What to Include in a VBAC Birth Plan [FREE Worksheet]

We have a lot of our followers asking if they need to make a specific VBAC birth plan. 

The simple answer is YES. 

Creating a VBAC birth plan can answer questions for your birth team. It can help make sure your birth happens the way you want it to. 

Even when things don’t go according to plan, having your preferences clearly communicated in advance helps with decision making in the moment.

In addition to discussing why we suggest creating a VBAC birth plan, we want to show you what it looks like and provide tips for planning your upcoming VBAC.  

What’s a birth plan? 

A birth plan is a list of your birth preferences, so your medical provider and the other staff know your wishes for your birth. In fact, a birth preference sheet is another way people describe a birth plan. 

What is a VBAC Birth Plan?

A VBAC birth plan is a set of instructions and preferences for delivering vaginally after previous Cesarian. Having a plan for your VBAC is helpful to solidify your wishes and helps avoid making unwanted decisions under pressure while giving birth. VBAC-specific birth plans are especially useful to inform medical staff, who may not know the all the facts about VBAC, about your birth choices.

If you’re concerned about how to have a successful VBAC, creating a detailed birth plan can help you guarantee a favorable outcome.

In most hospitals around the world, you will likely have a birth team that consists of one or more providers. This could mean that your primary doctor or midwife may or may not be there at the time of birth. 

During your prenatal visits, you will establish a good relationship with your provider and discuss all the things you desire. Usually, a VBAC supportive provider will have a full understanding and support those things you would like for the most part. 

In the event that your provider is not there, a birth plan can help the other providers know what you are looking for during the birth of your sweet little one. 

Why you need a birth plan

Some ask why there is a need to write up a birth plan. Can’t you just tell your provider what you want when you arrive at the hospital? 

Although there is not a specific need to have one, it is suggested. Years ago, providers would catch their patients’ babies. If you can imagine, as the world has grown, so has the labor and delivery unit. Providers have started coming together and teaming up so they have extra help.

This means that there is a higher chance of another provider attending your birth — there is even a chance you will deliver with one you’ve never met before.

Typically, you will see your provider during the entire pregnancy for your prenatal visits. You will talk about the birth you are planning for and ask questions so you know what to expect. However, you may not have met your provider’s partner. 

When you are in labor, it is hard to communicate and even remember all of those desires. 

It is also hard and may put a lot of pressure on your birth partner to remember the things you discussed before arrival. Having a doula can help because they are usually up to date with your birth plan and can help you remember. However, doulas are not always with you right upon arrival. 

Having an easy-to-read typed sheet, listing the things that matter most to you, can truly help get your birth experience off to a nice start.

Having a birth plan that is specific to your needs and wants can truly help everyone who walks into the room be on the same page.

Why you need a VBAC specific birth plan

With a VBAC, there is even more reason to create a birth plan.

It makes me sad to say this, but VBAC parents often receive a lot of pressure upon arrival. Many birth locations require immediate IV fluids, or even a “just in case” epidural. 

One of the reasons why people labor at home as long as possible is to avoid interventions and things they don’t want to do during labor. Even if you are planning to have a VBAC home birth, sometimes a hospital transfer becomes necessary.

If there is a written plan in place, a staff member can go over it right away and review your wishes. The birth plan can help you avoid some of the pressure to make decisions you knew you didn’t want to make. 

Contractions can last up to a minute or more. Towards the active phases of labor, they can happen every three minutes. It’s incredibly hard to focus on making decisions while doing this. 

Gathering education and knowing what interventions you are and are not okay with is a good place to start. Learning the truth about what may or may not be necessary can help you prepare your VBAC birth plan. I personally believe that medical staff have our best interests at heart. However, that doesn’t mean that they know what is best for you at that every moment. 

So you have a birth plan for your VBAC, but do you create two just in case a repeat cesarean arises? 

This is totally optional. In our VBAC prep course for parents, we suggest preparing for all scenarios in birth. If a repeat cesarean becomes necessary, there are things that can be done to make it more gentle and family centered. 

If you want to create a second birth plan in case of C-section, I suggest you do it separately, and keep it tucked away. Ask your partner or VBAC doula to bring it out if you need it. 

It’s very important to acknowledge that a repeat cesarean is possible, but not neccesarily add it to your main VBAC birth plan. Keeping it focused on your desired outcome — a vaginal birth — will keep you and your team working towards that goal.

What to include in your birth plan 

I am a HUGE fan of keeping birth plans short and sweet. Staff members want to help you and create the best experience for you, but they are also busy. With a plan that is short and sweet, staff can quickly run over the plan and confirm your wishes. 

If your birth plan is too long, it may be too much to read and absorb, and may cause a staff member to want to skip over some important points.

A lot of people hesitate to write a birth plan because they are worried about what people will think of it when they arrive at the hospital. They may want to avoid being viewed as difficult. 

I want to eliminate this fear right here right now. 

Having a birth plan or birth preference sheet does not make you difficult or high maintenance. It shows that you are prepared, you have studied, and you know your desires. 

Try and keep your plan to a clean, simple page with bullet points. So, how do you figure out what’s most important to make it onto this page?

While you are preparing your plan, start by dialing into what your true desires are. At the same time, understand that some things may not be negotiable, depending on your situation and medical provider. 

For example, fetal monitoring may be something you’d prefer to avoid. Not everyone loves being hooked up to a machine during labor. This, however, may be one of those things that are not worth “fighting” for. The staff likes to monitor the baby because fetal monitoring can be one of the first signs for uterine rupture. 

There is also a lot of comfort for staff, especially for a VABC, in hearing a constant heartbeat and seeing how it reacts to the birthing parent’s contractions and movement. 

Some parents may also wish to decline antibiotics in labor. If the parent tested positive for Group B Strep (GBS) or has a fever in labor, IV antibiotics are typically suggested. This treatment is for Group B Strep prevention in the newborn.

During your pregnancy, learn the facts about VBAC, and discuss with your team to find out what things mean the most to you. Every person is different, and that means that all desires are different as well. 

Focusing on your goal is important. A VBAC birth plan can help your team not only know what your goals are, but also why they are important to you. 

Some things you may want to consider including on your birth plan are:

• List your name and who will be with you (Partner, Doula, Family/Friend)
• Use language other than NO to list preferences rather than demands
• If there is something very important to you, use an * sign next to it and explain what it means at the bottom or top of the page
• What you desire for after birth (pitocin, placenta delivery, etc)
• What you would like to happen with your baby (vitamin K, Eye ointment, Hep B)
• Any additional information that you feel is important for the staff to know 

When writing out your plan, here some examples of how to phrase requests in a positive way, avoiding “NO”:

• “I would prefer to walk as much as possible” instead of “No movement restrictions”
• “Please refrain from suggesting pain medication” instead of “No meds” or “DO NOT offer me an epidural”
• “It is important for me to stay in a positive space” instead of “No bad vibes”

Birth plan template 

In our VBAC course, we have a whole section on creating a birth plan and how to figure out what really is most important to you for your birth journey. 

Because we love supporting birthing parents as much as we possibly can, we are including our Determining your Birth Preferences Worksheet for you today. It includes a birth plan template to help you list the most important factors you want to include in your VBAC birth plan.

We truly believe education is power. Really understanding why you are choosing the things you list on your VBAC birth plan is a powerful step in achieving those goals. 

Planning a VBAC with Confidence 

When it comes to preparing your VBAC birth plan, do so with confidence. Know what you want and don’t be scared to advocate for yourself and your baby. 

Once the intensity of labor has taken over, make sure your team is aware of what you want, so they can help advocate for you. 

I always suggest doulas request a copy of clients’ birth plans in case they forget to bring it to the birthing location, so the staff is still able to look over the wishes. 

Be okay to stand up for yourself. If someone says, “Well, we highly suggest this,” and it is something you don’t want, it is okay to say, “No thank you.” That’s why it’s so important to do your research, so you can feel comfortable and confident in making decisions along the way.

This is your birth, and the team in the room is there for you and your baby. In the end you get to make the final say. 

As I mentioned above, it is important to not only know your options for birth, but to know which ones are most important to you. 

On the worksheet, you’ll find a list of common choices for labor and birth. Print that page out, cut out the cards, and lay them each out in front of you as you consider which ones matter most for your birth experience. If there is anything you don’t know about or have an opinion on, we encourage you to research it.

Let us know how it worked for you and if you enjoyed it!