Birth Plan Examples: 5 Sample Plans and How to Write Yours

You're at a third-trimester checkup when your OB asks whether you've thought about a birth plan, and you realize you've never seen one. These five birth plan examples show a finished plan on one page: a hospital birth with an epidural, an unmedicated birth at a birth center, an induction, a planned c-section and a VBAC.

ACOG describes a birth plan as a written outline of what you'd like to happen during labor and delivery, to go over with your ob-gyn well before your due date. It also says a plan can't guarantee how labor unfolds. Borrow what fits, then make your own with our free birth plan template.

Key Takeaways

• One page, eight headings. Every sample uses the same sections as Bloom, our birth plan builder.
• Give reasons. "I'd like to move around as much as monitoring allows" gives your nurse something to work with.
• Hospital policy decides some lines. Monitoring, eating in labor and who can join you in the OR vary, so ask first.
• Plan for a c-section anyway. ACOG's own sample plan includes cesarean preferences.

What a good birth plan looks like

Put your name, due date, your OB or certified nurse-midwife (CNM) and your hospital at the top. Some hospitals call the page "birth preferences." Every sample birth plan below then uses eight sections, in this order:

1. Where you're giving birth: hospital, birthing center or home
2. Atmosphere: lighting, music, noise, observers
3. Pain relief: every option you're open to
4. Positions: how you'd like to move
5. Right after the birth: skin-to-skin, cord clamping, vitamin K, feeding
6. If a c-section becomes necessary: your wishes for the OR
7. Support people: who's with you, in what role
8. Special wishes: anything else your team should know

WHO's 2018 intrapartum care guideline recommends respectful care that enables informed choice, and a companion of choice throughout labor.

Birth plan example 1: Hospital birth with a planned epidural

The thinking behind each line

• Pain relief: ACOG calls the epidural the most common labor pain relief in the US. Only some hospitals offer nitrous oxide, so ask. Our epidural pros and cons guide covers the trade-offs.
• Positions: You can move with an epidural but may not be able to walk, per ACOG, so this plan picks positions that work in bed.
• Right after the birth: WHO recommends skin-to-skin in the first hour for newborns without complications. ACOG recommends waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds to clamp the cord in vigorous newborns (see delayed cord clamping). The AAP recommends vitamin K for every newborn.
• Special wishes: With some health conditions, ACOG says you may meet an anesthesiologist before labor. Ask your OB if that's you.

Birth plan example 2: Unmedicated birth at a birth center

The thinking behind each line

• Monitoring and pain relief: ACOG Committee Opinion 766 lists intermittent auscultation (checking your baby's heart rate at intervals) and non-drug pain relief as options for low-risk labor at term. Your midwife decides whether you're low risk.
• Positions: WHO recommends mobility and upright positions in low-risk labor. In a meta-analysis cited by ACOG, upright positions shortened the first stage of labor by about 1 hour and 22 minutes.
• Support people: In a Cochrane review summarized by ACOG, people with continuous one-to-one support, such as a doula, were less likely to have a cesarean.
• If a c-section becomes necessary: Here that means a hospital transfer, so ask which hospital the center uses.

Birth plan example 3: Induction

Notes for an induction plan

• The method: ACOG lists ripening the cervix with medication or a device, sweeping the membranes, oxytocin through an IV and breaking the water. Confirm the method with your OB and leave it off the plan.
• Monitoring: ACOG says your contractions and your baby's heart rate may be monitored electronically during an induction. That's why the plan asks to move "as much as monitoring allows."
• Timing: If an induction doesn't work, your water hasn't broken and you're both well, ACOG says you may be able to go home and try another day. Pack for a long stay.

Birth plan example 4: Planned c-section

The thinking behind each line

• The c-section section does most of the work. ACOG Committee Opinion 766 describes family-centered cesarean practices: low lighting and less noise, lowered or clear drapes, monitors placed so you can reach your baby, delayed cord clamping and early skin-to-skin.
• Availability varies. ACOG says evidence for these techniques is limited and asks hospitals to consider them where staffing allows. At one US academic medical center that introduced them in 2013, skin-to-skin in the operating room rose from 13% to 39% of cases (ACOG, 2019). Ask what your hospital offers.
• Cord clamping: During a cesarean, ACOG says the baby can rest on your abdomen or legs until the cord is clamped.
• Anesthesia: Per ACOG, an epidural or spinal block lets you stay awake, while general anesthesia puts you to sleep. Your anesthesiologist explains which fits you.

Our c-section birth plan guide covers gentle cesarean requests line by line.

Birth plan example 5: VBAC (TOLAC)

The thinking behind each line

• Where you're giving birth: ACOG says a VBAC should take place in a hospital that can manage emergencies, and some hospitals don't offer it. Confirm yours offers a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) first.
• Whether it fits you: ACOG Practice Bulletin 205 calls TOLAC appropriate for many people. Your likelihood of VBAC and your individual risks decide whether you're a candidate, so settle that with your OB first.
• Your records: Your skin scar doesn't show the type of uterine incision, per ACOG. Your previous cesarean records do.
• The backup: ACOG notes that needing an induction can lower the chance of a successful VBAC, and that you and your OB may reconsider if circumstances change. That's why the c-section section here is complete.

How do you write a birth plan in 5 steps?

1. Ask about hospital policies. Useful questions:
   • What monitoring is standard, and can I move with it?
   • Can I eat or drink in labor?
   • How many support people can stay, and who can join me in the OR?
   • Do you offer nitrous oxide, tubs or family-centered cesareans?
   • How far apart should contractions be before I come in? Our contraction timer and 5-1-1 rule guide help you track it.
2. Split firm wishes from flexible ones. Mark the one or two that matter most.
3. Bring it to a prenatal visit. ACOG suggests reviewing your plan with your ob-gyn well before your due date. Ask what the backup is for any line your hospital can't honor.
4. Keep it to one page. Short bullets under eight headings are easy to skim at 3 a.m.
5. Print copies. Add two to your hospital bag checklist: one for your nurse, one for your support person.

Eating shows why step 1 matters. WHO recommends food and fluids in low-risk labor, while ACOG's current guidance supports moderate amounts of clear liquids and no solid food, and notes those limits have been questioned. Your hospital's policy decides which applies to you.

Birth plan checklist: what to include

This birth plan checklist follows the same eight sections. The NHS checklist covers similar ground for UK parents.

What should you leave out of a birth plan?

• Lines that restate standard care. "Please keep me and my baby safe" tells your team nothing new.
• Absolute language. "Under no circumstances" reads as a demand. ACOG reminds parents to be prepared for changes as the situation dictates, so try "I'd like to avoid this if possible; please talk to me first."
• Medical instructions that belong in a conversation. If you feel strongly about a specific intervention, discuss it with your OB before labor and write down what you agreed.
• Anything your hospital doesn't allow. ACOG's sample plan notes that some hospitals prohibit photos or video of the birth, so check first.

Birth plan ideas for first-time parents

Each idea below is a Bloom option that first-time parents often don't know to ask for.

• Students or observers. Decide ahead whether trainees can be in the room. The NHS checklist asks this too.
• Partner does skin-to-skin if you can't. Useful after a c-section.
• Holding your baby for the vitamin K shot. The CDC says you can ask to, and that newborns who don't get the shot are 81 times more likely to develop severe bleeding (CDC, 2025). WHO times it after the first hour of skin-to-skin; the AAP says within 6 hours of birth.
• Seeing the placenta. Say so in advance.
• A doula. Continuous support was linked to fewer cesareans in the Cochrane review ACOG cites.
• Nitrous oxide. Per ACOG, you hold the mask yourself, and it eases anxiety without numbing pain. Only some hospitals offer it.
• Special wishes in your own words. An interpreter, your chosen name or a quiet moment for prayer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is a short written outline of what you'd like to happen during labor and delivery. ACOG calls it a starting point for talking with your ob-gyn and notes it can't guarantee how labor goes.

What should I include in a birth plan?

Cover where you're giving birth, atmosphere, pain relief, positions, the first hour after birth, c-section wishes, support people and special wishes. Keep it to one page.

How do I write a birth plan?

Ask about hospital policies, split firm wishes from flexible ones and write one page of short preferences. Review it with your OB or midwife at a prenatal visit, then print copies.

Do I need a birth plan?

It's optional. Writing one helps you learn your options and gives your care team a quick summary of what matters to you. ACOG suggests reviewing it with your ob-gyn well before your due date.

Can I make a birth plan for a VBAC?

Yes. First confirm your hospital offers a trial of labor after cesarean, since ACOG says VBAC belongs in a hospital that can manage emergencies. Fill in your c-section preferences too.

What should first-time moms put in a birth plan?

Use the eight standard sections, then add choices first-timers often miss: whether students may observe, who does skin-to-skin if you can't, and holding your baby for the vitamin K shot.

Your next step

Pick the example closest to your situation, swap in your own choices and bring it to your next prenatal visit. Then build your one-page birth plan in Bloom. For a closer look at the big decisions, read our guides to a c-section birth plan, delayed cord clamping and epidural pros and cons.

Sources

• Sample Birth Plan Template, ACOG, 2022
• Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth, Committee Opinion 766, ACOG, 2019 (reaffirmed 2025)
• Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth, Committee Opinion 814, ACOG, 2020
• Medications for Pain Relief During Labor and Delivery, ACOG, reviewed 2024
• Labor Induction, ACOG, reviewed 2025
• Cesarean Birth, ACOG, reviewed 2025
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery (VBAC), ACOG, reviewed 2024
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery, Practice Bulletin 205, ACOG, 2019 (reaffirmed 2024)
• WHO Recommendations: Intrapartum Care for a Positive Childbirth Experience, WHO, 2018
• Vitamin K and the Newborn Infant, AAP, 2022
• Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding, CDC, 2025
• What to Include in Your Birth Plan, NHS, 2025