Birth plan checklist: every decision, in the order it comes up
Before you write a birth plan, it helps to know what is on the list. This checklist runs through the ten groups of decisions in the order they come up during a birth, from where you will be to who does the dishes in the first week. Tick each one when the two of you have talked about it, even if the answer is "not sure yet". The unsure ones go to your care team.
Printable checklist
One page, ten numbered sections, tick boxes. No email required.
Download the checklist (PDF) Or let the planner ask you each one1. Where, and with whom
Everything else depends on the setting and the people.
- Hospital, birth center or home, and the transfer plan if it is not a hospital
- Provider or practice, and who covers when they are off
- Who is in the room: partner, family, friend, doula
- Who waits outside, and who is told afterwards
2. The room
The small things that are often easy to ask for.
- Lights, sound, music, your own clothes
- Moving around, shower or tub, positions
- Students and visitors
- Photos and video, and who takes them
3. Labor and comfort
Preferences, not promises.
- Pain relief: what you want offered, and what you want to ask for yourself
- Monitoring: continuous, intermittent or wireless, if your situation allows a choice
- IV or saline lock, eating and drinking, within the birth place's policy
- What helps you when it gets hard, so your support person knows what to try
4. How decisions get made
The section most plans skip, and the one that matters most when things change.
- How you want options explained, and how much time you want when it is not urgent
- Who asks the questions, and which ones: what, why, what if we wait, how long do we have
- Who speaks for you if you cannot
- Your thinking today on induction or augmentation, if it comes up
5. The birth itself
- Pushing positions, coached or with your own urges, a mirror or not
- Who announces the sex, who cuts the cord, delayed cord clamping
- Skin to skin right away, quiet first minutes
6. If a cesarean happens
Decide now, calmly; it is hard to decide then.
- Your support person with you, and with the baby if the baby leaves the room
- Drape lowered or clear for the birth, skin to skin in the operating room if possible, your music
- Who tells you what is happening, and how
7. Your baby
- Feeding: breast or chest, formula, combination; lactation help
- Baby stays with you; exams in your room when possible
- Newborn medications and screening: what you have decided, and what you want to discuss with the baby's doctor first
- Circumcision, cord blood, other wishes
8. The first days
Plan postpartum alongside the birth, not after.
- The first 72 hours: who does meals, nights, visitors, other kids, pets
- Your support network, and the backup person
- Appointments and leave for both of you
- What your care team told you to watch for in you and the baby, and who to call
9. Communication
- How you want information given: plainly, to you first, to your partner first
- A word for "give us a minute" and one for "I want to change the plan"
- What the team should know about you: history, a past birth, a loss, what you are nervous about
10. Write it, share it, keep it short
- One page: tick boxes and short lines, not paragraphs
- Review it with your provider at 34 to 36 weeks
- Three printed copies in the bag, one on your phone
- Your support person writes their own one-pager: what they do, not what you want
What to do with the unsure ones
Several items are not yours to decide alone: what your situation allows for monitoring, how long an induction might take, what the birth place offers your baby. Collect them and bring them to the 34- or 36-week visit. The free generator does this automatically: every "I'm not sure" goes onto a questions-for-your-provider list and a things-we-still-want-to-decide list, so nothing gets lost between now and the appointment.
The planner asks each of these, one at a time
Same ten groups, as questions on your phone, with "I'm not sure" always allowed. Your answers become a one-page plan, a care-team quick reference, your provider questions and a postpartum plan; your partner's own path becomes their plan. No account; answers stay on your device.
Open the free planner Or the one-page paper templateQuestions people ask
What should be included in a birth plan?
Where and with whom, the room, labor and comfort preferences, how you want decisions made, the birth itself, what you want if a cesarean happens, your baby's first hours, the first days at home, and how you want information given. One page covers it.
What is the most forgotten part of a birth plan?
How decisions get made: how you want options explained, who asks the questions, who speaks for you, and how much time you want when it is not urgent. It matters most exactly when the plan changes.
Should a birth plan include postpartum?
Yes, at least the first 72 hours: who does what at home, who the backup person is, and what the care team told you to watch for. Planning it alongside the birth is easier than planning it exhausted.
How do I use this checklist with my partner?
Each of you goes through it alone first, marking what you assume the answer is, then compare. The disagreements and the "not sure" items are what you talk about, and the unresolved ones go to your care team.