What should I include in a birth plan in Québec?

The short answer

A birth plan is a short list of your preferences for labour, birth and your baby’s first moments. It can be written down or discussed with your care team. In Québec, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) recommends keeping it clear and brief—ideally one page—talking it over with your health-care professional before birth, and leaving room for the unexpected.

What is it for?

A birth plan helps you tell your care team what matters to you and gives you a starting point for conversation. It can also help the person supporting you understand how to be there for you. You don’t need to predict every step or make decisions ahead of time about every possible intervention.

Your preferences may change during pregnancy or labour. A plan can’t guarantee that everything will happen as you expect. Instead, it offers some reference points for discussing options, asking questions and helping you feel heard. The Public Health Agency of Canada also describes birth planning as a way for the person giving birth, their family and their care team to communicate about care.

What should you include in your birth plan?

Choose the topics that matter most to you. You can use the suggestions from the INSPQ birth plan page and adapt them to your circumstances.

• Who you want with you. Who would you like to have nearby during labour and birth? Would you like a doula? Are there people you would prefer not to have in the room? If you have preferences about language, pronouns or how people address you, include them too.
• Your surroundings and support. Note what helps you feel comfortable and supported: dim lighting, music, explanations before procedures or the reassuring presence of someone close to you. Ask your place of birth what it can accommodate.
• Comfort and pain relief. Write down approaches you’d like to try, options you have questions about and whether you’d like to discuss medication. You can also note positions you’d like to explore during labour or pushing. You don’t have to decide everything in advance. Your care team can explain the options available and what may suit the situation.
• Interventions and decisions. List any procedures or examinations you’d like explained before they’re offered. You might want to ask why they’re being considered, what possible effects they could have and what alternatives may be available. You can state your preferences while keeping in mind that the conversation may need to change in the moment.
• Your baby’s first moments. Would you like skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible, if you and your baby are well enough? Would you like your support person to have skin-to-skin contact with the baby if you can’t? You can also mention your wishes for those first meetings and for rooming-in at your place of birth. The INSPQ explains that skin-to-skin contact can begin at birth when the situation allows.
• Feeding your baby. Note whether you hope to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or whether you have questions and would like support as you decide. You can ask what resources are available where you’ll give birth. You don’t have to justify your choice.
• Changes of plan and care after birth. What would you like to know if plans need to change, you have a caesarean birth or your baby needs extra care? You can note who you’d like to have with you and how you’d like to receive explanations. The goal is to prepare for a conversation, not to plan for every possible scenario.

How can you prepare and share it?

Start by writing your priorities in your own words, then shorten the list to the points that matter most. One page is often enough: the care team can quickly see your preferences, while you save more detailed questions for your appointments. The INSPQ suggests discussing your plan with your health-care professional before birth and checking the specific practices at your place of birth.

To make your plan easy to use:

1. Bring it up during prenatal care. Ask whether your place of birth has a template or any specific practices you should know about.
2. Present preferences as wishes. Phrases such as “if possible” or “please explain the options to me” show that you want to take part in decisions while keeping the conversation open.
3. Share it with your support person. They can better understand what reassures you and help communicate your priorities.
4. Keep a copy handy. The INSPQ suggests bringing your plan to your place of birth.

You can also prepare a verbal version if writing everything down feels like too much. What matters is that the key information is known and that you can ask your questions. If you have cultural, spiritual, accessibility or communication needs, mention them to the team providing your prenatal care.

What if birth doesn’t go according to plan?

That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Labour and birth are unpredictable, and you can change your mind at any time. If your care team suggests a new option, you can ask why it’s being considered, what its possible benefits and risks are, and what other choices may be available, depending on the urgency and your situation. Your support person can help you take in the information and ask about what matters to you.

A birth plan is a starting point for communicating with your care team, not a promise about how birth will unfold. After birth, the INSPQ describes the first moments with your baby, including skin-to-skin contact when the parent and baby are doing well.

If you have a question about your health, call Info-Santé 811. In an emergency, call 911. For questions about medication, ask your pharmacist.

Frequently asked questions

This article is for information; it does not replace advice from a health professional. In Québec, call Info-Santé 811 when in doubt (elsewhere in Canada, your provincial health line). In an emergency, call 911.

Sources

1. Chapter 4: Care during labour and birth, Agence de la santé publique du Canada
2. Info-Santé 811, Gouvernement du Québec
3. Quand et comment utiliser le 911 au Québec (in French), Gouvernement du Québec