Birth plans and changing preferences

Research on birth plans looks at what they are for and how they are used. Reviews examine their purpose, process and impact, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials looks at the role of the birth plan in maternal and neonatal outcomes. A critical review looks at birth plan use in Catalonia, a feminist analysis considers birth plans in Sweden, and an online exploration gathers women's views on plans, preferences or going with the flow.

A cluster randomized trial looks at the impact of shared decision-making on women's childbirth preferences. Qualitative studies explore how women make decisions for labor and birth, their participation in decisions in a reference hospital, why some choose a high risk birth setting against medical advice, and the experience of giving birth with paramedic care in Queensland.

Parents commonly ask whether to write a plan, what to put in it and what happens when labor goes differently. The research on whether plans change outcomes continues. An educator may want slides that frame preferences as a starting point for conversation and acknowledge that plans can change. The papers below are the ones the Hub tracks on this topic.