Your birth plan
Not a script for the day, but the thinking you do beforehand.
A birth plan is a way of telling your team what matters to you, so that when the day comes they already know. Fill in what you can, leave blank what you are unsure of, and talk it through with your midwife. Birth often takes its own shape, so think of this as your preferences, not a contract. Where a choice has a medical side, your midwife and doctors will talk it through with you on the day.
The basics
Name
Due date
Where I plan to give birth
My midwife (Hebamme)
Who will be with me
Languages I am most comfortable in
The atmosphere I would like
Low lighting, kept calm and quiet
My own music or sounds
As few people in the room as possible
Freedom to make it feel like mine (own clothes, pillow, photos)
In my own words:
Comfort and movement
Freedom to move and change position as I wish
Access to water (shower or bath) for comfort
Use of a birth ball, stool, or mat
To stay upright and active where possible
Comfort measures I would like to try:
Pain relief
My general feeling about pain relief (tick what fits):
I would like to try without medical pain relief, and will ask if I want it
I am open to it, please offer and explain my options
I know I would like an epidural (PDA), please discuss early
Please do not offer unless I ask
Anything else my team should know:
Monitoring, decisions, and consent
Please explain what is happening and why before anything is done
I would like time to ask questions and decide, where it is safe to take it
Please use intermittent monitoring if my labour allows
My birth partner can help speak for my wishes if I cannot
A calm way to slow a conversation down: Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, what my Intuition says, and what happens if we do Nothing for now (BRAIN).
If labour needs help along (augmentation, assisted birth), what matters to me:
The first hour after birth
Immediate skin-to-skin, baby straight onto my chest
Wait for the cord to stop pulsing before it is clamped, if possible
My partner to cut the cord
Quiet, unhurried time before any non-urgent checks
I would like to try first feeding in this first hour
Anything else for these first moments:
Feeding
I plan to breastfeed
I plan to bottle feed
I am not sure yet, and would like support to decide
Please ask before giving my baby anything other than what we have agreed
Feeding support I would like:
If plans change
If birth moves toward an assisted birth or a caesarean, these things still matter to me:
To have things explained as they happen
My partner to stay with me throughout, if possible
Skin-to-skin as soon as my baby and I are well enough
To still be told the moment of birth, and my baby's first details
In my own words:
Anything else
What I most want my team to understand about me and this birth:
This birth plan is a tool for conversations with your midwife and birth team. It is informational and not medical advice. Your care team will help you weigh anything with a medical side on the day.
birthandmother.comLast updated July 2026 · Birth & Mother
