17 August 2026 · Veronica Chi
Business & Product Director · Mum of two
How to Make a Birth Plan
We make baby textiles, not medical decisions, so read this as a guide to writing a document rather than as clinical advice. Everything on it should be discussed with your midwife, obstetrician or doctor, who knows your pregnancy and the policies of the place you are giving birth in. What follows is about structure: what to include, what to leave out, and how to write it so it survives contact with a real labour.
What is a birth plan actually for?
It is a communication tool, not a contract. Its job is to tell a room full of people you have never met what matters to you, at a moment when you may not be in a position to explain. That is the whole function. Judged that way, a good birth plan is short, readable at a glance, and written in the knowledge that circumstances may overrule any line on it.
The word 'plan' does most of the damage. A plan implies control over a sequence of events, and birth does not offer that. Some hospitals now use 'birth preferences' for exactly this reason. The framing matters, because a parent who has written a plan can feel they failed when it changes, and a parent who has written preferences generally does not.
How long should a birth plan be?
One page. A midwife may be meeting you for the first time during a shift change while managing several rooms, and a three-page document will be skimmed at best. Bullet points, ordered by what matters most to you, is the format that gets read. Anything you feel strongly about belongs in the first third of the page.
- Put your name, your partner or support person's name, and your due date at the top.
- Note anything clinically important — allergies, existing conditions, previous births, anything your team has flagged — before the preferences.
- Lead with your two or three non-negotiables. If everything is emphasised, nothing is.
- Write preferences as flexible statements: 'I would prefer…' and 'if that is not possible, I would like…'. The second half is the part that helps on the day.
- Bring several copies. One for your notes, one for your support person, one for whoever is in the room.
What should a birth plan cover?
Broadly, four areas: the environment, pain relief, the birth itself, and the first hour afterwards. You do not need a position on every item. Leaving something off is a legitimate answer, and often means 'I trust the team to decide'.
- Environment — who you want present, lighting, music, whether you want to move freely, what you would like said or not said out loud.
- Pain relief — what you would like to try first, what you would like offered, and what you would prefer not to be offered unless you ask. Being specific here saves conversation later.
- Labour and birth — preferences on monitoring, positions, and what you want explained before it happens. Many people care less about a given intervention than about being told what is happening and why.
- Assisted birth and caesarean — worth writing even if unlikely. Preferences about who stays with you, what you would like to see, and whether you want a running commentary still apply.
- The first hour — skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, who cuts the cord, feeding intention, whether newborn checks happen on you or away from you.
- Feeding — whether you plan to breastfeed, formula feed or both, and what support you would like if it does not start easily.
What should you leave off?
Anything that is not a preference. Timelines are the most common mistake — a labour cannot be scheduled, and a plan that assumes a duration sets you up to feel behind. Equally, avoid instructions that are really clinical decisions; a plan cannot rule out an intervention that becomes medically necessary, and writing it as though it can only makes the conversation harder if the moment arrives.
Leave off anything you have not checked against the place you are giving birth in. Policies on water birth, on who may be present, on monitoring and on visitors vary widely between hospitals, between countries, and between a hospital and a birth centre. A preference that is impossible where you are is worth knowing about in advance rather than discovering mid-labour.
How do you write a plan that survives things changing?
Write the second half of every sentence. 'I would like to avoid an epidural — if I ask for one, please do not talk me out of it.' 'I would prefer to move freely — if I need continuous monitoring, please help me stay upright if that is safe.' A plan written with its own alternatives already in it does not break when the situation changes. It bends, which is what you want from it.
It also helps to name the person who speaks for you. If you are occupied, exhausted or unable to advocate, your support person should know your preferences well enough to state them without reading the document. Talk it through with them beforehand. The conversation is worth more than the piece of paper.
When should you write one?
Draft it around 32 to 34 weeks, discuss it at an appointment, and finalise it after that conversation. Earlier and you will be guessing at things your care team has not yet raised; much later and there may be no appointment left to talk it through. Put a copy in the hospital bag when you pack it, alongside the practical things — a going-home outfit, muslins, whatever you want the baby wrapped in.
One last thing worth saying plainly, because a lot of birth-plan writing implies otherwise: a birth that departs entirely from the plan is not a failed birth, and a plan that gets set aside was not a waste of effort. It did its job by making your preferences known and by making you think through the decisions before you were asked to make them under pressure.
Questions parents ask
How long should a birth plan be?
One page, in bullet points, with your most important preferences first. Staff may be reading it quickly during a shift change, and a long document is likely to be skimmed.
When should I write my birth plan?
Draft it at around 32 to 34 weeks, discuss it with your midwife or doctor at an appointment, then finalise it. That leaves time to check your preferences against the policies of the hospital or birth centre.
What if my birth does not follow the plan?
That is common and expected. A birth plan states preferences, not outcomes. Writing each preference with an alternative — what you would want if the first option is not possible — means the document still guides your care when circumstances change.
Should I include a caesarean in my birth plan?
Yes, even if you are not planning one. Preferences about who stays with you, whether you want the screen lowered, skin-to-skin in theatre and who accompanies the baby all still apply, and it is easier to have decided in advance.
Does a birth plan have to be followed?
No. It is a communication tool rather than a binding document, and clinical circumstances can override any preference on it. Discuss anything you feel strongly about with your care team in advance so you understand what is and is not possible where you are giving birth.