One page a midwife can read in ten seconds
A birth plan is not a script for how labour will go. It is a communication tool for the moments when you are busy and someone new walks into the room.
Quick answer
Write your birth plan on a single page, in short bullets, ordered by what matters most to you. Cover six things: your birth preferences for pain relief, who you want present, your position and movement preferences, what you want if labour needs assistance or becomes a caesarean, feeding intentions, and anything about the immediate hour after birth such as delayed cord clamping or skin to skin. Use "I would prefer" rather than absolute language, because plans change and flexible wording keeps you in the conversation rather than out of it. Bring two printed copies and check it with your midwife at an antenatal appointment first.
is the practical limit. Longer documents get skimmed or set aside during a busy shift.
printed: one for your notes, one for the wall or the end of the bed, because shifts change mid-labour.
cover almost everything worth writing down. More than that and the important parts get buried.
What a birth plan is genuinely for
The name is unhelpful. Nobody plans a birth, and the mums who cope best with an unexpected turn are usually the ones who wrote preferences rather than a schedule. What the document actually does is save you from explaining yourself repeatedly while you are contracting, and it gives your birth partner something concrete to advocate from when you would rather not talk.
It is also the reason to have the conversation at all. Working out your own view on pain relief or assisted delivery in week 34, calmly, is worth more than the piece of paper it produces.
Step 1: Write your top three priorities first
Put the three things that matter most at the very top, before anything else. If a midwife reads only the first four lines during a handover, those lines should be the ones you care about. Everything below is useful context.
Step 2: Set out your pain relief preferences
Say what you would like to try first, what you would like offered, and what you would rather not be offered unless you ask. Many mums find the last one the most useful line in the whole document. Wording such as "please do not offer an epidural unless I request it" is clear, and it is still entirely reversible on the day.
Step 3: Note who you want in the room
Name your birth partner and say whether you want anyone else present, including students. You are allowed to decline having students present, and it is easier to have that written down than to say it out loud in the moment.
Step 4: Cover movement, position and environment
Whether you would like to stay mobile, use a pool if one is free, keep the lights low, or have your own music. Add whether you want continuous monitoring discussed with you first, since that often determines how much you can move.
Step 5: Write the "if things change" section
This is the part most people skip, and it is the part that matters most. Say what you would prefer if labour needs assistance with forceps or ventouse, and what you would like in an unplanned caesarean, for example whether you want the screen lowered, immediate skin to skin, or your partner to announce the sex. Deciding this in advance means you are not being asked to choose while frightened.
If you are already booked for a planned caesarean, it is worth reading through the recovery side too, which we cover in our week by week caesarean recovery timeline.
Step 6: Add the first hour and feeding
Delayed cord clamping, skin to skin, who cuts the cord, vitamin K preference, and whether you intend to breastfeed, combination feed or formula feed. Write your feeding intention plainly and without justification. It is nobody's business to debate it with you in the birth room.
The wording that works
Use "I would prefer", "please offer", and "please discuss with me before". Avoid "I will not accept" and "under no circumstances", not because your wishes do not count, but because absolute language tends to end conversations rather than start them, and you want staff talking to you when something changes. Firm and flexible beats rigid.
What to do with it once it is written
- Take it to an antenatal appointment around 34 to 36 weeks and read it through with your midwife. They will flag anything your unit cannot offer, which is much better to learn now.
- Print two copies and put one in your hospital bag.
- Make sure your birth partner has read it properly, not skimmed it. They are the one who will be using it.
- Keep a photo on both your phones.
Rather fill in the blanks than start from nothing?
The Mumma Glow Birth Plan Template is editable and printable, laid out in the six sections above so you can complete it in about fifteen minutes. Use code GLOW20 for 20% off. Get the birth plan template.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a birth plan be?
One page. Maternity staff are reading it between other tasks and during shift handovers, so brevity is what makes it usable. Anything longer tends to get skimmed, which defeats the purpose.
When should I write my birth plan?
Around 32 to 36 weeks works well. That is late enough to know how your pregnancy is going and early enough to discuss it at an antenatal appointment and adjust it before labour.
What if my birth plan does not happen?
That is common and it is not a failure. Labour is unpredictable, and a plan written with flexible wording still does its job by telling staff what you care about while they adapt. The "if things change" section is specifically there for this.
Do hospitals actually read birth plans?
Generally yes, when they are short and clearly laid out. A single readable page attached to your notes is far more likely to be used than a multi-page document. Discussing it with your midwife beforehand also means it is already known to the team.
Can I change my mind during labour?
Absolutely, at any point and for any reason. A birth plan is a statement of preference, not a contract, and asking for pain relief you had hoped to avoid is your decision to make on the day.
Sources: NHS guidance on birth plans and choices in childbirth; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) patient guidance on labour and delivery; Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) intrapartum care guidance.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Options differ between maternity units and countries, and your midwife or obstetrician's guidance takes precedence over anything written here. Experiences vary from mum to mum. Contact your maternity unit with any concern about your pregnancy or labour.