The day you welcome your baby into the world is a momentous occasion. From early in pregnancy, you can begin exploring your options and thinking about what matters most to you during birth and the early postpartum period. Planning ahead can help you feel more informed and confident as you approach your baby’s birth.

What Is the Purpose of a Birth Plan?

A breastfeeding-friendly birth plan is a short written document outlining your preferences for labor, delivery, and early postpartum. It provides an opportunity to discuss your wishes with your healthcare team and consider the choices that are important to you before your baby arrives. 

For clarity, your birth plan should be concise and easy to read. Long, paragraph-form documents may be difficult for caregivers to review quickly, so outlining key points can help your healthcare team understand your most important preferences. 

Your birth plan may include information about: 

  • The involvement of your partner, family, or support team

  • Your desired type of delivery

  • Pain management choices, including medication or epidural anesthesia

  • Preferences for immediate bonding and breastfeeding

  • Timing of your baby's first bath and other newborn care and exams

By sharing your preferences ahead of time, you can help your healthcare team better support your goals during your hospital stay.

Is a Birth Plan a Guarantee?

A birth plan is not a script or a promise that every detail will happen exactly as written. Labor and delivery can be unpredictable, and your healthcare team may need to make recommendations based on your health, your baby’s well-being, or changing circumstances.

The goal of a birth plan is to help you understand your options, communicate your preferences, and feel more prepared to participate in decisions about your care.

What Should Your Birth Environment Look Like?

When envisioning your birth space, consider the atmosphere you want. Do you prefer dim lighting? Minimal interruptions? Music? Some parents create playlists to foster a calming environment. 

Think about who you want in the room—whether just your partner or additional support people like a doula, family, or friends. If you have specific visitors in mind, list their names in your birth plan so your healthcare team knows who is permitted in your space. Also, check your hospital's visitor policies in advance.

You may also want to think about how your birth environment can support early bonding and breastfeeding. Consider including preferences such as keeping your baby skin-to-skin after birth, limiting unnecessary interruptions during the first hour, or having support available if you need help with your baby’s first feeding.

How Would You Like to Manage Labor?

Every mother has different preferences for approaching labor, including movement, pain management, comfort measures, and medical interventions. Learning about your options ahead of time can help you create a birth plan that reflects your priorities, including the choices that may support a positive breastfeeding start.

Movement

Staying active during labor may help with comfort and allow you to try different positions that feel best for your body. Include your preferences for movement, labor positions, and hydrotherapy—if available—in your birth plan so your healthcare team can better support you. 

Many hospitals encourage movement during labor when appropriate. Depending on your situation, options may include walking, using a birth ball, standing, side-lying, or hands-and-knees positions. 

Interventions

Labor interventions, such as membrane sweeping, breaking the amniotic sac, Pitocin administration, IV fluids, fetal monitoring, or cervical checks, may be recommended for many different reasons, including supporting your health, your baby's health, or helping labor progress. Learning about these options ahead of time can help you discuss your preferences with your provider and understand when they may be appropriate. 

Pain Management

Pain management options vary from comfort measures, such as massage, breathing exercises, movement, and hydrotherapy, to medications such as nitrous oxide and epidural anesthesia. Discussing your preferences ahead of time helps guide your healthcare team during labor.

How Will You Deliver Your Baby?

As you prepare for your baby’s birth, consider what preferences are important to you during labor and delivery. Your birth plan can include details such as: 

  • Preferred type of delivery: vaginal, assisted vaginal, or planned cesarean

  • Positions for pushing and delivery

  • Use of a mirror to see the birth of your baby

  • Coached vs. spontaneous pushing

When possible, some mothers prefer to have the freedom to choose positions that feel most comfortable during labor and delivery, including hands-and-knees, squatting, or other positions. Flexibility is important, as your birth experience may require adjustments along the way. 

What Happens After Delivery?

Once your baby is born, the Golden Hour is an important time for bonding and beginning breastfeeding. A breastfeeding-friendly birth plan can include preferences that support early breastfeeding, such as immediate skin-to-skin contact, keeping your baby with you in your room 24/7 (rooming-in), offering the breast when your baby shows feeding cues, and requesting lactation support if needed.

You can also discuss your preferences for feeding support if challenges arise, including options such as donor milk or supplementation when medically necessary.

What If You Have a Cesarean?

Even if you’re planning a vaginal birth, it can be helpful to learn about cesarean and consider your preferences ahead of time. Having these conversations early can help you feel more prepared and supported if a cesarean becomes part of your birth experience. 

Even with a planned cesarean, you may still be able to request a gentler, more family-centered experience. This might include personalized music playing, additional support persons present, or a clear drape if available. Many providers already incorporate these practices into their standard care, but discussing your preferences during pregnancy can help create a shared understanding of what matters most to you. 

Your birth plan can also include preferences for breastfeeding support after a cesarean. You can ask about early skin-to-skin contact after birth, including in the operating room or recovery area when medically appropriate. This may include assistance with early feedings and support finding comfortable breastfeeding positions while recovering from surgery.

How Should Your Early Postpartum Care Be Planned?

The hours and days after birth are an important time for recovery, bonding, and establishing breastfeeding. Your birth plan can include preferences for your early postpartum care so your healthcare team understands what matters most to you. 

Consider outlining your preferences for:

Pain Medication After Birth 

Discuss options for managing discomfort during your recovery, including medications, non-medication comfort measures, and any concerns you may have about how pain management may affect breastfeeding. 

Rooming-in vs. Nursery Care

Many mothers choose to keep their baby in their room as much as possible after birth. Rooming-in allows you to learn your baby's feeding cues, practice breastfeeding frequently, and build confidence caring for your newborn with support from your healthcare team. 

Many hospitals now consider rooming-in as the standard of care and may no longer offer routine well-baby nursery care. However, policies vary by location, so it can be helpful to ask your hospital what options are available and what support is provided during your stay. 

Breastfeeding Support

You may want to include your preferences for breastfeeding support during your hospital stay. This may include requesting help from your nurses and lactation consultants with latch, learning more about newborn feeding behaviors, or asking questions about your baby’s feeding patterns. 

You can also discuss your preferences for feeding support if challenges arise, including options such as getting started with hand expression or pumping, donor milk availability, or formula supplementation when needed. Having these conversations ahead of time can help you feel more prepared and supported as you begin your breastfeeding journey. 

Your Baby's First Bath

Consider including your preferences for the timing of your baby’s first bath, routine newborn exams, and other procedures. The World Health Organization recommends delaying a newborn’s first bath until at least 24 hours after birth when possible. This allows more time for bonding, skin-to-skin contact, and early breastfeeding.

Delaying the first bath may also help support your baby’s temperature regulation and protect the natural benefits of the vernix (the white, creamy coating found on many newborns’ skin). If your baby needs medical care or monitoring, your healthcare team can help determine the best timing for routine newborn care.

When You'd Like to Head Home from the Hospital

Think about your preferences for when you would like to leave the hospital and what support you may need once you are home. Planning ahead for your early postpartum care can help support your recovery, bonding with your baby, and a strong start to breastfeeding.

How Do You Create a Birth Plan?

A thoughtful birth plan starts with understanding your options and identifying the choices that may help support your birth experience, early bonding, and breastfeeding goals.

Educate Yourself About Your Birthing Options

Learning about your options can help you feel more informed and confident as you prepare for labor and birth. Take a childbirth class, read books, watch birth videos, and consider hiring a doula. Aeroflow offers a variety of birth, breastfeeding, nutrition, and parenting classes—covered by insurance—to help you explore your choices.

In Part 1: Preparing for Birth & Breastfeeding, you’ll learn more about creating a birth plan, preparing for labor, and building a strong foundation of informed consent and shared decision-making with your healthcare team. 

Aeroflow Birth Plan Templates

As you begin creating your birth plan, a simple template can help you organize your hopes and goals for your baby’s birth. Aeroflow offers Vaginal Birth Plan Template/en Español and Cesarean Birth Plan Template/en Español, which walk you step-by-step through the most important decisions in an easy checklist format. 

These templates can help you start conversations with your partner and healthcare team and feel more prepared as you approach your baby’s birth. 

Consider Your Personal Health Factors

Review any personal health considerations or risk factors such as:

  • Pregnancy-related diagnoses

  • Chronic health conditions

  • Past birth experiences

Early in your planning, collaborate with your healthcare provider to discuss how these factors may influence your birthing experience. This conversation helps you better understand your options to create a plan that reflects realistic and safe preferences.

Questions to Ask Your Provider Before Creating Your Birth Plan 

  • What labor positions are supported at my birth location?

  • How often are routine interventions recommended?

  • What are my options for pain management?

  • Can I have immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth?

  • Is my baby able to stay with me after delivery?

  • When is lactation support available?

  • How will my birth plan be shared with the care team? 

Communicate Your Preferences with Your Support Team

Finally, review your options with your partner and decide what information your support team should know before your baby’s birth. This helps ensure the people supporting you understand what matters most to you and can advocate for your wishes during labor and delivery.

Making Your Birth Plan Part of Your Health Care

Your preferences are unique to you. While birth can be unpredictable, having a birth plan can help you communicate what matters most, make thoughtful decisions, and partner with your healthcare team throughout labor, delivery, and the early postpartum period.

Remember, your birth plan is a guide—not a script. Your experience may look different than you imagined, and that’s okay. Creating a plan can help you feel more prepared for different possibilities while still supporting early bonding and breastfeeding.

Support Beyond Your Birth Plan

If you have questions before or after your baby’s birth, Aeroflow’s lactation consultants are available to provide personalized breastfeeding support and guidance. Whether you’re preparing to breastfeed, navigating early feeding challenges, or choosing a breast pump through insurance, we are here for you when you need it.

Disclaimer: Our classes and accompanying materials are intended for general education purposes and should not replace medical advice. For personalized recommendations, please consult your healthcare provider and/or lactation consultant.