Writing a birth plan in Singapore: what to include, how to raise it with your gynae, and what hospitals can and cannot do

A birth plan in Singapore is a one-page note of how you'd like labour, delivery and the first hours with your baby to go, which you go through with your gynae in the third trimester. KKH's obstetricians say the conversation that matters is the one with your doctor "around 36 weeks", about labour, pain relief and any concerns, and NUH builds a "discussion on delivery plans" into its third-trimester visits. Hospitals differ in what they can offer. KKH allows photos and videos during delivery and your own music at low volume, but doesn't offer water births, so ask your gynae early if you want one. At SGH, delayed cord clamping for about one minute is now routine for healthy babies, its labour page says. A birth plan isn't a contract: it's a way to organise your thoughts, share them with your partner and start an honest conversation with your O&G and your hospital.

What is a birth plan, and do you really need one?

It's a short list of what you'd like for labour, the birth and your baby's first hours. You don't need one. Some mums go in with an open mind and trust the team on duty; others feel calmer with it written down.

The practical use is in the delivery suite. Your partner can speak up for you, and a midwife can read one page instead of asking you questions between contractions. Word it as preferences, because labour changes fast and your doctors will put your safety and your baby's first. If you're still early on, the due date calculator tells you when the third trimester starts.

When and how to write it

Draft it early in the third trimester and take it to your O&G at around 36 weeks. That timing comes from KKH's obstetric team, writing on HealthXchange: "What is most important is to discuss with your doctor around 36 weeks with regards to your preference for the labour, pain relief and any concerns." By then your doctor knows how your pregnancy has gone and which of your requests your hospital can meet.

Keep it to one page, since a busy delivery suite won't read three, with your top two or three wishes first and the ones you'd bend on marked.

• Draft it in the third trimester, then go through it with your O&G at around 36 weeks
• Keep it to one page of bullet points, most important first
• Write "I'd prefer" and "if all is well" rather than "I will not"
• Give a copy to your birth partner and put one in your hospital bag
• Check with your hospital which requests its delivery suites can handle

What to include in your birth plan

There's no set template. Most birth plans in Singapore cover the same choices, listed below. Keep the ones you care about and skip the rest.

Pain relief: epidural, Entonox or natural methods

For most mums this is the big one. An epidural gives the most reliable relief: a fine tube in your lower back carries medicine to the nerves for the rest of labour, and you stay awake for the birth. Shivering, itching, a short dip in blood pressure or a headache can happen and usually pass, and serious problems are very rare because an anaesthetist puts it in. KKH's guidance is that you can have an epidural whenever you ask for one, and asking early doesn't make a caesarean more likely.

Laughing gas (Entonox, nitrous oxide and oxygen through a mouthpiece) takes the edge off contractions and you can stop it any time, though it can leave you light-headed or queasy. Pethidine and similar injections are another option. They can make you drowsy or sick, and they can slow the baby's breathing if given close to the birth, so they aren't used when delivery is near. On their own or with these, breathing techniques, a warm shower, massage, moving around and a TENS machine all help. It's fine to write "I'd like to try without an epidural first, but I'm open to one"; nobody hands out medals for skipping pain relief.

Induction and assisted delivery

If your doctor suggests bringing labour on, ask for the reasons when it isn't an emergency. Our guide to how to start labour naturally explains when Singapore hospitals offer induction. Forceps or a vacuum cup (ventouse) may be advised if pushing goes on too long or your baby shows signs of distress. You can't rule these out, because sometimes they are the safest way, but you can ask to be told what's happening at each step.

Birth positions and movement

You might want to walk around in early labour, use a birthing ball, or give birth in a position other than on your back. KKH says any birthing position, squatting included, is fine as long as it's safe for you and your baby, so agree it with your doctor. An epidural, the drip and continuous monitoring all limit how much you can move.

Monitoring

Your baby's heartbeat and your contractions are tracked with a CTG monitor, and KKH monitors your baby continuously through labour. Some mums would rather have checks every so often so they can move; you can ask, but continuous monitoring is often needed, for example after an epidural or if your baby needs a closer watch. Our guide to what happens in the delivery room walks through the routine.

Episiotomy and tearing

An episiotomy is a small cut to help the baby out and avoid a worse tear. Many mums write that they'd like one only if it's needed. You can also ask for warm compresses and slow, guided pushing to lower the chance of tearing.

Who is present

KKH says your husband "is encouraged to accompany you in the Delivery Suite", with exceptions made for your mother or sister instead. Policies on a second companion or a doula differ between hospitals and can change, so check with yours rather than assuming, and write down who you'd like with you.

Skin-to-skin, cord clamping and who cuts the cord

You can request immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth, and KKH and NUH both encourage it, with breastfeeding started within the first hour where possible. Delayed cord clamping means waiting a little before the cord is clamped. SGH's Going into labour page says it does this for about one minute as routine, unless your baby needs immediate attention from the neonatologist. Ask your own hospital what it does. It isn't done if there is severe bleeding, a cord wound tightly around the baby's neck, or a baby who needs resuscitation, and it slightly raises the chance of newborn jaundice. Note if you would like your partner to cut the cord, and if you plan to bank or donate cord blood, flag it early, as KKH lists cord blood banking among the points to settle with your doctor and it affects the timing of clamping.

Vitamin K and newborn jabs

Soon after birth your baby is offered a vitamin K injection, which prevents a rare but serious bleeding problem, and a hepatitis B vaccination, both given "if you are agreeable", HealthHub says. Take any questions to your O&G or paediatrician well before the day.

Feeding intentions

Write whether you plan to breastfeed, formula feed or do both, and whether you'd like help with the first latch. If you don't want your baby given formula or a pacifier without asking you first, say so. Most hospitals have lactation support.

If a C-section becomes necessary

Even if you are planning a vaginal birth, note your wishes in case a caesarean is needed. For a planned caesarean at KKH, your partner is shown to a waiting area next door to the theatre, so ask your hospital whether a partner can come into theatre at all. KKH says that if you have regional anaesthesia, an epidural or spinal, you can have skin-to-skin contact with your baby; that isn't possible under a general anaesthetic. You can also ask for a clear explanation at each step. Planning for this is not pessimistic; it means you stay informed even if the day takes an unexpected turn.

Postnatal ward preferences

Your preferences do not have to end at delivery. Many mums note whether they would like their baby to room in with them, how they feel about visitors, and the kind of room they hope for. KKH encourages rooming-in under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, and NUH recommends your baby rooms in with you for your whole stay. Room types and ward classes vary by hospital, so check what is available when you book rather than assuming it can be arranged on the day.

What Singapore hospitals can and cannot accommodate

Each hospital publishes a little about its delivery suites, and those pages answer more birth plan questions than most guides do. Here is what each says on its own site, read on 11 October 2026. Where a hospital doesn't say, ask on your tour or at your antenatal visit; don't assume.

Birthing balls, dimmed lights and a second companion aren't covered on these pages, so they are questions for your tour. Tours help: SGH runs labour ward tours as part of its antenatal classes, plus ad hoc tours at 11.30am and 3pm on weekdays (6326 5923), and KKH has a video walkthrough and a 360-degree view of its Delivery Suite online. Our guide to water birth in Singapore covers that option in detail, and hospital maternity packages compares what each hospital charges.

Private versus restructured hospitals: a quick note

Where you deliver shapes your plan. Your own O&G usually delivers your baby in a private hospital, while in a restructured hospital the team on duty may look after you, and at KKH subsidised patients with an uncomplicated birth are delivered by midwives. Room classes, companions and comfort extras differ too, so confirm the details with yours. If you haven't picked a doctor yet, start with our guide on how to choose a gynae in Singapore.

What about a home birth?

Planned home births are very rare in Singapore. Hospitals, with a theatre and a full team on hand, are the standard and the safest place. Now and then a baby comes before mum reaches the hospital, so be ready: know the signs of labour, pack your hospital bag by 36 to 37 weeks, keep your gynae's number and a transport plan handy, and take strong, regular contractions seriously. If the birth starts before you get there, call 995 for an ambulance and keep your baby warm against your skin until help arrives. Our guide to the signs of labour in Singapore helps you spot it early.

Why flexibility matters more than the plan itself

Births rarely go to script. Labour can be quicker or slower than you expect, the epidural you didn't want can turn out to be a relief, and an emergency can need decisions in minutes. Mums who hold tight to a plan sometimes feel let down, even guilty, when it changes, and that's the last thing you need with a newborn. Write down your ideal day, then let your team guide you if things shift. A healthy mum and a healthy baby is a good birth, however it happens.

Discuss it with your O&G and your hospital

Your birth plan only works if the right people see it. Bring it to an antenatal appointment with your O&G, ideally by around 36 weeks, and talk through anything you are unsure about. At NUH, a "discussion on delivery plans" is part of the third-trimester visits, alongside the 32-week growth scan and Group B Strep screening, so it's a natural time to bring yours.

KKH's obstetricians suggest the discussion covers induction, pain relief, moving around in labour, cord cutting, episiotomy and cord blood banking, and they say plainly that "there are times when your doctor may have to gently decline your request". Asking works better than telling. Questions worth taking in:

1. Which of my preferences can this hospital do, and which can't it?
2. When would you advise induction for me, and what method would you use?
3. If I want an epidural, how soon can I have one, and will I still be able to move?
4. Do you delay cord clamping as routine, and when wouldn't you?
5. If I need a caesarean, can my partner be in theatre, and can I have skin-to-skin there?
6. Can you note my main preferences in my hospital records, so the team on duty sees them?

If your doctor says no to something, ask why, and whether it would change if things go smoothly on the day. It also helps to time this alongside your hospital bag checklist so a copy goes straight into your bag once it is agreed. Related reading: our guides to epidural and labour pain relief and C-section recovery.

Frequently asked questions

When should I write my birth plan?

Draft it in the third trimester and finalise it with your O&G at around 36 weeks, which is when KKH's doctors suggest having the conversation. There's still time to adjust if anything changes before your due date.

Do Singapore hospitals actually follow birth plans?

Hospitals will do their best to respect reasonable, clearly written preferences. Skin-to-skin and rooming-in are encouraged at KKH and NUH, and SGH delays cord clamping for about a minute as routine. What they cannot do is follow a preference that becomes unsafe on the day, and KKH's doctors say they may have to gently decline some requests, which is why it helps to discuss the plan in advance and keep it flexible.

Can I change my birth plan during labour?

Absolutely. A birth plan is only a starting point. You can change your mind about pain relief, positions or anything else at any time, and a good care team will support whatever feels right in the moment.

Can I have a water birth in Singapore?

KKH says it does not offer water births. Ask your gynae early if you want one, because it depends on where you deliver.

Can my partner take photos or videos during delivery?

At KKH, yes, as long as no procedure is under way, and that covers the delivery itself. Staff can't be filmed without their consent. Check the rules at private hospitals with your gynae.

What happens if I need an emergency C-section?

If a caesarean becomes the safest option, your team will explain what is happening. Some preferences can still apply: KKH says skin-to-skin is possible if you have an epidural or spinal rather than a general anaesthetic, and you can ask whether your partner can be with you. Noting these wishes in advance means you stay informed even if the plan shifts quickly.

After the birth: looking ahead

Your birth plan ends when your baby arrives, but the planning doesn't. Thinking about recovery now, including confinement and postnatal support, makes the first weeks easier, and our Pregnancy and Prenatal hub has more antenatal guides. The plan is there to help you feel ready. It isn't a test.

General information only. This guide is educational and does not replace personalised advice from your O&G, midwife or hospital. Always confirm policies and what is suitable for you with your own care team and chosen hospital.