How to Create a Birth Plan: A Helpful Guide for Expecting Parents

What Is a Birth Plan?

A birth plan is a one- to two-page document that lists your hopes and preferences for your labor and delivery. Think of it as a reference sheet for your care team and a quick way to share what matters most to you without having to repeat yourself in the middle of contractions.

Making a birth plan doesn't guarantee anything, but it's a great way to start conversations with your doctor or midwife ahead of the big day.

Why Make a Birth Plan?

A birth plan helps you feel prepared for any birth surprises and gives your care team a clear picture of your preferences from the start. It's a way to process your options and walk into delivery feeling a little more in control.

Even if you've given birth before, it's worth making a new birthing plan. Every labor is different, and your priorities may have shifted.

How Do I Create a Birth Plan and What Should It Include?

Birth plans typically cover things like your pain management preferences, who you want in the room, your environment, and what you'd like to happen right after delivery.¹

Here is how to create a birth plan that will support you before, during, and after birth:

1. Collect all important information. Start by listing all of your important personal details: your name, your baby's due date, the names and contact information for your OB/GYN, doula, partner, and/or midwife. Be sure to list any medical issues (e.g., gestational diabetes or vaginal birth after cesarean) as well.
2. Explain your ideal labor environment. Do you want to listen to Bach, Beyoncé, or no music at all? Would you like to walk around, use a birthing stool, labor in a tub, or stay in bed? Lights bright or turned down? Write down whatever makes you feel most at ease.
3. Decide who you want with you during labor. Is it a partner, a family member, a doula, or a friend? Teaching hospitals often have medical students observe or participate in deliveries, so if you're giving birth at one, note whether you're okay with that.
4. Decide on your pain relief options. You may want an epidural, or you may prefer an unmedicated birth. Some people wind up changing their plans during labor, and that's fine. Your birth plan is a reference, but nothing has to be set in stone. In case of a cesarean section, what type of anesthesia would you prefer?
5. Think about any delivery preferences. Some women prefer intermittent external fetal monitoring, which allows them to move around while laboring. Others like continuous monitoring, which means staying in bed. Also, think about whether you'd prefer an episiotomy (an incision beneath the vaginal opening) or not.
6. Think about after-delivery preferences. Once your baby is born, you’ll need to decide if you want to delay cord clamping, have you or your partner cut the cord, or bank your baby’s cord blood. Other decisions may include choosing when to hold your baby for the first time, whether or not to circumcise, or whether you want your baby to stay with you or in the nursery.

Tips for Writing a Birth Plan

A good birth plan is clear, flexible, and easy to read. You don’t need long explanations. Short, direct preferences your care team can review quickly are best.

Being polite will go a long way to ensuring you have the healthiest, best possible experience. Use phrases such as "If medically possible, I'd like to…" and "Unless there's an emergency, I'd prefer to…".

Birth Plan Checklist and Examples

If you’re still not sure how to create a birth plan for your baby, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a birth plan checklist you can use to guide your brainstorming.

• Personal info: Name, due date, OB/GYN contacts, medical history
• Labor environment: Music, lighting, movement, laboring in water
• Support people: Who’s in the room, comfort with medical students
• Pain management: Epidural, unmedicated, anesthesia preferences
• Monitoring: Intermittent or continuous fetal monitoring
• Delivery: Episiotomy preferences, pushing preferences
• After birth: Skin-to-skin, cord clamping, cord cutting, cord blood banking
• Newborn care: Bathing, circumcision, rooming-in vs. nursery
• Feeding: Breastfeeding, formula feeding, combination

You might ask your hospital or birthing center if they offer their own birth plan template.

It can also help to look at a few examples of birth plans so you can know exactly how to word things. Here is one birth plan example you can follow.

Birth Plan Example

Name: Morgan Davis

Due Date: October 3, 2026

Doctor/Midwife: Dr. Patel 444-444-4444

Support People: Partner 444-444-4443 and doula 444-444-4442

Labor Environment

• Soft lighting preferred
• Calming playlist (will bring Bluetooth speaker)
• Minimal interruptions during active labor when possible

Support People

• Partner present throughout labor and delivery
• No medical students, please

Pain Management

• Planning to request an epidural when the time feels right
• In case of cesarean, spinal block preferred

Delivery

• Intermittent fetal monitoring preferred until epidural
• Would like to avoid episiotomy if possible

After Delivery

• Immediate skin-to-skin contact, if medically possible
• Partner to cut the umbilical cord
• Delay cord clamping for 1–2 minutes, if possible
• Baby to be cleaned and measured while I'm present
• Rooming-in preferred, baby stays with us

Feeding

• Planning to breastfeed; open to lactation consultant support

When to Start Preparing a Birth Plan

Start working on your birth plan around 36 weeks.² This is early enough that you have time to review it with your care team, but close enough to your due date that your preferences are clear.

During this time, you’ll also want to finish your hospital packing checklist and make sure you finish doing the things you need to before your baby comes.

Get Ready for Birth With Enfamil

The most important thing to remember about birth plans is that they're just that: plans. Labor and delivery will be different for every baby, and sometimes it's necessary to be flexible. Going into your labor with preferences and guidelines is immensely helpful. Just remember to bring an open mind as well.

For more help before, during, and after labor, join Enfamil Family Beginnings. It’s a free program that provides tips, offers, and support through every stage of your parenting journey.

References:

1. Taylor Ghahremani, Kathleen Bailey, Julie Whittington, Amy M. Phillips, Bethany N. Spracher, Sheila Thomas, Everett F. Magann, Birth plans: definitions, content, effects, and best practices, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 228, Issue 5, Supplement, 2023, Pages S977-S982, ISSN 0002-9378
2. https://icea.org/birth-plans-do-you-need-one-the-pros-cons-and-why-they-matter/↗