Birth plans can be a useful way to communicate what matters to you during labour and birth. But we prefer to think of them as birth preferences.
Birth does not always follow a predictable path, and plans sometimes need to change. A preferences document gives you space to record what you would like, what you would prefer to avoid and what you want your care team to know, while recognising that different circumstances may call for different decisions.
Our free Birth Preferences Template has been created to help you organise those thoughts and communicate them clearly with the people supporting you.
What Is a Birth Preferences Template?
A birth preferences template is a simple document that records your wishes for labour, birth and the period immediately afterwards.
It can help you think through your options before birth and provide your midwives, doctors, birth workers and support people with an easy-to-read overview of the things that are important to you.
Your preferences might include practical things such as lighting, music and movement, alongside decisions about pain relief, examinations, birth positions, cord care, feeding or who you would like to be present.
You can also use your preferences to communicate things that are particularly important for your emotional wellbeing, such as:
- The name and pronouns you would like people to use
- The names and roles of partners, co-parents or support people
- Language you would like used (or avoided) when discussing your body
- Gender-affirming care requests
- Trauma-informed care needs
- How you would like information and consent discussions to be handled
- Who you would like involved in conversations if circumstances change
You decide what belongs on yours.
What Does the Template Include?
Our downloadable template is divided into sections covering different stages and circumstances during birth.
There is space to record your preferences for the:
First Stage
This is where you can record the things that might help you feel comfortable and supported during labour, such as your environment, movement, examinations, pain management and who you would like around you.
Second Stage
You can use this section to record preferences relating to the birth itself, including positions, pushing, support people and other choices that matter to you.
Third Stage
This section gives you space to think about the period immediately after your baby is born, including the placenta, umbilical cord, skin-to-skin contact, feeding and the first hours together.
If an Emergency Happens
Sometimes circumstances change unexpectedly. Having preferences written down can still be helpful if an emergency occurs.
You might use this section to record who you would like with you, how you would prefer information to be communicated, any preferences relating to caesarean birth and which aspects of your original preferences you would still like followed where possible.
There Is No Right Way to Complete It
Your birth preferences do not need to look like anybody else’s.
You might have very clear preferences for some parts of birth and no particular preference at all for others. You can write as much or as little as feels useful.
You can also change your mind.
Completing a birth preferences template now does not mean you are committing yourself to those choices later. Your preferences belong to you, and you can revisit them throughout pregnancy and during labour as your circumstances, information or feelings change.
Download our example for inspiration.
Birth Preferences and Informed Choice
A birth preferences document shouldn’t replace conversations with your maternity team. Instead, it can give you a starting point for those conversations.
You may want to take your completed template to an antenatal appointment and discuss anything you are unsure about. This can give you an opportunity to ask what options are available locally, learn more about procedures or interventions and make sure your care team understands anything that is particularly important to you.
Your preferences can also help your partner, co-parent, doula or other support person understand what you want so they can support you in communicating those wishes during labour.
Make Your Preferences Easier to Communicate
You can use this template alongside our other free resources, including our Birth Plan Icons and Body Map.
Our icons can help make your preferences quicker to recognise at a glance, while the Body Map gives you a way to communicate the terminology you would like people to use when discussing your body.
Together, these resources can help you create something that reflects not only your preferences for birth, but also how you want to be spoken to, supported and involved in your care.
Download the Queer Parenting Partnership Prompt Guide
Use our free prompt guide to help you think through your preferences, prepare for conversations with your healthcare team and identify the questions that matter most to you.
Download it before your appointment or birth so you can take your time, discuss it with your support people and refer back to it whenever you need.
Download the Free Birth Preferences Template
Our blank Birth Preferences Template is free to download for personal use.
Download a copy, complete it at your own pace and bring it with you when you talk about your birth preferences with your care team.
Your preferences don’t need to fit somebody else’s idea of the “perfect” birth. This is simply a tool to help the people around you understand what matters to you.
Download the Black and White Copy
Download the Rainbow Copy
This Resource Is Free to Use
We believe inclusive, affirming information and resources should be accessible to the people who need them. That’s why this resource is completely free to download and use.
There’s no expectation to pay, and we don’t want cost to be a barrier to accessing it.
The Queer Parenting Partnership is a community interest company, and we are not funded by any external organisations. If you’ve found this resource useful and you’re willing and able to contribute, a donation helps us continue creating free resources, providing support and making inclusive perinatal education more accessible to LGBTQ+ families.
Every contribution, no matter the amount, helps us continue this work.
If donating isn’t accessible to you right now, please download and use the resource anyway. That’s exactly what it’s here for.