How to write an effective birth plan and 3 key sentences to include
Birth plan, birth preferences, birth wishes, whatever you want to call it, it’s an important tool and I would always recommend writing one.
There are lots of different opinions out there on whether to write a birth plan or not. Some people will say that you can’t predict what will happen during labour and that writing a plan is setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
I get this viewpoint, I really do but the aim of a birth plan isn’t about saying ‘my birth must be this way’, there’s so much more to it than that and so many other benefits to writing one.
What is a birth plan and what are the benefits of writing one for labour?
When you realise what a birth plan is actually meant to be, you see that it’s not actually a plan at all.
I prefer to call a birth plan, a birth preference sheet, essentially this is all that you are doing, writing down what you would prefer to happen during your labour.
The word ‘plan’, can often make us feel like something is set in stone, something that is rigid and has to go a certain way, this is when we might feel disappointed if things deviate from the ‘plan’.
In a nutshell, all that you are doing by writing a birth plan or birth preferences sheet is acknowledging what you would like from labour, voicing how you would like to be treated and stating what options you would ideally like to have during birth. It’s as simple as that and writing one has some huge benefits.
Benefits of writing a birth plan:
1/ Gets you and your birth partner on the same page -
I would always recommend writing your birth plan with your birth partner. Sit down together during pregnancy and talk through it, being on the same page during labour is crucial, the last thing you want is for them to do something that annoys the life out of you but how will they know if you don’t talk about it beforehand?
2/ Great communication tool between you and your midwife -
You might do a quick checklist plan with your midwife at some point during pregnancy but I would still produce a written/typed plan to take with you to your place of birth. Ask your midwife to read it and they will know exactly what you would prefer during labour without having to bother you.
Top tip - take 2 or 3 copies with you in case the midwives change shifts and your plan gets lost.
3/ You cover all options that are available to you before you go into labour -
There are lots of options available to you during labour, whether that be pain relief options, what position to birth in or how to birth your placenta.
The last thing you want to be doing is making decisions in the height of a contraction. Understanding all the options available to you before going into labour is such a powerful thing, you already know what you would like.
4/ Writing a plan B or C helps you to accept that there may be changes during labour -
Of course, we cannot predict what will happen during labour but we can plan ahead to a certain extent. Some people like to write a few different birth plans, one for spontaneous labour, one for induced labour and one for a caesarean birth for example. This way, they are able to adapt to any challenges that might come their way as they have already considered how they will manage.
How to write a birth plan:
It’s pretty simple to write a birth plan with these 4 easy steps but you will need to do a bit of prior research if you haven’t completed a hypnobirthing / antenatal course to understand all of the options that are available to you.
1/ Grab a laptop or a piece of paper and a pen - Ideally, you will want to keep your birth plan to 1 A4 sheet of paper, any longer and your midwife might not have the time to read it all.
2/ Look through all of your options and decide what your first preference would be - For instance, would you prefer to use natural forms of pain relief first or opt straight for the epidural? Would you like to use a birthing pool if available? Would you like to give birth to your placenta naturally or would you prefer the injection? Pop down your first preference on your birth plan.
3/ Consider using headings - Headings will break up big chunks of text, making it easier for your midwife to read. Examples of headings could be:
Environment
Coping strategies
Monitoring and interventions
Birth
Care of baby
4/ Print out a few copies - Once you are happy with your plan, print out a few copies and pop them in your birth bag.
Consider including the following sentences in your birth plan:
3 key sentences to consider putting in your birth plan:
Everyone’s birth preferences will be completely different but there are a few key sentences that I would have a think about including if you want to.
“The following preferences are important to us whatever happens during my labour, please respect as many of them as possible” -
This simple sentence states that whatever path your birth might take, you would still like as many of your preferences to be respected as possible.
“If the birthing pool isn’t available, I would like to use warm water from either a bath or shower” -
If you are hoping for a water birth (you can read about the benefits of water births here) but there isn’t a pool available when you are in labour, you can still ask to use a bath or shower or simply some warm water.
“In the event of interventions being suggested, I would like my birth partner to be informed of the reasons why and we would like time to consider all options” -
This sentence encourages your midwife to speak with your birth partner so that they can gather all the information needed whilst you are in your zone. You can then have time together to make a decision.
And that’s it, it really is that simple, you can’t go wrong.
Enjoy writing your birth plan
Hannah x
