What is a birth plan?
A birth plan is a one-page document that outlines your preferences for labor, delivery, and the first hours postpartum so your care team knows what matters to you.
A birth plan is a communication tool — not a contract. It usually covers:
- Who you want in the room (partner, doula, family)
- Pain management preferences (unmedicated, epidural, nitrous, IV)
- Movement and positioning preferences
- Monitoring preferences (intermittent vs. continuous)
- Interventions (episiotomy, vacuum, forceps)
- Newborn procedures (delayed cord clamping, Vitamin K, eye ointment, bath timing)
- Feeding preferences
- Cesarean preferences in case of one
Keep it to one page, share it with your provider at week 36, and stay flexible — birth is dynamic.
Educational content, not medical advice.
