Making your birth plan

A birth plan is a written record of what you would like to happen during your labour and after the birth. It can also include things you’d like to avoid.

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is a way for you to tell your healthcare team what kind of labour you’d like, what you want to happen and what you want to avoid. Your birth plan can cover anything about labour and birth that is important to you.

Your plan is personal to you. It will depend on what you want, your medical history, your circumstances and what is available at your maternity service.

You don’t have to write your birth plan on a special form, although some hospitals may have one you can use. You can just use a sheet of paper or NHS Choices have a simple birth plan that you can download and fill in.

Do I have to write a birth plan?

You don't have to write a birth plan. If you do decide to write one, your midwife can help you. They will be able to:

  • answer your questions about what happens in labour
  • tell you more about what facilities are available in your area
  • help you work out what your preferences and priorities are.

What should l include in my birth plan?

You may want to include things such as:

After you’ve made your birth plan, it’s a good idea to share it with your birth partner. They will be able to support you better if they know more about what you want. It also helps to talk through it with your midwife. 

If you’re having a caesarean section

There are some things you can add to your birth plan if you’re having a planned c-section. For example, you may want the screen lowered, or you may not want a screen at all, so you can see your baby being born. Find out more about preparing for a caesarean section.

Vitamin K for newborns

After your baby is born, you’ll be offered an injection of vitamin K for them. This is recommended to help prevent a rare bleeding disorder called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding.

Your midwife will talk to you about this injection during your pregnancy. If you don’t want your baby to have an injection, they can have vitamin K by mouth instead, but they’ll need more doses. Your midwife can give you more information and you can include your preference in your birth plan.

Delayed cord clamping

NICE guidance recommends that the umbilical cord, which links your placenta to the baby, is not clamped and cut until at least 1–5 minutes after you give birth. This allows the blood from the placenta to continue being transferred to the baby even after they are born, which helps with their growth and development.

Delayed cord clamping should be practised everywhere, but you should still include this in your birth plan.

What happens after I make my birth plan?

Being flexible

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan during pregnancy or labour. You need to be flexible and  be prepared to do things differently from what you wanted. For example, certain facilities may not be available on the day or there may be complications.

You can talk to your midwife about what could happen in labour and include your preferences in your birth plan, but don’t worry too much about trying to include everything. Your maternity team should involve you (or your birth partner if necessary) in any decisions that need to be made on the day to make sure your baby is delivered safely.

Changing your mind

You can change your mind about your wishes for labour and birth at any time, even during labour if you want to. For example, you may find on the day that you don't want a water birth or that you do want gas and air after all.

The Wellbeing Plan

Our free Wellbeing Plan PDF is like a birth plan but for emotional wellbeing. It can help you start thinking about how you feel and what support you might need in your pregnancy and after the birth.

Use it to help you talk to your partner, family, friends or midwife about how you are feeling. You can also keep it private if you want to.

NHS Choices. What happens straight after the birth? https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/what-happens-straight-after-the-birth/#vitamin-k-for-newborn-babies (Page last reviewed: 07/01/2019 Next review due: 07/01/2022)

NICE (2014). Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies. National Institute for health and care excellence https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190

Review dates
Reviewed: 05 June 2019
Next review: 05 June 2022

This content is currently being reviewed by our team. Updated information will be coming soon.