Birth Plan: When to Write It and Why

The number one mistake to avoid when writing your birth plan is waiting until the second or third trimester. At this point you have already settled in with your provider. You have less flexibility to pivot and make changes based on your preferences and needs. 

While it’s normal and totally okay to change providers up until the late stages of pregnancy, many women prefer to have a longer relationship with their provider leading up to birth.

One of the biggest benefits of writing your birth plan is that it inevitably prompts you to research your birth options and bring up questions to ask your medical provider about how they will support each stage of birth. 

It’s important to know that many medical providers have a specific  way of doing things and may not have the flexibility to adjust to your needs or preferences. 

In a best case scenario, creating your ideal birth plan and asking questions of your provider will give you the peace of mind that you’ve hired the right team.

In the case that you realize you didn’t hire the right provider, changing providers earlier in pregnancy is much easier than further down the road.  

With this in mind, the sooner you write your birth plan the better - it’s never too early to start! 

The exercise of writing a birth plan does take time and it's a document that will evolve as you learn. Don’t be afraid to take your time and enjoy the process of planning your birth. 

I love to make this process fun which is why I've created a free birth plan template that you can download and have access to through Canva. Canva is a free platform that you can use to design, edit, and print out your own beautiful birth plan template that is concise and comprehensive and really super easy for your providers to scan through and read so that they like reading it as well.

Grab the template here.