Birth plans can often get a bad rap! Many times I have heard women say "What's the point of doing a birth plan, you can't plan your birth" or "My birth plan totally went out the window."

We see a birth plan as a way of you getting clear on what is important to you and a communication tool with your caregivers so they also have an understanding of what is important to you.Prior to labour it is an excellent way to discuss what you would like during labour and what your caregivers can provide, discussions that can be difficult once labour has already started!

It can include: who is to be present at birth; birth positions; what breathing techniques you will be using, what pain relief is required (if any); the use of bath or shower; who is to discover the sex of the baby, who is to cut the cord and management of third stage labour, delayed cord clamping and syntocin.

You can also include ways to provide comfort for the labouring woman, essential oils, music and massage. It is also beneficial to discuss when things don't go according to plan, what happens when you have a cesarean section, requesting not to be separated from your baby, skin-to-skin with your baby in theatre and recovery.

It is also really important for when you arrive at the hospital. Your partner can hand over your birth plan to the midwife, who you will not have met before, and this allows her to get an understanding of how to best support you. Often midwives have to make a snap judgement on what support you might want for your birth, so if it's already written down they can get a quick understanding of where you stand with things like drugs and support.