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Birth plan builder

A birth plan is a list of your preferences to talk through with your care team before the day. Things can change during labor and birth, and that's OK. Answer what matters to you and skip the rest. Your answers stay on this device.

Who's with me

Who will be with you?
Will a doula be with you?
The name and pronouns you'd like your care team to use
Language or interpreter needs
Religious or cultural practices your care team should know about
Students or trainees in the room

The room

In the room, I'd like
Photos or video (your hospital may have rules)
How I'd like to hear about what's happening

Labor

During labor, I'd like to
Eating and drinking during labor
Monitoring the baby's heart rate
IV
If my care team suggests inducing or speeding up labor learn more

Pain relief

Pain relief I'd like to try learn more
Pain medicine learn more
Anything else about pain relief

Pushing and birth

Positions I'd like to try
Pushing
Would you like a mirror to see the birth?
Would you like to touch your baby's head as it's born?
Finding out the baby's sex
The placenta

If I need a cesarean

Would you like your support person with you in the operating room? learn more
Seeing the birth
Would you like the team to tell you what's happening as they go?
Would you like music in the operating room, if allowed?
Skin-to-skin in the operating room, if you and your baby are well learn more

Right after birth

Skin-to-skin right after birth, if you and your baby are well learn more
Clamping the umbilical cord

ACOG recommends waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds before clamping the cord for babies who are doing well at birth, both full-term and preterm. In full-term babies it slightly raises the chance of jaundice that needs light treatment, so hospitals that delay clamping check for it. acog.org

Who cuts the cord?
Cord blood banking or donation
Baby's first checks learn more
If my baby needs special care or the NICU

Feeding

How do you plan to feed your baby?
Would you like to see a lactation consultant? learn more
Would you like someone to show you how to prepare and give bottles? learn more
Pacifier in the hospital
If my baby needs extra milk

Newborn care

Vitamin K shot learn more

The AAP recommends one vitamin K shot for every newborn within 6 hours of birth, to prevent serious bleeding. Vitamin K by mouth doesn't work as well. healthychildren.org

Antibiotic eye ointment

The CDC recommends erythromycin ointment in both eyes for every newborn, whether born vaginally or by cesarean, as soon as possible after birth, to prevent a serious eye infection caused by gonorrhea. The CDC notes that most states require it by law. cdc.gov

Hepatitis B vaccine

The AAP recommends the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth for every medically stable baby who weighs at least 4 pounds 6.5 ounces (2 kg). The CDC's advice has been in dispute: in December 2025 it made the birth dose an individual decision for babies whose mothers test negative for hepatitis B, and in March 2026 a federal court put that change on hold while a lawsuit goes on. Ask your pediatrician what applies when your baby is born. healthychildren.org

Timing of shots and eye ointment
First bath learn more
Would you or your support person like to be there for your baby's tests and checks?
Circumcision, if it applies learn more

Recovery and visitors

Where your baby stays
Visitors
People who can visit
To help me rest and recover
Pain relief after birth
Anything else your care team should know, such as a past birth experience, anxiety or trauma

My birth plan

These are my preferences. I know things can change, and I trust my care team to talk me through any changes.

Your baby won’t read your birth plan. Write it for the people who will.

What a birth plan is for

A birth plan is a short list of your preferences: who’s with you, how you’d like to manage pain, what happens in the first hour. It starts a conversation with your care team before the day. It isn’t a contract, and births change course. A good plan says what matters most and trusts your team with the rest.

How to use it

  • Talk it through at a prenatal visit, ideally in the third trimester. Your provider can tell you what your hospital or birth center offers.
  • Keep it to one page. Nurses read the first few lines. Put what matters most first.
  • Bring copies: one for your bag, one for your support person, one for the nurse.
  • Write “if possible” freely. Flexibility gets your wishes read more carefully, not less.

The newborn care questions

Three routine newborn treatments have a published recommendation. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a vitamin K shot within 6 hours of birth. The CDC recommends antibiotic eye ointment soon after birth. The AAP recommends the first hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth. The CDC’s hepatitis B advice changed in December 2025 and that change was put on hold by a federal court in March 2026, so ask your pediatrician what applies now. The builder shows each recommendation and who makes it next to the question, so you can see it while you decide. If you have questions, ask your pediatrician before the birth.

Sources

  1. March of Dimes, “Your birth plan.” marchofdimes.org
  2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Medications for Pain Relief During Labor and Delivery.” acog.org
  3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth.” acog.org
  4. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Where We Stand: Administration of Vitamin K.” healthychildren.org
  5. CDC, “Gonococcal Infections Among Neonates” (STI Treatment Guidelines). cdc.gov
  6. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Hepatitis B Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions.” aap.org