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Labour and delivery hub
Birth planning
A good birth plan helps you prepare for the real decisions that often come up around labour and delivery. It can cover who you want with you, how you want to cope, what pain relief matters to you, and what you would want explained if the safest route changes.
For most patients here, birth planning is about a hospital birth: when to come in, who will support you, what kind of pain-relief plan feels right, what practical details should be sorted, and what matters most in the first hours after birth.
You do not need every detail fixed. The aim is to arrive with your main preferences clearer and the questions that matter most already thought through.
Your birth-plan checklist
Work through these six areas and tick off the parts you feel clearer about
This is the heart of the page. Use it as a hospital-birth checklist rather than a long article. If a topic still feels uncertain, that usually means it is a good one to raise at your next review.
Printable template
Prefer something you can print, save as PDF, or bring to your 36-week visit?
The template uses the same checklist structure as this page, so patients can work online first and then print a simpler version if helpful.
Checklist 01
Who is with me, and what should the team know about me?
Checklist 01
Who is with me, and what should the team know about me?
- Who do I want with me during labour?
- If forceps, vacuum, or caesarean becomes part of the day, should that stay the same?
- Are there language, cultural, religious, dietary, or access needs that should be made explicit early?
Checklist 02
When should I call, and when should I come in?
Checklist 02
When should I call, and when should I come in?
- When should I phone the ward if contractions start?
- What should I do if my waters break, movements reduce, or there is bleeding?
- Who is driving, and when do we leave for hospital?
Checklist 03
How do I want to cope, move, and stay comfortable?
Checklist 03
How do I want to cope, move, and stay comfortable?
- Would I like to stay upright, change position, or use the shower or bath if available?
- Do music, massage, breathing, dimmer lighting, or fewer interruptions help me cope?
- What monitoring is likely if labour stays straightforward, and what would change that?
Checklist 04
What is my pain-relief plan?
Checklist 04
What is my pain-relief plan?
- What would I like to try first?
- What am I open to later if labour becomes more intense or prolonged?
- What would make me ask earlier for gas, injections, or an epidural?
Checklist 05
What matters if the day becomes more medical?
Checklist 05
What matters if the day becomes more medical?
- If assisted birth, episiotomy, or caesarean is recommended, what would I want explained clearly?
- Would I prefer the team to move quickly once a decision is made?
- Should my companion stay with me where possible if the route changes?
Checklist 06
What practical details and first-hours wishes should be sorted before the day?
Checklist 06
What practical details and first-hours wishes should be sorted before the day?
- What is packed, and what does my support person need to manage?
- If all is well, do I want immediate skin-to-skin and help with the first feed?
- What matters to me about vitamin K, early checks, and who stays with the baby if extra monitoring is needed?
You are not writing orders for the day. You are helping the team understand your priorities more quickly if labour becomes busy, painful, or unexpectedly medical.
Possible birth routes
Use these deeper guides to understand the main routes that may become relevant
This is not a checklist to choose from. It is a reference section for the routes patients often hear about if labour and delivery do not all unfold in the same way.
Most common route
Vaginal birth
Stages of labour, when to come in, what to bring, and what the first hours after birth usually look like.
Read moreSafer sooner
Induction of labour
Why induction is offered, how the main methods work, how it can feel, and how it may change monitoring and timing.
Read morePlanned or urgent surgical route
Caesarean section
What happens in theatre, what urgent scenarios change, and what recovery and future pregnancies usually involve.
Read moreHelp at the end of labour
Assisted birth
Forceps or vacuum, why they may be recommended, and what they usually mean in practice and early recovery.
Read moreThese are possible pathways, not fixed boxes you have to pick from in advance. The aim is a safe birth and fewer surprises if the route changes on the day.
When labour does not stay simple
Keep the plan short enough to use on the day
If labour becomes longer, more painful, or more medical than expected, the team usually need a few key things, not a long document. The most helpful birth plans are the ones your support person can summarise in a few clear sentences.
That is usually enough to make the plan genuinely useful under pressure.
Keep this short and practical
If the day changes, these are often the most helpful things to have made clearer beforehand
- What matters most: if you are tired, frightened, or overwhelmed, which priorities should stay in focus?
- How decisions are explained: what would help you understand a recommendation for assisted birth, episiotomy, or caesarean more quickly?
- Your support person: what do you want them to know so they can help keep things calm and clear?
- After birth: which first-hours preferences matter most if recovery is more medical than expected?
Frequently asked questions
Common birth-planning questions
What usually belongs in a birth plan?
A useful birth plan usually covers who is supporting you, what helps you cope, how you feel about monitoring and pain relief, what you want explained if intervention is recommended, and what matters to you in the first hours after birth.
Is birth planning still useful if labour may not follow the plan?
Yes. The point is not to control every outcome. It is to reduce confusion, make the likely routes clearer, and help you feel informed if the safest route changes.
Do I need to have every preference finalised before labour?
No. Many patients still feel unsure about some details. The most helpful thing is to identify the preferences that matter most to you and the areas where you want clearer guidance before the day arrives.
When should I come in sooner rather than keep planning at home?
Waters breaking, reduced movements, bleeding like a period, severe pain, feeling faint, headache with visual symptoms, fever, or simply feeling that waiting is no longer safe should all move the plan forward sooner.
Do I need a separate pain-relief plan?
Usually yes, but it can be simple. It helps to know what you would like to try first, what you might add later, and what would make you ask for stronger pain relief if labour becomes more intense, longer, or more medical than expected.
Can I include cultural, language, or other personal needs in my birth plan?
Yes. Interpreter needs, cultural or religious practices, dietary needs, disability or access needs, and who you want present are all worth making explicit before labour so the team can plan around them as well as possible.
Next step
Use the checklist, print the template if helpful, and bring the open questions to your review
That usually gives patients the calmest preparation and makes it easier to understand new recommendations if labour becomes more intense or more medical than expected.