Wondering What to Include in Your Birth Plan? We’ve Got You Covered.

If you’re expecting a baby this year, you may wonder what giving birth will be like. One way you can equip yourself with information about the labor and delivery process is to create a birth plan.

There is no requirement for you to create a birth plan. If you like to feel prepared and have all of the information, you may desire to create a birth plan. If you prefer to go with the flow, you may not need one! The choice is yours. 

If you choose to create a birth plan, it’s helpful to remember your birth plan is your plan A. Your care team will do whatever they can to ensure a healthy mom and baby, which sometimes means straying from the original plan. But wherever possible, most providers will honor your wishes.

Remember, no matter how you give birth, your care team has you and your baby’s best intentions in mind. Here are some things you can include on your birth plan if you choose to make one:

1. Who do you want in the room?
2. What type of atmosphere do you prefer?
   1. Would you like the room to be…
      1. As quiet as possible?
      2. For the lights to be dimmed?
      3. As few people as possible (no students or extra staff)?
3. Which decisions you’d like to make throughout your birth.
   1. Would you like…
      1. To wear your own clothes instead of the gown provided by the hospital?
      2. To have a mirror to view your birth?
      3. To touch your baby’s head as you’re crowning?
      4. To eat and drink during your labor?
      5. To have a photographer present?
4. Which pain management options you’d prefer.
   1. Would you like to…
      1. Have pain medication offered to you?
      2. Use breathing and massage techniques?
      3. Be advised by your doctor or midwife?
      4. Nitrous oxide
      5. Opioid pain medications
      6. Birthing pool
      7. Other holistic pain relief options
      8. Epidural
5. What is your planned delivery method?
   1. Vaginal
   2. C-section
   3. VBAC
   4. Epidural
   5. I would like to use the following positions for labor…
      1. Standing
      2. Squatting
      3. Kneeling
      4. Sitting
      5. In bed
      6. Side-lying
   6. I would like to have a…
      1. Birth ball
      2. Squat bar
      3. Birth stool
6. I would like _________ fetal monitoring…
   1. Intermittent
   2. Continuous
7. If separation from my baby is necessary due to medical care, I would like ________ to accompany him/her.
8. I would like…
   1. Cord clamping…
      1. Delayed for __ minutes
      2. Delayed until the cord stops pulsating
   2. For the umbilical cord to be cut by ___________
9. After birth…
   1. I would like to have immediate skin-to-skin with my baby before he/she is bathed or measured
   2. I would like my baby to be wiped clean before he/she is given to me
10. I would like my baby’s cord blood to be…
    1. Collected, as arranged by a member of the staff
    2. Collected, as arranged by a specialist
    3. Not collected
11. I would like/not like these medications given to my baby…
    1. Erythromycin eye ointment
    2. Hepatitis B vaccine
    3. Vitamin K
    4. Please ask me first before any medication is given to my baby
12. I would like to __________ to feed my baby
    1. Breastfeed
    2. Pump breast milk
    3. Provide formula
13. If my baby is a boy, I would like him to be…
    1. Circumcised 
    2. I do not want my baby to be circumcised

You’ve got this.

We hope this information helps you feel equipped, informed, and empowered to make decisions about your labor and delivery. For more information on labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and more, you can listen to S1E5 of Pregnancy Has Entered the Chat featuring Doula and Lactation Consultant Grace Johnson. if you’re not sure about some of these options – that’s okay! This episode can help you decide. The Pregnancy Network’s free Pregnancy 101 class also covers this info. Find out more about the class here.