What Should Be in a Natural Hospital Birth Plan?

Choosing a natural birth in a hospital isn’t just a medical decision. It’s a personal, powerful, often oppositional choice.

But how do you put all of your hopes, your research, and your voice, into one page that a hospital staff will actually read?

This post will walk you through what to include in your natural hospital birth plan, what to leave out, and how to make sure it actually supports your experience instead of just becoming another document no one looks at.

Why a Birth Plan Still Matters (Even in a Hospital)

If you’ve heard a provider say something like: “Just go with the flow, you can’t plan birth anyway…” you’re not alone.

But let’s reframe that: a birth plan isn’t about controlling the outcome. It’s about clarity, communication, and consent.

When you’re in labor, it can be hard to speak up in the moment, especially in a medicalized space with fast-moving decisions. A birth plan helps everyone know how to support you before you’re in the thick of it.

The Core of a Natural Hospital Birth Plan

Whether you use a template or write your own, here’s what to include, to ensure your preferences for unmedicated, physiological birth are clearly stated:

Your Top Priorities

• “My goal is an unmedicated, low-intervention birth.”

• “I prefer to move freely and use comfort tools before considering medication.”

• “Please involve me in all decisions and explain interventions clearly.”

This section sets the tone. It helps staff understand you’re not anti-medicine, you’re autonomy.

Labor Preferences

• Movement: walking, birth ball, shower/tub use if available

• Monitoring: intermittent over continuous (if medically appropriate)

• IV access: saline lock preferred (not continuous fluids)

• Environment: dim lights, minimal staff interruptions, music or affirmations

These give your body the best shot at progressing naturally.

Pain Management

• Comfort techniques first: counterpressure, rebozo, heat, breathwork

• No medication offered unless requested

• Encouragement from staff to continue with chosen tools

If you’ve downloaded A Doula’s Guide to Comfort in Labor, this is where you get to use it!

Interventions & Procedures

• Vaginal exams only when necessary and with consent

• Avoiding artificial rupture of membranes unless medically indicated

• No routine Pitocin unless discussed

• Delayed cord clamping

• Skin-to-skin immediately after birth (even in the OR if needed)

Keep this short, but specific. You want your provider team to know where you stand.

Newborn Care

• No formula or pacifiers without consent

• Baby roomed-in, not taken to nursery unless medically necessary

• Breastfeeding support requested

• Vitamin K and eye ointment based on your researched preferences

What Not to Stress Over

Here’s where a lot of birth plans get cluttered:

• Cutesy formatting: You don’t need emojis, graphics, or Pinterest-worthy fonts.

• Every single option: Focus on what matters most to you. A one-page plan is more likely to be read.

• Repeating hospital policy: If your hospital already does delayed cord clamping, don’t list it, just focus on where your preferences diverge from the norm.

Make Your Plan Actually Work for You

A birth plan isn’t a magic shield. But it is a tool. And like any tool, it works best when:

• You’ve talked it through with your provider beforehand

• Your partner or doula knows it inside and out

• You’re prepared emotionally for plans to flex, while still holding your voice

You Deserve More Than a Template. You Deserve Real Support

Creating a natural hospital birth plan is a powerful first step. But it’s just that, a first step.

If you want someone to walk this with you, to help you prep emotionally, practically, and system-savvy, I’d love to support you as your doula.

👉 Book a free consultation here or🌿 Grab your free copy of A Doula’s Guide to Comfort in Labor

You’re not asking for too much. You’re asking for what should be normal.

And I’ll help you hold that line, with clarity, courage, and community.