How to create a birth plan

Confused about how to write a birth plan? Why not create a birth plan with our App? Just select ‘add’ for the wishes you want to include, within each section. All your selected items are grouped together in ‘My birth plan’.

Having a birth plan will ensure that child birth goes as closely to your wishes as possible. It gives you a better chance of your wishes being taken into consideration during child birth.

Click on ‘share’ at the top of ‘My plan’ to email the birth plan to yourself.

Be sure to bring extra copies with you when labour starts!

What is a birth plan?

Preparing to give birth to your baby is an exciting time, one that is filled with many expectations, hopes and ideas of how you would like to experience this miracle. Giving birth itself will be an emotional experience and much of your focus will be on dealing with pain, streamlining your concentration on breathing and contractions and pushing your baby out into the world. This doesn’t leave much energy to make any important decision or to try to explain to your doctor exactly what you want.

This is why having a birth plan can help you and your partner ensure that the entire process goes as closely to your wishes as possible. A birthing plan is a document that provides all those involved in labour, delivery and immediate aftercare of your baby, the opportunity to see, in writing, your wishes. This document will be available to them before and during the entire process, so they can stay on track with yours and your partner’s desires.

A birth plan is not a contract that is set in stone. Labour and delivery may not happen as planned and the experience calls for flexibility. Many women who have a birth plan will find that they themselves change their mind about pain medications or procedures once the reality of the situation descends upon them. Doctors and midwives may also find that certain circumstances require modifications to the birth plan, but the better aware they are of your wishes, the better the chance that they will do their best to take your desires into consideration and work according to them.

It’s a good idea to start writing your birth plan by 28 weeks of pregnancy and even earlier if you’re expecting twins. This will allow you and your partner to have enough time to properly research, prepare and share your birth plan with your health providers and/or delivery team.

There are many benefits of preparing a birth plan, not only for you, but also for your partner, the medical team and even for your baby.

A birth plan will help you prepare for the various possible experiences that you may have to undergo during labour by requiring you and your partner to contemplate several different scenarios, mentioning options to deal with them and the outcome of each one of them.

Preparing your birth plan will help you create a list of questions to ask your health care provider at your prenatal visits. You’ll be able to learn which facilities are available for labour and delivery and make plans for their use ahead of time.

You will feel better prepared for the big day because you will have done as much preparation as possible. Moreover, your medical team will be on board with your wishes and there will be fewer surprises because you will have already done the research for whatever scenario may arise. This also goes a long way to increase your confidence over the course of the entire experience, allowing you to focus on your labour and delivery instead of trying to figure out what you want to happen in case an unexpected situation arises. Your birth plan will spell out your wishes and you won’t be bombarded with a bunch of new information and options all at once.

A birth plan is an excellent tool for your doctor or midwife as well, providing them with the information they need from you about your wishes in certain circumstances. It’s not always easy to have a conversation with you while you’re in labour trying to focus on your breathing and contractions and while you may be under the influence of pain medication. Care providers are very much in favour of birthing plans due to the educational value of birthing plans for you and your partner. Moreover, they also provide a basis that they can try to follow.

Specify the type of environment you would like to give birth in; the type of lighting and music and even your choice of medical team’s gender.

List the type of pain relief you would like to have and also your preferred positions during labour (although you should be open to try a few different positions to find the most effective one during labour). If this is your first child, you may not have much knowledge. If you are allowed to eat and drink during labour, birth plan is the place where you could list your choice of food and drink.

List your wishes regarding episiotomy, whom do you want to cut the umbilical cord, how soon you want to hold the baby after birth and who will be video-taping (if you choose to do so).

Write down your wishes with regards to the delivery of the placenta, which can be done naturally or can be assisted by medical staff. You can give your preference; however, it may depend on what the doctor feels is best for you. If you wish to breastfeed immediately following birth, be sure to specify this as well.

In case of caesarean birth – if you know you will be having a caesarean delivery, you can prepare for your labour in a similar manner; however, if you are not prepared for a caesarean birth, you need to fill this out to specify any changes in your care in case the situation arises, such as whether you wish to breastfeed right away, or wait until you have had a little time to recover.

Now that you’ve gathered all your information, a great way to organise your birth plan is to use our tool which you can find in this section. Define your preferences by ticking the boxes and simply email the basic birth plan to yourself. From there you can amend the plan as much as you like.

Be sure to put a copy of your birth plan both in your hospital bag and in your partner’s bag. Give a copy to your doctor or midwife and go over your plan together, so that they can provide their inputs and options that you may not have thought of, and even help you add anything you might have missed.

Having a birth plan will help you feel as if your labour and delivery are more in your control. It gives you a better chance of your wishes being taken into consideration and followed during the birth of your baby. Be sure to bring extra copies with you when labour starts, in case your doctor or midwife misplaces the first copy, or if you’ve made some adjustments to your plan since your last meeting.

The format of your birth plan is as important as the information you include, so gather all of your information and take your time organising and rewriting until you have it laid out in an easy to read, logical sequence. Talk to other mothers who have used birth plans and ask what they wish they would have done differently, or what worked really well for them.

This is your labour, your delivery and your baby. Prepare for this miraculous day as much as you can, so that you can relax as much as possible and enjoy the experience of welcoming your new baby into the world.