Creating a birth plan

What is a Birth Plan?

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A birth plan is a document you can give to the people looking after you during birth. It contains your preferences for birth; the kind of birth you’d like to have. Covering everything that is important to you during your labour and birth.

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Why is a birth plan important?

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A birth plan is important not because you are considering planning your whole labour to a T – as I am sure you know, labour and birth can sometimes be unpredictable. Having a birth plan means that during pregnancy you’ve thought about your options and the ones you’d like to choose. It means you are going into birth with knowledge. It’s a good tool to communicate with your midwife or consultant and will allow you to not have to repeat things as your key information and preferences will be there for anyone caring for you to look at. 

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What key information should I include?

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This is going to be completely individual to you. What key information do you want your midwife and/or consultant to know? Is it your first baby? What were your previous births like? Do you have any medical conditions that the team need to be aware of? Is there anything you are nervous about, e.g. a phobia of needles – we can then do things like avoid you seeing them if that would be helpful. 

Would you like to be offered pain relief or would you like to ask for it? Are there certain pain relief types you want / don’t want?

Would you like a waterbirth? If you needed to go to theatre, who would you want to go with you? 

What positions do you want to try for birth? How do you want to deliver your placenta? Do you want your baby to have the Vitamin K injection?

Do you know the gender of your baby? Do you want your birth partner to announce this to you? 

Do you have any special requirements like needing an interpreter or any religious customs that need to be followed?

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How should I write my Birth Plan?

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You can write your birth plan on a piece of paper or use a template. Keeping the points short and sweet can be helpful to ensure it can be read quickly but still thoroughly. One thing I will add is that because birth can deviate from the “plan”, I like to call a Birth Plan your Birth Preferences instead. This is because it’s really important to be flexible in birth and know that sometimes birth can end up being completely different to the original plan. This is when knowledge of antenatal and hypnobirthing can be extremely helpful as they teach you the tools and techniques to feel calm, confident and empowered even if your birth goes from Plan A to Plan B (or even C!). It can also be helpful to ask your care team to follow EBRAN should things not be going to Plan A.

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What is EBRAN?

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EBRAN is a tool to use during pregnancy and birth to help with your decision making. Maybe you are offered an induction after a growth scan, or during labour you are recommended a caesarean section or episiotomy. The list is endless. EBRAN is a thought-process tool for you to work through when making any decision to help you remain informed and in control.

E is for emergency – Firstly ask yourself, is it an emergency?
B is for benefits – Next; what are the benefits of the intervention that is being recommended?
R is for risks – What are the risks associated with the intervention?
A is for alternatives – What are the alternatives? Are there any other options that could be considered?
N – What happens if you do nothing?

Having this on your birth plan can be helpful to ensure whoever is caring for you knows the process you want to go through should you need to make any decisions during labour.

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There are lots of templates for birth plans available, the NHS has one and The Bump to Baby Chapter has one within their course. Your community midwife will also be happy to help you write yours if you need a bit of guidance so do just ask.

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