Plans, Preferences or Going with the Flow - an online exploration of women’s views and experiences of birth plans

Aug 30, 2026

Upload by Levi

Objective: explore women’s views of birth plans, and experiences of completing and using them. Design: a qualitative exploratory study using Internet-mediated research methods. Setting: discussion boards of two UK-based parenting forums where birth-plan prompts were posted. Participants: forum members who had written and used, or chosen not to write or use, a birth plan. Findings highlight communication, options awareness, and control, but also concerns about the premise of “planning” and the need for midwife support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatDOCX

Pages17

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Objective

Design and Setting

Participants

Findings

Key Conclusions

Implications for Practice

Plans, Preferences or Going with the Flow: an online exploration of women’s views and experiences of birth plans Abstract Objective To explore women’s views of birth plans, and experiences of their completion and use. Design A qualitative, exploratory study, using Internet-mediated research methods. Setting The discussion boards of two well-known, UK-based, online parenting forums, where a series of questions relating to birth plans were posted. Participants Members of the selected parenting forums who had written and used, or who had chosen not to write or use, a birth plan. Findings Women responded with a range of views and experiences relating to the completion and use of birth plans. The benefits of birth plans were described in terms of communication with healthcare professionals, potentially enhancing awareness of available options, and maintaining a sense of control during labour and birth. However, many respondents believed the idea of ‘planning’ birth was problematic, and described a reluctance to write a formal plan. The support of healthcare professionals, particularly midwives, was considered essential to the success of both writing and using birth plans. Key conclusions Our findings show a continued debate among women on the benefits and challenges involved in writing and using birth plans, suggesting problems for a ‘one size fits all’ approach often seen in the use of birth plan templates. In the context of maternity policy supporting women’s choice and personalised care, and as a way of acknowledging perceived problems of ‘planning’ for birth, a flexible approach to birth plans is required, including the consideration of employing alternative nomenclature. Implications for practice Birth plans remain a point of contention in care contexts around the world. Midwives and other healthcare providers play a central role in supporting women to discuss available options, whether or not they decide to complete a formal birth plan. Key words Birth plans, choice, control, qualitative, online research methods, preparation for labour Highlights Women express mixed views about the benefits of writing and using birth plans; Women contest the idea that birth can be ‘planned’; Midwives play a central role in supporting the writing and use of birth plans; A personalised approach is important when considering options for labour and birth. Introduction Birth plans have been incorporated into antenatal and intrapartum care provision in the National Health Service (NHS) in England for the past three decades. Many NHS organisations provide explicit guidance and space for the completion of birth plans in women’s maternity notes, and there is a vast amount of information for parents available on the Internet. Women’s views and experiences of writing and using birth plans are explored in this paper, in the context of continuing debate about their benefits and disadvantages (Lothian, 2006; BLINDED FOR PEER REVIEW). Birth plans constitute an element of antenatal care in the NHS in England, with both the Department of Health (DH) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advocating their use. Birth plans are framed as part of a commitment to individualised care (DH, 2003), and are associated with the involvement of women in their own care, information giving by healthcare professionals, the establishment of effective communication between women and their caregivers, and a means by which women are able to maintain a sense of control during childbirth (NICE, 2008, 2014). A recent narrative review of published research related to birth plans (BLINDED FOR PEER REVIEW) concluded that there remains a lack of consensus about their use in labour and birth. While little evidence suggests that writing a birth plan is associated with increased obstetric interventions and poorer outcomes for women (Deering et al., 2007; Jones et al., 2009; Hidalgo-Lopezosa et al., 2013; Afshar et al., 2015), many healthcare practitioner

FAQs

What was the study’s objective regarding birth plans?

The study explored women’s views on birth plans and their experiences of completing and using them.

How was the research conducted?

It used a qualitative exploratory design with Internet-mediated methods, posting questions on two UK-based online parenting forums.

What benefits and challenges did respondents report about birth plans?

Respondents described benefits such as better communication with healthcare professionals and a sense of control, while many contested the idea of birth being ‘planned’ and were reluctant to write formal plans.

Aug 30, 2026

Upload by Levi