Labour and delivery

Prepare for birth with preferences, clinical flexibility and a clear safety plan.

Birth planning is not about guaranteeing one route of delivery. It brings together maternal and fetal health, presentation, previous births, progress in labour, personal preferences and the facilities needed if circumstances change.

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Illustration of a woman practising supported breathing during birth preparation

Detailed guide Clinically reviewed

What to know

Understand your care and know what to do next.

Plan before labour begins

Discuss the intended hospital, travel route, admission process, emergency contact, documents, blood availability where relevant and when to leave for assessment. The plan should also cover pain-relief preferences and who the patient wants involved in decisions.

When hospital admission or delivery is required, JEWCC coordinates care through an associated hospital with appropriate inpatient, anaesthesia and newborn support. The exact facility is confirmed for the individual plan.

Delivery setting and backup plan
Records, medicines and allergies
Consent and communication preferences

Different births can all be respectful

Spontaneous vaginal birth may be appropriate when labour progresses safely. Assisted vaginal birth or caesarean birth can be recommended when they offer a safer balance for the mother, baby or both.

A recommendation should include the clinical reason, urgency, alternatives that remain reasonable and what recovery may involve. Needing an assisted birth or caesarean is not, by itself, a failure by the mother, family or doctor. The decision should be explained clearly and guided by the safety of mother and baby.

Vaginal birth where appropriate
Assisted birth for selected situations
Caesarean birth when clinically indicated

The plan may change in real time

Labour progress, fetal heart-rate patterns, bleeding, infection, blood pressure or other findings can change the safest course. Continuous explanation helps couples participate even when decisions become time-sensitive.

Ask during antenatal care how emergencies are handled, what newborn support is available and how the obstetrician communicates if the original birth preference is no longer advisable.

Ongoing maternal and fetal assessment
Timely escalation when needed
Immediate post-birth and feeding support

This guide provides general education, not a diagnosis or an individual pregnancy plan. Follow the advice given for your pregnancy and seek urgent assessment when warning symptoms occur.

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Explore antenatal care, tests, daily life, delivery, urgent warning signs, postnatal recovery, feeding support, insurance and consultation details.

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Sources for this guideWHO: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience WHO: respectful maternal and newborn care