Birth Plan Template: What to Include, What Doctors Actually Read, and a Free Printable
Keep it to 1 page. Preferences vs demands. The 10 things that actually matter to include. How to communicate with your birth team.
By TeachToddler Editorial Team · Updated April 11, 2026 · Pregnancy
📝 The One-Page Rule and Why It Matters
The single most important thing about a birth plan is keeping it to one page. Labor and delivery nurses work 12-hour shifts with multiple patients, and your nurse will change at shift change. A short, scannable document gets read. A multi-page manifesto gets filed away. Think of it as a preference sheet, not a contract — use phrases like "I would prefer" and "if possible" rather than "I demand" or "do not under any circumstances."
- Use bullet points, not long paragraphs. Your nurse needs to glance at it mid-contraction, not sit down and study it
- Include your name, your partner's name, your OB/midwife's name, and your due date at the top
- Print 3-4 copies: one for the nursing station, one for your chart, one for your partner, and a spare for shift change
- Discuss the plan with your OB or midwife at your 34-36 week appointment so there are no surprises
- The most important line on any birth plan: "We are open to changes if medically necessary for the safety of mom or baby"
🏃♀️ Labor Preferences
How you labor — the hours before pushing — has a big impact on your comfort and experience. These are the preferences most worth communicating.
- Freedom to move: Walking, swaying, using a birth ball, changing positions, and laboring in the shower or tub can help manage pain and may speed labor. Specify if you want to avoid being confined to bed unless medically necessary
- Monitoring: Continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) keeps you tethered to the bed. If your pregnancy is low-risk, you can request intermittent monitoring (20 minutes on, 40 minutes off) so you can move freely between checks
- IV access: Some hospitals require an IV; others allow a heparin/saline lock (a port placed but not connected to an IV line) so you can move around and hydrate by drinking
- Environment: Dim lights, music, limited interruptions, and restricted visitors. You can specify who you do and do not want in the room
- Induction preferences: If induction becomes necessary, note whether you prefer starting with Cervadil or a Foley balloon catheter before Pitocin, if applicable
💉 Pain Management
There is no medal for doing it without pain relief, and there is no shame in wanting an unmedicated birth. What matters is that your team knows your starting preference so they can support you.
- If you want an epidural: Note when you would like it offered. Some women want it as soon as they are admitted, others want to try laboring naturally first and have the epidural available if needed. You can get an epidural at any point in labor — the "too late for an epidural" window is very narrow
- If you want to try without an epidural: List non-pharmacological methods you want to try first: hydrotherapy (shower or tub), counter-pressure on your lower back, birth ball, TENS unit, breathing techniques, nitrous oxide (laughing gas, available at some hospitals). Make clear whether you want your team to offer pain meds or wait until you ask
- IV pain medications: Options like fentanyl or stadol take the edge off without the full commitment of an epidural but can make you drowsy and cross the placenta
- Keep options open: A good phrase: "I would like to try managing without an epidural using [X methods]. Please do not offer pain medication unless I ask, but I want to know it is available if I change my mind."
Flexibility Is Key: About 32% of U.S. births are cesarean deliveries, and many are unplanned. Labor can be unpredictable — a baby's heart rate may drop, labor may stall after hours, or the baby may be in a position that prevents vaginal delivery. Having a birth plan does not mean things will go exactly as written. The plan is a starting point for communication with your medical team, not a guarantee.
👶 Delivery Preferences
The moments immediately after birth are some of the most important for bonding and for your baby's health. These are the preferences that hospital staff say make the biggest difference when they are written down clearly.
- Delayed cord clamping (1-3 minutes): Allows 80-100 mL of additional blood to transfer to the baby, boosting iron stores by up to 50%. Recommended by ACOG and WHO for healthy term and preterm babies
- Who cuts the cord: Your partner, you, or the doctor/midwife. Some parents want to wait until the cord stops pulsing
- Immediate skin-to-skin contact: Placing the baby directly on your bare chest right after delivery regulates the baby's temperature, heart rate, and breathing, and promotes early breastfeeding. All routine newborn procedures (weighing, measuring, Apgar scoring) can be done while baby is on your chest or delayed by an hour
- Pushing position: You can push on your back, on your side, squatting, on hands and knees, or using a squat bar. Upright positions use gravity and may reduce the need for episiotomy
- Episiotomy: Most OBs now practice "watchful waiting" and allow natural tearing, which typically heals better than a surgical cut. You can specify that you prefer no routine episiotomy
🔪 C-Section Preferences
Even if you are planning a vaginal delivery, include a C-section section. If an unplanned cesarean happens, your team will already know your wishes without you having to make decisions under stress and medication.
- Clear/transparent drape: Many hospitals now offer a clear drape so you can watch the baby being born, or they can lower the standard drape at the moment of delivery
- Skin-to-skin in the OR: Most hospitals now support placing the baby on your chest in the operating room, with the help of a nurse, while the surgeon completes the procedure. If you are too shaky from anesthesia, your partner can do skin-to-skin right there
- Partner present: In nearly all non-emergency situations, your partner can be in the OR with you. They typically sit by your head, behind the drape
- Narration: Ask your OB to narrate what is happening so you know when the baby is about to be born
- Delayed cord clamping: Still possible in many planned C-sections (though the window may be shorter — 30-60 seconds is still beneficial). Ask your OB in advance
- Recovery: Request that baby stay with you in recovery rather than being taken to the nursery separately
🍼 Newborn Care Preferences
In the first hours and days after birth, several routine procedures are performed on your baby. You have the right to understand each one and to make decisions about timing.
- Delayed bathing (12-24 hours): The WHO recommends waiting at least 24 hours before the first bath. Vernix (the white, waxy coating on the baby) protects the skin, has antimicrobial properties, and helps regulate temperature. Most hospitals now support delayed bathing by default
- Breastfeeding within the first hour: The "golden hour" — uninterrupted skin-to-skin and attempting the first latch in the first 60 minutes improves breastfeeding success. If breastfeeding is your plan, request that non-urgent procedures wait until after this first feed
- Vitamin K injection: A single shot given within the first hour to prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB), a rare but potentially fatal condition. The AAP strongly recommends this for all newborns. There is no safe oral alternative that provides equivalent protection
- Erythromycin eye ointment: Applied to prevent eye infections from STIs (gonorrhea and chlamydia) that could be transmitted during vaginal delivery. Required by law in most states
- Hepatitis B vaccine: The first dose is typically given within 24 hours of birth. The CDC recommends this for all newborns
- Rooming in: Keeping the baby in your room 24/7 rather than sending them to a nursery. This supports breastfeeding, bonding, and learning your baby's cues. Most Baby-Friendly hospitals practice this by default