Birth plan generator

Step 1 of 4

How does she feel about pain relief? Pick the one that fits best.

What is a birth plan?

A birth plan is a one-page document that tells the hospital team what you and your partner want for labor and delivery when there's no time to explain. It covers four things: pain relief, who's in the room, what you want right after birth, and what to do if an unplanned cesarean becomes the plan.

It's not a contract. The hospital doesn't owe you anything on it. But every nurse in labor and delivery has handled a shift during someone's birth plan, and they appreciate the ones that are short, direct, and in writing. Walking in with one marks you as prepared, not demanding.

Does a dad need to think about this?

Not need, but should. The birth plan is one of the few things in pregnancy you can genuinely own as the partner. Your job during labor isn't medical — the midwives and nurses have that covered. Your job is to know what she wanted when she could still articulate it, and advocate for it when she can't. A birth plan you both filled out together is the only paper that captures that. Pull it out when the nurse asks a question. Hand it to the next-shift crew. Keep a copy in your bag.

What to include

Four buckets, in the order most birth plans use:

• Pain relief. Epidural, nitrous, IV medication, unmedicated, or open to switching. Most hospitals default to asking her what she wants when she's in it, which can be a hard moment to ask.
• Who's in the room. Partner is a given. Doula if you have one. Her mother, your mother, or no one. Hospitals usually cap this at 2–3 people during active labor.
• Delivery preferences. Skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, whether you cut the cord, photos, whether students or observers are OK. Small requests nurses are happy to accommodate when told in writing.
• If it becomes a cesarean. About a third of U.S. births end up here. Clear preferences — skin-to-skin in the OR if the baby is stable, you present at the birth, lowered drape so you can see — go a long way.

How to use the finished plan

Print two copies. One stays in your hospital bag. One is handed to the first nurse who comes into the room during triage. Mention that it's a short one-pager and that you're flexible if circumstances change. Both of those things are important.

Keep a photo on your phone. The paper copy will get wet, bloody, or lost. The photo won't.

Why this generator and not another one

Most birth plan tools are built for mothers and overload you with 15–20 decision points you won't remember in the room. This one is four questions, mapped to the four things your hospital actually cares about seeing in writing. Fits on one page. Reads in 30 seconds. That's the whole pitch.

Frequently asked questions

Is this really free?

Yes. The tool, the PDF download, everything on this page. No account required, no email required. If you leave your email, we'll send occasional stage-relevant notes — fully optional, unsubscribe any time.

What should a birth plan include?

At minimum: pain relief preferences, who's in the room, what you want right after birth, and your preferences if a cesarean becomes necessary. More than that and nurses stop reading. One page, four sections, in writing.

Will the hospital follow my birth plan?

They'll do their best when circumstances allow. Birth plans are informative, not binding — safety for mom and baby always comes first, and plans sometimes change based on what happens in the room. The real value is giving the care team clear defaults so they're not asking you to make decisions in the middle of a contraction.

Can I update my birth plan after I download it?

Yes — come back to this page and run through the questions again. Nothing is stored on our end unless you leave your email, and even then we don't save the plan itself. Your copy is yours.

Is this different from the birth plan tools on BabyCenter or What to Expect?

It's shorter. Those tools walk you through 15–30 preferences and output a multi-page document; hospital staff see those and tune out. This one maps to the four sections nurses actually care about in writing, prints on one page, and is written in plain English.

While you're here

DadKit does the rest of this.

Weekly updates, a safety lookup for the moments you're standing in a grocery aisle at 8pm wondering about sushi, a contraction timer that works one-handed in the dark, and a library that covers everything from the first scan through the first year. Free on the App Store.