plan was pretty standard, with the exception of one note about our baby. Due to a possible genetic skin condition, we did not want any adhesive bandages placed on our baby’s skin. We added this to our birth plan and didn’t have a problem.

How should you use your birth plan

IN PREGNANCY

When you are working on writing your birth plan, its important to discuss it with your medical provider. Bring it along with you to a prenatal appointment and have them read over it. Be sure they are on board with all of your preferences and that they put a copy of your birth plan in your chart. You may choose to have your provider “sign off” on your birth plan. That way if you end up with someone else on the day of birth, you can say, “I’ve discussed my preferences with my doctor/midwife and they have signed off on it.”

IN LABOR

This is the moment you’ve been planning for so long! There are some effective and some not so effective ways to present your birth plan to hospital staff. You don’t want to go into the hospital, guns blazing, shoving your birth plan in everyone’s face. Or maybe you do…but there’s a much easier way to make sure your preferences are heard. Present your birth plan to your nurse when you arrive at the hospital. Ask that she add it to your chart. Your partner can also keep a copy with them just in case it is needed.

There may be a lot of new faces coming in and out of your room while in the hospital. You may also be asked the same questions repeatedly, which is good, they should be sure to ask your preferences. This can get overwhelming when you’re in the thick of it. No one wants to have to answer questions in the middle of a contraction. Your partner can easily direct any new medical staff to read over your birth plan.

Be Flexible

One of the most important things to remember about a birth plan is that it is just that, a plan. Plans change and you may move away from your original preferences. That’s OK! You’ve spent the time and gained the knowledge of what options may be presented to you. Everything doesn’t have to go exactly according to your plan for you to still have a positive birth experience. Know your preferences, talk with your provider and remain flexible and you’re on your way to a positive, empowering birth.

“The power of a birth plan isn’t the actual plan, its the process of becoming educated on all your options.” - Unknown

Have questions about how we can help you have a more positive birth? Let’s chat!

Consultations are always free