Birth plan
A birth plan will guide you in detailing your preferences for labor and delivery so that you can discuss them with your partner and health care provider. It’s a way to describe what’s most important to you.
Important pieces to consider:
- Where you want to deliver
- Labor environment (in a quiet space, music playing, in a bath, with lots of support people, etc.)
- Who do you want present
- What positions feel comfortable
- Pain medication
- Holistic remedies
- Post-birth decisions
When you come to The Mother Baby Center to deliver your baby, be sure to share your birth plan with your care team and nurses. They will use it so that they know what techniques you’d like to try for breathing, pushing and delivery, and, if necessary, what your preferences are for medical intervention and delivery.
Download our birth plan worksheet. It can help you think through and record your preferences for your labor, childbirth, and hospital stay.
How to make a birth plan: what you need to know
What is a birth plan and how do you make one? Find out who and what to include when making your birth plan to prepare for the labor and delivery of your little one.
Birth Compass, by Allina Health and Patient Wisdom
We want to do an even better job of listening, so we’re using Birth Compass to help us focus on what matters to you during your early pregnancy, delivery and after-delivery experiences. Birth Compass is an online communication tool that gives you the venue to communicate your preferences about how you wish to be addressed as well as how you envision your delivery and postnatal experience. Ask your provider about Birth Compass or log into your Allina Health account from any smartphone, tablet or computer.