A Friendly Guide for Expectant Parents
As you get ready to meet your little one, you might be hearing a lot about birth plans. Think of a birth plan as a simple way to share your preferences for labour, birth, and those first moments after your baby arrives. It doesn’t need to be long or complicated, it’s just about helping you feel informed, supported, and confident.
Here’s a relaxed, easy-to-follow guide to help you get started:
1. Choose Your Birth Setting
Where would you feel most comfortable giving birth; in a hospital, birthing centre, or at home? Each option offers different levels of support, so it’s worth chatting with your midwife and thinking about what feels right for you.
2. Pick Your Support Team
Decide who you want with you during labour. Your partner, a family member, a close friend, or even a doula, whoever helps you feel calm and cared for. Let them know your wishes so they can be your voice if you need it.
3. Think About Labour Preferences
What might help you feel more relaxed during labour? Breathing techniques, massage, movement, music, or a warm bath? Or maybe you’d like to keep the option of pain relief like gas and air or an epidural. There’s no right or wrong, just what feels best for you.
4. Consider Your Delivery Choices
You can also think about things like which positions you’d like to try, whether you’d like immediate skin-to-skin, and how you feel about certain interventions if they’re needed. These details help your care team understand what matters to you.
5. Postpartum Preferences
You may want to include preferences for newborn care, like delayed cord clamping or support with breastfeeding. It’s always a good idea to chat these through with your midwife so everyone’s on the same page.
6. And Most Important… Stay Flexible
Birth plans are super helpful, but birth doesn’t always go exactly to script, and that’s okay. Being open to changes can help you feel more relaxed if things need to shift on the day.
A Birth Plan Is About Feeling Prepared
Taking a little time to think through your birth preferences can really help you feel more confident heading into such a special moment. It’s all about making sure your wishes are heard and that you feel supported every step of the way. Knowing that your preferences are understood and documented. And if you’d like a handy checklist or template to get started, the NHS has a great guide you can explore: How to make a birth plan
