Your birth preferences
Exploring how you would like to labour and give birth, and putting together preferences you can share with your maternity team.
Birth Planning Appointment
Our Birth Planning appointment is a relaxed, 60-minute session with one of our experienced midwives, dedicated to helping you prepare for the birth of your baby. Together you will explore your birth preferences and work through any pregnancy-related questions or concerns.
Every appointment is tailored to you, with evidence-based guidance designed to help you feel informed, supported and confident as your due date approaches.
Available atLPC City (E1)
What is a birth planning appointment?
A birth planning appointment is a dedicated, 60-minute conversation with a qualified midwife about how you would like your labour and birth to unfold. Rather than a rigid script, a birth plan is a flexible set of preferences that helps your care team understand what matters most to you — while leaving room for the unexpected.
During the session, your midwife offers tailored, evidence-based guidance to help equip you for birth. There is space to talk through your options, ask questions, and think ahead about the decisions you may face during labour, so you can approach your due date feeling calmer and more prepared.
The appointment is a supportive, unhurried space. Whether this is your first baby or you are preparing for another birth after a previous experience, your midwife will meet you where you are and shape the conversation around your individual needs.
What we cover in your appointment
Your midwife shapes the session around your priorities. Common topics include:
Preparing for labour
Understanding the stages of labour and what to expect, so the process feels more familiar when the time comes.
Pain relief and comfort
Talking through the comfort measures and pain-relief options available, and how they may fit with your preferences.
Informed decision-making
Discussing the choices you may be offered during labour and birth, so you feel ready to make decisions that are right for you.
Your birth setting
Considering your options — whether you are planning a home, midwife-led unit or hospital birth — and what each may involve.
Any other concerns
Space to raise additional pregnancy-related questions or worries and to talk them through with an experienced midwife.
Who a birth planning appointment is for
This appointment may be especially helpful if you would like to:
- Feel more confident and prepared as your due date approaches.
- Put your birth preferences into words with support from a midwife.
- Understand your options and what to expect during labour and birth.
- Talk through a previous birth experience before preparing for another.
- Ask pregnancy-related questions in an unhurried, one-to-one setting.
How it fits alongside your pregnancy care
A birth planning appointment sits comfortably alongside your NHS or private maternity care. It does not replace the antenatal care provided by your midwifery team, but gives you extra, dedicated time to prepare — something regular appointments do not always allow.
Many parents find it works well later in pregnancy, once the birth feels closer, though there is no single right time. If you would like more support building confidence for labour, you may also be interested in our companion offerings within our wider midwifery service.
Related services you may find helpful:
- Our Calm Birthing Course, an evidence-based programme to build confidence and reduce fear around labour and birth.
- Our Early Pregnancy Consultation, for midwifery help navigating both private and NHS pregnancy care in London.
- Our wider private midwife service, including antenatal and postnatal appointments.
Good to know
A few practical details that apply to all of our midwifery appointments:
- Appointments are available online (via Zoom or telephone) or face-to-face at our clinics.
- Same-day (phone or online) and weekend appointments are available.
- We are a 5-star rated service on Google, Trustpilot and Doctify.
- We work with insurance companies — please get in touch to enquire.
- Our clinics are in the City (Spitalfields, 36 Spital Square) and West London (Chelsea).
Birth planning appointment: frequently asked questions
How long is a birth planning appointment?
A birth planning appointment lasts 60 minutes. This gives you and your midwife unhurried time to explore your birth preferences, prepare for labour, and talk through any additional pregnancy-related concerns.
Because the session is tailored to you, your midwife will make sure the time is spent on the topics that matter most for your individual circumstances.
When in my pregnancy should I book a birth planning appointment?
There is no single right time, and the appointment can be helpful at different stages of pregnancy. Many parents choose to book later in pregnancy, once the birth feels closer and they are thinking more actively about their preferences.
If you are unsure when would suit you best, please get in touch and our team can help you decide.
Can I have the appointment online or does it have to be in person?
You can choose whichever format suits you. Our midwifery appointments are available online (via Zoom or telephone) or face-to-face at the clinic.
Same-day appointments are available by phone or online, and weekend appointments can also be arranged.
Does a birth plan mean my birth has to go exactly that way?
No. A birth plan is a flexible set of preferences rather than a fixed script. It helps your care team understand what matters most to you, while leaving room for labour and birth to unfold in their own way.
Your midwife will support you to think through different scenarios, so you feel informed and prepared whatever the day brings. For decisions about your individual care, always speak with your own midwife or maternity team.
Is this appointment suitable if I am planning a home, unit or hospital birth?
Yes. Your midwife can discuss your preferences whatever birth setting you are considering, whether that is a home birth, a midwife-led unit or a hospital.
The conversation is shaped around your plans and your options, helping you feel more prepared for the setting you choose.
Do you work with insurance companies?
Yes — we work with a number of insurance companies, and many of our patients use private medical insurance for their midwifery appointments. Because every policy is different, we recommend checking with your insurer first that midwife-led birth planning is covered under your plan.
Please get in touch with our team before booking so we can confirm the details your insurer needs, such as invoices or clinician information. You can call us on 020 3687 2939 or send an enquiry through our contact page, and we will guide you through the process.
Contact
Ready to plan for your baby's birth?
Sources & clinical references
The figures and clinical statements on this page are drawn from the sources below. Guidance evolves — always discuss your individual circumstances with a clinician.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)Intrapartum care (NICE guideline NG235)2023
- NHSWhat to include in your birth plan
- NHSThe stages of labour and birth
- NHSPain relief in labour
- Tommy'sMaking your birth plan