Home Birth Plan: Free Template, Sample & Transfer Plan

A home birth plan does two jobs: it describes the calm, familiar birth you hope for, and it sets out exactly what happens if you or your baby need to move to hospital. This guide walks you through both, with a filled-in sample you can adapt and a free printable template.

Free template: Download the free printable home birth plan (PDF) or the editable Word version and fill it in with your midwife. In the UK? Use our UK birth preferences template.

Is Home Birth Right for You?

Planning to give birth at home is a choice that is best made together with a qualified midwife or doctor who knows your medical history. Guidance differs between countries, so it helps to know what the main professional bodies say.

• UK (NICE): NICE intrapartum care guidance says that for women at low risk of complications who have given birth before, planning birth at home or in a midwife-led unit is particularly suitable, with a lower rate of interventions and similar outcomes for the baby compared with an obstetric unit. For a first baby, NICE notes that planning a home birth is associated with a small increase in the risk of a serious adverse outcome for the baby, alongside fewer interventions for the mother.
• US (ACOG): The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers hospitals and accredited birth centers the safest settings, while respecting a person's right to make an informed choice. ACOG describes appropriate candidates as people with no significant pre-existing or pregnancy-related medical conditions, a single baby in a head-down position, and labor starting at term. It also stresses a qualified attendant and access to timely transfer to a nearby hospital.

Who Is Usually a Good Candidate

• A healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy
• One baby, head-down (cephalic)
• Labor starting on its own at full term (roughly 37 to 42 weeks)
• No significant pre-existing health conditions
• A home within reasonable reach of a hospital with maternity care

Situations Where Home Birth Is Usually Not Recommended

Your midwife or doctor will assess your individual situation, but home birth is generally not advised, or needs careful specialist discussion, if you have:

• A previous cesarean or other surgery on the uterus (ACOG considers a prior cesarean a reason not to plan a home birth; NICE advises individual assessment and discussion)
• Twins or more, or a baby in breech or another non-head-down position
• High blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, or gestational diabetes needing medication
• Pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, or insulin-treated diabetes
• Placenta previa, bleeding in pregnancy, or concerns about the baby's growth
• Labor starting before 37 weeks, or a pregnancy that goes beyond 42 weeks
• A previous serious postpartum hemorrhage, retained placenta, or significant complication in an earlier birth

Circumstances can change late in pregnancy or during labor. A good home birth plan accepts this from the start, which is why the transfer section below is just as important as your preferences for the birth itself. To compare all your options side by side, see our guide to choosing a birth setting.

Choosing and Working With Your Midwife

Your midwife is the most important part of your home birth plan. Who attends home births depends on where you live.

In the US

• Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs): Registered nurses with graduate midwifery education, licensed in all states. Some attend home births, although many work mainly in hospitals and birth centers.
• Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs): Midwives trained specifically in out-of-hospital birth. Whether CPMs can be licensed, and what they are allowed to do, varies by state.
• Certified Midwives (CMs): Midwives with graduate midwifery education who are not nurses; recognized in a limited number of states.

In the UK

Home birth is offered through the NHS. You can tell your community midwife that you are considering a home birth, and a home birth team or community midwives on call will usually attend. Arrangements differ between areas, so ask how the local service works, especially overnight and at busy times.

Questions to Ask a Home Birth Midwife

• What are your qualifications and licensure, and are you insured?
• How many home births do you attend, and do you work with a second midwife or assistant at the birth?
• What equipment and medications do you bring (for example, oxygen, newborn resuscitation equipment, medication for bleeding, suturing equipment)?
• When would you recommend transferring to hospital, and which hospital do you transfer to?
• Do you have a working relationship with an obstetrician or hospital team for consultation?
• What happens if you are at another birth when I go into labor?
• What postpartum and newborn visits do you provide, and for how long?

Many families also have a doula at a home birth for continuous emotional and physical support. Learn how a doula fits alongside your midwife in our birth doula guide.

Preparing Your Space and Supplies

Your midwife will give you a list of what to have ready, often from around 36 weeks. Typical items include:

The Birth Space

• A room that can be kept warm, with space around the bed or birth pool for the midwife to work
• Good lighting available when needed (a lamp or headlamp), even if you prefer dim light in labor
• A clear route from the front door to the birth room for midwives and, if needed, paramedics with a stretcher
• A surface or table for the midwife's equipment
• Pets arranged to be elsewhere or looked after

Supplies

• Waterproof sheets or a shower curtain to protect the mattress and floor
• Disposable absorbent pads (sometimes called chux or incontinence pads)
• Plenty of old towels and washcloths
• Maternity pads and comfortable underwear
• Bin bags for laundry and waste
• A bowl or container for the placenta
• Baby clothes, a hat, blankets, and diapers/nappies, warmed if possible
• Snacks and drinks for you and the birth team
• A flashlight/torch and phone chargers
• If using a pool: the pool, liner, hose, adaptor, and a thermometer (see our water birth guide)

Practical Checks

• Your address is easy to find, with a visible house number and outside light
• Parking is available near the door for the midwife and an ambulance
• Phone signal or a landline works in the birth room
• Your hospital bag is packed and by the door, just in case
• You know the number to call when labor starts and who to call if you can't reach the midwife

Sample Home Birth Plan

Here is a filled-in example you can adapt. Keep yours short enough that your midwife can read it quickly, and go through it together at a prenatal visit. You can also build your own using our birth plan generator, or start from our general birth plan template.

Pain Relief Options at Home

Home birth offers many non-medication comfort measures, but fewer medical options than a hospital. Knowing this in advance helps you decide what you'd like to try and when you might want to transfer.

• Usually available: Water (bath, shower, or birth pool), movement and upright positions, massage and counter-pressure, heat packs, breathing and relaxation techniques, hypnobirthing, and a TENS machine (mainly in early labor, and not in water)
• Sometimes available: Gas and air (nitrous oxide and oxygen) is routinely carried by NHS community midwives in the UK. In the US, availability at home depends on the midwife and local regulations, so ask directly.
• Hospital only: Epidurals and most other medical pain relief require transfer. Some areas can offer an opioid injection at home, but this varies; ask your midwife what is available locally.

For more detail on each method, see our guides to natural pain relief and pain management options.

Your Hospital Transfer Plan

Most transfers from home are not emergencies. The most common reason, especially for first-time parents, is slow progress in labor or a request for more pain relief. Planning for transfer calmly in advance makes it far less stressful if it happens.

Common Reasons to Transfer

Your midwife will recommend moving to hospital if there are concerns. Typical reasons include:

• Labor progressing slowly, or a long time pushing without progress
• A request for an epidural or other medical pain relief
• Changes in the baby's heart rate that need continuous monitoring
• Significant meconium (the baby's first stool) in the waters
• A raised temperature, raised blood pressure, or other signs that you are unwell
• Bleeding during labor, or heavy bleeding after birth
• The placenta not delivering within the expected time
• A tear that needs repair in hospital
• The baby needing extra help with breathing or other care after birth
• Your own wish to go to hospital, for any reason

What to Put in Your Transfer Plan

• Hospital: Name, address, labor and delivery (or labour ward) phone number, and which entrance to use at night
• Transport: In urgent situations, your midwife will call an ambulance (911 in the US, 999 in the UK). For non-urgent transfers, agree in advance whether you will go by car, who will drive, and where to park
• Route and travel time: Know the route and roughly how long it takes at different times of day, including a backup route
• Who goes with you: Your midwife usually travels with you or meets you there; decide whether your partner or doula goes in the ambulance or follows by car
• Other children: Name who will look after them, their phone number, and whether they come to your home or the children go to them. Have a backup person too
• Pets and home: Who will feed pets, lock up, and switch off or empty the birth pool
• Paperwork: Your prenatal (antenatal) notes, your birth plan, ID, and insurance card if applicable
• Your preferences in hospital: A short section saying what matters most to you if you transfer, such as skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, or keeping your partner with you

Pack a Transfer Bag

Even when planning a home birth, pack a small bag by the door at around 36 weeks: phone and charger, a change of clothes, maternity pads, toiletries, snacks, glasses or contact lenses, and a set of baby clothes, a hat, diapers/nappies, and a car seat. Our hospital bag packing list covers everything in detail.

After the Birth at Home

Your midwife usually stays for a few hours after the birth to check that you and your baby are well, help with the first feed, examine the placenta, repair any minor tears, and complete paperwork. Before they leave, make sure you know:

• When the next postpartum and newborn visits are
• When newborn screening tests (such as the heel-prick or newborn blood spot test and hearing screening) will be done
• The warning signs that mean you should call for help, such as heavy bleeding, fever, severe headache, or a baby who is not feeding, is unusually sleepy, or has trouble breathing
• How and where to register the birth

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

A good home birth plan describes the birth you hope for and prepares you for the possibility of going to hospital. Choose a qualified midwife, talk honestly about whether home birth suits your pregnancy, prepare your space and supplies, and write a transfer plan that anyone in your household could follow. Keep your plan flexible, share it with your midwife well before your due date, and remember you can change your mind at any time.