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Day 169 of 280 · 24 weeks + 1 day

The birth plan, page one

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

A birth plan starts as three headings and a lot of blanks. Today you write page one: where, who's with you, and what you want to know about pain relief.

Size this week
about the size of a corn on the cob
Length this week
around 30 cm from head to heel
A Black woman in a loose sweatshirt with a 24-week bump sitting cross-legged on a sofa, writing in a spiral notebook propped on a cushion, a mug beside her, warm evening lamplight.

Twenty-four weeks and one day. "Write a birth plan" sits on the NHS's list for this week. Nobody writes one in a sitting, so today is only page one.

Your baby

A single husked corn on the cob on a plain white linen cloth, soft daylight.

Around 30cm long from head to heel, about the size of a corn on the cob (NHS). The NHS's description for this week is that everything is in proportion, just smaller than a baby who's been in the womb for longer (NHS). From here, a lot of the work is growing.

Your body

Writing a birth plan is on the NHS's to-do list at 24 weeks (NHS). Next week's page names two things to think about, your preferred pain relief and who you want with you at the birth, and points to the NHS's own birth plan template (NHS). Where you give birth comes up at 27 weeks (NHS), and by 29 weeks the plan has grown to include the role of your birth partner (NHS). So the headings are already set. You just start writing under them.

Meanwhile, round ligament pain is on the NHS's list for these weeks (NHS). MedlinePlus says it most often occurs between 18 and 24 weeks, and that moving slowly or changing position may help (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The birth plan, page one

    Time: 15 minutes

    1. Write three headings on one page: Where. Who's with me. Pain relief.

    2. Under each, write what you already know, even if it's one word. Leave the rest blank.

    3. Under each, write one question for your midwife or provider, or for your antenatal class. MedlinePlus suggests asking your provider about classes for you and your partner (MedlinePlus).

    4. Date the page and put it in the folder with your pregnancy notes.

    Make it work:

    The blanks are the point. Page one is a list of what you still need to find out, and the next few weeks of notes will fill it in.

Watch for

  • Normal

    round ligament pain, which is most common between 18 and 24 weeks (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider right away

    for constant, severe belly pain, possible contractions, or pain with bleeding or fever (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    feeling less steady as the bump grows and your balance shifts (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if you fall; the NHS says to stay calm but tell your midwife as soon as possible (NHS).

  • Normal

    feeling hot, which is on the NHS's symptom list for these weeks (NHS).

    Call your provider

    as soon as you can for fever or chills (OWH).

For you

A birth plan is a list of preferences, not a contract. Births change course, and a plan that bends is still doing its job: it tells the people in the room what matters to you when you're busy doing something else.

If you've had a baby before, your plan may start from what you'd keep and what you'd change. Write both.

If you're the partner: read page one tonight and ask what she'd want you to do. Your role in the room belongs on the plan too (NHS), and it's easier to agree on now than in the moment.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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