What to include in a birth plan

A birth plan is a one-page document that communicates your preferences for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period to your care team. It's not a contract — birth is unpredictable — but it's an effective way to spark conversations with your provider in advance and ensure the nursing staff understands your priorities. Key areas to address: pain management preferences (epidural, nitrous oxide, unmedicated), preferred positions for labor and pushing, who you want present in the room, preferences around fetal monitoring, cord clamping timing, skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, and newborn procedures.

Keep it brief and positive in tone — a well-formatted single page is more likely to be read than a multi-page document.