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Writing your birth plan

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is an opportunity for you to describe in detail how you would like your birth to take place. Do you want to be at home or in hospital, and give birth with or without drugs? This will be such an important event in your life it’s worth taking the time to work out exactly how you want it to happen.

Making birth plans is becoming more and more popular. Hospitals and the medical profession have moved forward a great deal in the past twenty years, and parents have the opportunity to be closely involved with the whole process of giving birth.

The choices are ultimately for you and your partner to decide. It’s your body that will be going through the process of labour and birth. It’s also important to check your wishes against what’s healthy, practical and realistic for you with your GP, midwife and hospital.

Why write a birth plan?

Once you’ve written your birth plan and discussed it with everyone involved you will probably have a much clearer idea of how your labour will progress. You’ll know if there are some things you’ve asked for that won’t be possible, and maybe discovered some alternatives you hadn’t previously considered.

This planning process will help you to manage your expectations and those of others, and will help you to avoid any conflict or disappointment. When you’re in labour it will be a bit more difficult to focus on asking questions or making changes.

By gathering all the information in advance and making your plans you will also feel far less concerned about what’s going to happen, have a clearer idea of what to expect and ultimately feel far more in control of the experience.

How to write your birth plan

• Your midwife can give you some examples of birth plans.
• There is no set format. Your plan can contain as much or as little information as you want to include.
• Keep one copy of your birth plan with you and give another copy to your GP, midwife, or obstetrician and ask them to sign it.
• The plan will be kept with your hospital records so as anyone who may treat you during labour will be able to refer to it.
• Remember to include a second plan to cover any change that may occur during labour.
• For example, you may need to have a caesarean as opposed to planned natural labour, or a hospital birth instead of a home birth.

Some suggestions to help get you started

Type of birth

• Do you want a home or hospital birth ?

The following questions may assist you in compiling your birth plan:

• What are your feelings about being induced ?
• Will you want to be able to stand up and move around during labour ?
• How do you feel about having an intravenous line put in for fluids or medication ?
• What are your preferred positions for labour? Are you happy to squat or do you want to stay on a bed ?
• Will you want medication to be used to enhance your contractions ?
• A median episiotomy is a procedure whereby the doctor snips the skin between your vagina and anus to allow the baby’s head to emerge more easily.
• A downward and sideways episiotomy is sometimes also performed, although it will be sutured immediately after you give birth. You may wish to indicate your preference on your birth plan in relation to having an episiotomy or not.
• What are your feelings about caesareans ?
• Would you be happy for medical students to be present during a caesarean ?

Pain relief

• Are you allergic to any medications ?
• What sort of pain relief is acceptable to you ?
• Do you prefer to have no pain relief at all ?
• If you opt for an epidural, do you want light relief ?

Personal

• Who is your birth partner ?
• Do you want your birth partner to be with you all the time ?
• Are there any procedures that you wouldn’t want your birth partner to be a part of ?
• Do you want to bring a camera or video for use during labour and delivery ?
• Will you opt for use of a bath or shower in the first stage of labour ?
• Do you want to be able to eat and drink when you want? **.
• If so, do you have any special dietary needs ?
• If you use contact lenses, do you want to wear them during labour and delivery? **.
• Will you wear a hospital gown or your own clothes ?
• Do you want to bring personal items like music, aromatherapy or massage oil ?
• Will you want soft lighting ?

You and your new baby

• Do you want your birth partner to cut the cord ?
• Will you want to be able to hold your baby straight after birth ?
• How will you want to feed your baby immediately after birth ?
• How do you feel about medications for you after birth ?
• If you have other children will you want them to be present immediately after the birth ?
• If you have your baby in hospital, how long do you want to stay after the birth, assuming there are no medical complications ?

Find out more about what to expect during birth, in our PDF download »

**not possible if you opt for an anaesthetic