make your free birth plan

this birth plan template covers:

• your details 

• where you’re planning on giving birth

• if you would like to be accompanied during labour and childbirth and, if so, by whom 

• how you would like to deliver your baby 

• equipment you will provide (if any) 

• special facilities you would like to make use of (if any)

• positions for labour and delivery

• special requests during labour and delivery

• how you wish to manage your pain

• how you would like any tears to be treated 

• how you feel about having an episiotomy 

• special requests related to the baby’s umbilical cord and your placenta 

• when you would like to hold your baby after delivery 

• when you would like your baby to be with you 

• how you plan on feeding your baby 

• any specific requests or requirements you have (eg dietary requirements or religious customs you’d like to observe)

while birth plans are not essential, they are a way to clearly communicate your wishes and preferences during labour and delivery. by clearly detailing what your birth preferences are, you can help your birthing experience to become the event you would like it to be, by effectively communicating your wishes to your doctors, midwife and birth partner(s). 

making a birth plan empowers you to take an active role in decision-making, ensuring that your voice is heard during labour and delivery. it also enables you to advocate for yourself or for your midwife or birth partner to advocate for you. 

ultimately, a birth plan provides clarity, enhances communication, helps create a more personalised and positive birthing experience and reduces stress by helping you make informed decisions before going into labour.

birth plans are not legally binding. they simply state your preferences for labour and childbirth. you can update and change your birth plan before you go into labour. similarly, nothing in your birth plan precludes you from changing your mind during labour (eg you may have initially planned on having a birth without pain relief, but may later choose to have an epidural).

while your birth plan isn’t binding, the wishes set out in it should be respected and taken into consideration during labour and childbirth, especially if you previously discussed them with your doctor or midwife.

even if your birth plan sets out wishes that are not what your doctor or midwife recommends, they should respect it and try to meet your wishes (as far as possible). further, your birth plan may be used as evidence in court outlining your wishes and the informed decisions you took when it was made.

you have the right to choose where you want to give birth. in the uk, you can give birth in a hospital, in a midwifery unit/birth centre or at home. where you wish to give birth is a decision for you to make based on your individual circumstances and wishes. for example, if you:

• want an epidural these can only be provided in a hospital

• have any medical conditions or had complications during your pregnancy (eg pre-eclampsia), you may be advised to give birth in a hospital 

• experienced complications during previous pregnancies or births (eg needing an emergency caesarean (c) section), you may be advised to give birth in a hospital

midwifery units or birth centres are medical facilities run by midwives. they may be separate from hospitals (and therefore don’t have access to certain facilities provided by hospitals, like neonatal care) or may form part of a hospital maternity unit (and, therefore, have access to certain hospital facilities). by giving birth in a midwifery unit or birth centre you are more likely to be looked after by the same midwife that supported you throughout your pregnancy.

if you plan on giving birth in a hospital’s labour ward (also known as a ‘delivery suite’ or an ‘obstetric unit’), you will still be looked after and supported by midwives, but doctors may be more readily available if further help is needed. your doctor should tell you which hospitals in your area offer maternity services. you will generally be able to choose which hospital you would like to give birth in. you can also ask to give birth in a different hospital and, if your doctor doesn’t refer you to that hospital, you can refer yourself.

if you plan on giving birth at home (ie having a ‘home birth’), you will generally be in an environment you are comfortable in. generally, you can have a home birth if you’ve had a straightforward pregnancy where you and your baby have not experienced any complications. you can choose to have an: 

• assisted home birth, where a midwife (or multiple midwives) are present to help

• unassisted birth (or ‘free birth’), where you give birth without having a midwife present

you may also wish to give birth in the home of a loved one (eg a parent) if you feel comfortable there and they agree to it.

for more information on the different places you can birth and the considerations involved, read the nhs guidance on where to give birth.

you can choose how you want to give birth. as with your preferred birth location, the type of birth you have will depend on your preferences, your and your baby’s health and where you plan on giving birth. generally speaking, you can have a:

• vaginal birth - also referred to as a ‘normal birth’, this involves the baby passing through the birth canal and being delivered through the vagina

• c-section - this involves an operation during which the baby is delivered through an incision made in your abdomen and uterus

• vaginal birth after a c-section (vbac) - this is where you have a vaginal birth after previously having given birth via c-section

• water birth - this involves a vaginal birth, however, during labour and delivery you are in a specially designed tub or pool of warm water

you should speak to your midwife and/or doctor about your options for giving birth. they will be able to provide more information to you and outline the benefits and risks of different birth methods. 

for more information, read tommy’s baby charity’s guidance on options for giving birth.

a forceps or vacuum delivery (also known as an ‘assisted delivery’, ‘assisted birth’ or ‘instrumental delivery’) is a form of birth used if you need help during a vaginal birth. during a forceps delivery, forceps are placed around your baby’s head to guide it from the birth canal. during a vacuum delivery, a cap is suctioned onto your baby’s head to guide it from the birth canal. 

these types of assisted delivery methods are generally used when there is a need to shorten the pushing stage or to help mitigate foetal distress. 

if you need an assisted birth, your doctor and/or midwife will discuss this with you (along with the choice of instrument). note that (in most cases) your consent will be required for an assisted birth to be carried out.

for more information, read the nhs guidance on forceps or vacuum deliveries.

you can request a c-section even if it isn’t medically necessary. this is known as a ‘maternal request c-section’ or ‘planned elective c-section’. according to the guidance provided by the national institute for health and care excellence (nice), your hospital should support your request for a c-section if they feel that you have made an informed choice. in other words, your doctor should listen to your reasons for requesting the c-section and can generally only refuse your request if they have a good reason (eg if the risk of likely harm from the c-section to you or your child outweighs the reasons for your request). 

you can request a c-section at any time, including during labour. however, if you make a request during labour, you may have to wait if other individuals in your maternity ward need c-sections more urgently.

for more information, read the nhs guidance on caesarean sections.

a birth partner is someone who can support you during labour and delivery. having a birth partner to ‘lean on’ during labour and delivery can be helpful (eg by providing emotional and physical support) and has been shown to reduce the need for pain relief. 

your birth partner can be anyone you would like with you during childbirth. for example, a spouse or partner, a family member (eg parent), a close friend or a professional birth partner (eg a doula). 

you can choose whether or not you want to be accompanied by a birth partner. you may also choose to have more than one birth partner. depending on where you are giving birth, you should check how many birth partners you can have with you. for example, hospitals may have policies in place allowing only one birth partner. 

however, it’s important to note that a hospital or midwifery unit/birthing centre cannot refuse to allow your chosen birth partner to be with you unless they have a good reason for doing so. for example, a hospital may refuse your choice of birth partner if the person has previously been violent towards doctors or nurses in that hospital.

hospitals or midwifery units/birthing centres also cannot refuse your reasonable request for more than one birth partner, even if they have a policy allowing only one birth partner. exceptions to such a policy should be made if you reasonably need the support of more than one birth partner. 

the equality act 2010 imposes further requirements on healthcare professionals. specifically, special care must be taken to ensure that anyone with a disability or anyone who speaks a language other than english (including british sign language) receives the support they need. this means that anyone offering support to such individuals (eg carers or sign language interpreters) should not be counted as birth partners under the hospital’s or midwifery unit’s/birthing centre’s birth partner policy.

for more information, see the birthright guidance on birth partners.

you can make various requests for your labour and delivery. such requests should reflect your wishes for what will occur during labour (including the first stage of labour) and childbirth to create a comfortable and supportive environment for you. examples of requests for childbirth include: 

• what position(s) you would like to be in during labour and delivery

• how you would like your baby’s heartbeat to be monitored

• sound levels in the room

• specific privacy and modesty requests (eg limited examinations where possible) 

• remaining in your own clothes for as long as possible 

• how you would like to manage your pain labels and what, if any, pain relief you would like to use 

• how any tears should be treated

• whether photos and/or videos should be taken during delivery 

• who should cut your baby’s umbilical cord (eg you and/or your birth partner) 

• that you would like to delay the clamping of the umbilical cord

you should bear in mind that although your birth plan outlines your wishes for labour and childbirth, it may not be possible to follow all your requests. for example, certain facilities may not be available or ensuring your health and safety and/or the health and safety of your baby may make following certain requests impossible. 

for more information, read the nhs guidance on the stages of labour.

cord blood is the blood found in the placenta and umbilical cord after a baby is born. cord blood contains stem cells (similar to those found in bone marrow) and can help treat various diseases including cancers, genetic disorders and immune deficiencies.

depending on your circumstances, you may be able to donate your cord blood. generally, healthy individuals over the age of 17 can donate their cord blood, provided: 

• they only had one baby (ie did not just give birth to twins or other multiples)

• there isn’t a medical reason for their placenta to be kept by their midwife (especially after a c-section)

• they did not use an egg and/or sperm donor

if you want to donate cord blood, you should speak to your midwife or doctors about this. under the eu directive for tissue and cells and the subsequent human tissue (quality and safety for human application) (amendment) (eu exit) regulations 2019, your consent to donate cord blood must be collected before your baby’s birth (and before active labour). 

you can register your wish to donate cord blood by registering on the nhs website. for more information, read the nhs guidance on donating cord blood.

how your placenta should be handled after giving birth is a decision for you to make. placentas are often discarded by your midwife or doctor. however, you may also be able to: 

• save your placenta - this involves your placenta being collected and stored for you to take home (eg so you can bury or eat it) 

• have your placenta encapsulated - this involves your placenta being turned into pills that you can take postpartum. this is not a service offered on the nhs

• donate your placenta - if you had a voluntary c-section you can consider donating your placenta. as with donating cord blood, you should  speak to your midwife or doctor if you want to donate your placenta.

all adults have the right to make medical decisions for themselves, provided they have mental capacity to do so at the time the decision must be made. 

you will be deemed to have mental capacity if you understand the decision you are making, why you need to make that decision and the consequences of making that decision. 

this means that in most situations you are the only person who can decide what medical procedures (eg surgeries, treatments and examinations) you wish to receive, including during your pregnancy and childbirth. 

healthcare decisions may be made on your behalf if you lose mental capacity. in these circumstances, the person who can make healthcare decisions on your behalf depends on your situation. if you have made a health and welfare lasting power of attorney (lpa) (or welfare power of attorney (wpa) in scotland), your attorney can make decisions on your behalf. if you have not made an lpa or wpa, your medical team (eg doctor) can make decisions that are in your best interest on your behalf. in doing this, they should consider your wishes (eg those set out in your birth plan). 

if you are worried about losing capacity during childbirth, it is a good idea to make an lpa or wpa. you may also consider making a living will / advance directive outlining any medical treatment you wish to refuse in the event you lose capacity.

for more information, read mental capacity and medical consent and birthright’s guidance on maternity and mental capacity.