FAQ · For Families
What is a birth plan?
A birth plan is a written outline of what you would like to happen during labor and delivery, and a tool for communicating your preferences with your care team. ACOG recommends going over your birth plan with your ob-gyn well before your due date. A birth plan communicates preferences; it does not guarantee a particular experience or outcome.
What to include
Keep it clear and short: where you plan to give birth and who you want present, comfort preferences such as movement and positioning, pain-relief preferences, how you want to be supported, and newborn-care preferences such as skin-to-skin contact and feeding.
Why write one
Writing a birth plan helps you learn about your options before labor begins, so decisions are considered rather than made in the moment. It also gives you and your provider a shared starting point for conversations about your care.
How a doula helps
During prenatal meetings, a doula helps you think through your preferences, understand your options, and practice the questions you want to ask your provider. If your plan changes during labor, your doula helps you understand what is happening and communicate with your care team.
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