Creating Your Birth Plan: Empowering Your Birth Experience
- Makayla McRorie
- Sep 11, 2025
- 6 min read
A thoughtful birth plan helps expectant parents communicate their childbirth preferences clearly and feel confident as labor begins. It’s a gentle roadmap—flexible, personal, and focused on the experience you want. Creating one encourages conversation with your care team and supports people so everyone aligns with your goals. Read on for a practical guide, a simple birth plan template, and tips for working with your care team and with Haven Women’s Health and Birth Center.
What is a Birth Plan?
Have you ever had someone try to ask you a question while you stubbed your toe or had a full-length conversation mid-sprint? When your mind and body are focusing elsewhere, it’s hard to concentrate or engage in a conversation when in the middle of a contraction wave. This is when a birth plan comes in handy!
A birth plan is a written summary of your childbirth preferences that guides your care team and supports the mama and baby during labor and delivery. It covers everything from comfort measures and labor options to newborn care and who you want present.
Rather than a rigid script, think of it as a clear, calm way to express your wishes and priorities so the team can help you achieve the most positive experience.
Birth Plan Template
Here’s a concise birth plan template you can adapt:
Name / Due date / Provider / Support people
Environment: dim lighting, music, privacy, aromatherapy
Mobility & positions: free to move, upright positions for birth
Comfort measures: water, massage, counter-pressure, heat/cold
Pain relief: prefer non-pharmacologic first; open to epidural if requested
Monitoring: intermittent fetal monitoring preferred
Pushing & birth preferences: guided pushing or spontaneous pushing
Newborn care: immediate skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, breastfeeding first
Tests & procedures: discuss before routine newborn treatments
Emergency preferences: prioritize least invasive steps; involve partner in decisions
Important notes / cultural preferences / allergies
Want to see an example? At Haven Women’s Birth Center, we offer a free downloadable Birth Plan that we encourage our own expectant mothers to use!
Components to Include in Your Birth Plan
A clear, concise birth plan helps you communicate your childbirth preferences and supports personalized birth planning. Use short, prioritized sections so your care team and support people can quickly see what matters most to you.
Outside of your personal information and due date, here are some important components to include in your birth plan.
Labor Preferences
Mobility & positions: desire to move freely, use of upright positions, birth stool, or peanut ball.
Environment: lighting, music, scents/aromatherapy, temperature, and privacy preferences.
Monitoring: intermittent vs. continuous fetal monitoring and how often you’d like updates.
Comfort & pain management: preferred non-pharmacologic comfort measures (water, massage, acupressure, breathing techniques) and your stance on pharmacologic options (e.g., prefer to try non-pharmacologic first; open to epidural if requested).
Labor progress & interventions: preferences for when to discuss augmentation (oxytocin), breaking membranes, or other common labor interventions.
Support: who will provide continuous emotional support (partner, doula) and their roles.
Delivery Preferences
Pushing: spontaneous (follow urge) vs. coached pushing and preferred positions for pushing/birth.
Perineal care: preferences regarding episiotomy, perineal support techniques, and use of warm compresses.
Gentle birth practices: preferences for delayed cord clamping, immediate skin-to-skin after delivery, and minimal separation of parent and baby.
Cesarean considerations: if a cesarean becomes necessary, note who you want present, preferences for gentle cesarean practices (clear drape when possible, immediate bonding), and who will cut the cord.
Recording & keepsakes: photography/videography wishes and placenta preferences (release, encapsulation, or cultural rituals).
Emergency Contacts
Primary contact: name, relationship, and phone number (cell and alternate).
Secondary contact: backup person and phone numbers.
Clinical contacts: your provider/midwife contact, practice phone, and preferred hospital transfer point if applicable.
Pediatrician/newborn provider: name and phone for immediate newborn follow-up.
Decision-maker note: who should be contacted if you’re unable to make decisions, and any advance directives or power-of-attorney details.
Insurance & logistics: brief insurance info and preferred transport arrangements if transfer is needed.
Newborn Preferences
Immediate bonding: how long you wish to request immediate skin-to-skin contact and who will be present.
Cord care: delayed cord clamping timeline and who may cut the cord.
Feeding: breastfeeding, formula, or combination; timing for first feed.
Routine newborn care: preferences for vitamin K, eye ointment, newborn bath, and metabolic screening (ask to discuss before routine procedures).
Rooming-in and visitors: who you want present and how soon visitors may visit.
Special care: instructions about newborn observation, NICU transfer communication, and who should be notified first.
Documentation: note any cultural or family traditions for the first moments after birth.
Emergency Plans / Transfer Plans
Planning for unexpected but rare situations is a calm, proactive step. Keep the language positive and clear as you state your preferences if circumstances change.
Describe your preferences for:
Additional monitoring or a change in setting (transfer to another unit)
Types of interventions you’d accept (and ones you’d prefer to avoid)
Who signs paperwork or gives consent if you're not able
Who makes decisions if you can’t speak for yourself
Should You Make a Back-up Birth Plan?
It’s always good to always talk through a plan B and C. Having a brief, prioritized back-up plan is empowering. Labor can be dynamic, so note your top three non-negotiables (for example: continuous support person present, immediate skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping). That way, if circumstances shift, your care team can quickly honor what matters most to you.
What If's to Work Through
“What if” scenarios help your team respond quickly in ways that align with your values.
Consider:
What if labor stalls—would you like certain interventions tried first?
What if your baby needs extra care—how do you want communication and updates handled?
What if a cesarean birth becomes the safest path—who will be present, and what comfort or bonding steps would you like afterward? Decide what matters most to you in these moments and write those wishes down.
Miscellaneous Birth Plan Elements
While these might not apply to all mamas and their goals, here are some additional birth plan elements to consider:
Photography and videography wishes
Preferences about visitors after birth and length of time before a newcomer is introduced
Placenta preferences (encore options like keeping, encapsulating)
Cultural or religious rituals you want honored
Who Should You Give Your Birth Plan To?
Share your plan with:
Your hospital or birth center staff in advance (upload to patient portal if possible)
Nurses and labor support staff when you arrive
Your partner and any support persons (give printed or digital copies)
Your doula or childbirth educator Make sure a copy is easy to find on admission and keep a spare in your birth bag.
Hospital Birth Plans vs Birthing Center Birth Plans
Whether in a hospital or birthing center, both settings support positive births and offer different benefits:
Hospital: offers immediate access to a wider range of interventions and specialists while still supporting natural birth choices, movement, and comfort measures when desired.
Birthing center: emphasizes a homelike environment with continuous midwifery support, freedom of movement, and non-pharmacologic comfort options, ideal for low-risk pregnancies seeking a more intimate setting. Choose the setting that best matches your childbirth preferences and risk profile, and tailor your birth plan accordingly to reflect facility policies and available labor options.
Honoring Your Birth Plan at Haven Women’s Health and Birth Center
At Haven, individualized, respectful care is at the heart of personalized birth planning. We collaborate with you to create a birth plan that centers your childbirth preferences, supports the labor options you choose, and honors your values in every step. Our team focuses on clear communication, comfort measures, and informed decision-making so your birth feels safe, supported, and empowering.
Schedule a tour to see our warm, comforting environment and learn how our care aligns with your personalized birth planning. Come imagine your birth here and talk with our team about crafting a birth plan that reflects your hopes and priorities.
FAQs
What is the difference between a birth plan and childbirth preferences?
A birth plan is the written summary; childbirth preferences are the specific choices you include—comfort options, newborn care, who will support you, and so on.
When should I write my birth plan?
Start drafting during the third trimester and review it with your care team around 34–36 weeks so there’s time to discuss and refine choices. But for those who are ready to start writing their birth plan sooner, go for it!
Can I change my birth plan once labor begins?
Yes. A birth plan is flexible—many people adjust preferences during labor. Communicate updates to your support people and care team as needed.
Does Haven provide a birth plan template?
Yes! Haven offers a downloadable birth plan template to help you create a personalized birth plan that highlights your priorities and labor options.
How do I make sure my birth plan is followed?
Discuss it with your provider and nurses before and during admission, give copies to key people, and identify your top priorities so the team can quickly honor what matters most.
Is a birth plan legally binding?
No—it's a communication tool that expresses your wishes. Care teams use it to guide care while also responding to clinical needs to keep mama and baby safe.
What if my partner or support person disagrees with parts of the plan?
While ultimately, it’s your labor and birth experience, open conversation with your birthing partner ahead of time helps. What concerns arise with a specific choice? Where are there hesitations and why? Consider jointly identifying your top priorities and include them in the plan so everyone understands and supports your wishes.
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