Free Birth Plan
Earth Mama’s Free Birth Plan Template
A birth plan is a written summary of your preferences for labor, delivery, and your baby's first hours and days. It gives your doctor or midwife, your support people, and your hospital or birth center staff a clear picture of what matters to you, while leaving room for the unexpected. (Because birth has a way of writing its own plan.)
Earth Mama's free birth plan was created in consultation with healthcare professionals and includes helpful insights from the team at PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, whose research-based tips and resources were designed to support an empowered pregnancy. Choose the questions and preferences that feel right for you, click "submit," and a copy of your birth plan will land right in your inbox, ready to print and share.
Note: By completing Earth Mama's Lying-In and/or Birth Plan tools, you are giving us permission to email the plan to you, along with other Earth Mama email communication. Please be sure to check your spam folder or add earthmama.com as an approved sender to your account. We do not keep your private data; it will be deleted after 30 days
What's Included in This Birth Plan
Your birth team. Add your due date, provider, and contact information for your primary and additional support people, plus who's welcome in your room.
Questions to ask during pregnancy. Research-based questions from PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy to bring to your prenatal visits, including how to get to know your baby's movement patterns, what to do if movement changes, and which warning signs need urgent care.
Before labor begins. Your preferences for induction timing, vaginal exams, laboring at home, and when to head to the hospital.
Induction options. Choose which options you'd like to discuss with your provider, from walking and breast stimulation to membrane stripping and Pitocin.
Pain management. Note whether you'd like pain medication offered or only on request, and which alternatives you'd like access to, such as guided breathing, massage, acupressure, hypnotherapy, or water.
Labor and delivery. Set the mood with dimmed lights, music, and quiet voices. Choose your preferred labor positions, from hands and knees to a birthing tub or peanut ball, and share your wishes for the moment your baby arrives.
Cesarean birth. If a C-section becomes part of your story, share your preferences for a gentle C-section, having your partner present, staying awake, and holding your baby as soon as possible.
After delivery. Skin-to-skin contact, when the umbilical cord is clamped and who cuts it, cord blood banking, and your placenta preferences.
Newborn procedures. Your choices around vitamin K, your baby's first bath, vaccinations, circumcision, newborn screening, and how you plan to feed your baby.
Your hospital stay. Visitors, your support person staying overnight, and what you'd like to happen if your baby needs NICU care or a transfer to another hospital.
Special considerations. If this is a pregnancy after loss, stillbirth, miscarriage, infertility, or previous birth trauma, you can let your care team know, along with how you'd like them to talk with you about your history.
Birth plan FAQs
When should I write my birth plan?
Many parents fill theirs out during the third trimester, which leaves plenty of time to go over it with your provider at a prenatal visit. It's also a great conversation starter earlier in pregnancy, especially the "questions to ask your provider" section.
What if my birth doesn't go according to plan?
A birth plan is a list of preferences, not a promise. Things can change quickly during labor, and your care team may need to adjust for your safety or your baby's. That's why this plan includes preferences for both vaginal and cesarean birth, and for what happens if your baby needs extra care. Knowing your wishes ahead of time helps your team honor them wherever they can.
Who should get a copy of my birth plan?
Share it with your doctor or midwife before your due date, and give copies to your partner, doula, or other support people. Tuck an extra copy in your hospital bag for the nurses and staff on duty when you arrive.
Is Earth Mama's birth plan really free?
Yes! Just fill it out and your copy will be emailed to you. We don't keep your private data; it's deleted after 30 days. Be sure to check your spam folder, or add earthmama.com as an approved sender.
Birth is Just the Beginning
It's not over just because your baby is in your arms. You'll definitely want to fill out Earth Mama's free Postpartum Lying-In Plan too. And after that baby is here, you'll be so glad you did, promise.
Now, go put your feet up, enjoy a cup of tea, and fill out these free plans!