Background The information on birth plan (BP) usage in Spanish hospitals is scant. Aim To identify the percentage of pregnant women presenting a BP at five hospitals in Spain, the reasons why some women failed to do so and how BP presentation relates to obstetric outcomes and selected pain relief methods. Methods In this descriptive, multi-centre study, data were retrospectively collected. During the postpartum visits at primary healthcare centres in various health districts in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), a data collection sheet about obstetric outcomes and analgesia was administered to 432 mothers who had completed a BP during their pregnancies. The main outcome was the rate of BP presentation to the hospital. The sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and pain relief measures were compared to identify any differences between mothers who presented a BP and those who did not. Results A total of 422 (99.7%) women were studied; 51.2% of women (95% confidence interval (CI): 46.4–55.9) had presented a BP. The main reason for not presenting a BP was because the hospital midwives did not request them (61.2%). No differences were observed in BP presentation according to age, the country of origin, education, employment or hospital. Mothers who presented a BP were more likely to start breastfeeding in the birthing room (82.4% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.024). Epidural analgesia was the most common method used for pain relief (88.9%), and women who presented a BP attempted to use concomitant non-pharmacological methods more often (50.5% vs. 38.8%; p = 0.012). Conclusion Almost half of the mothers failed to present a BP, usually because midwives did not request it.

Background A birth plan (BP) is a written document in which the pregnant woman explains her wishes and expectations about childbirth to the health professionals and aims to facilitate her decision-making. Midwives’ support to women during the development of the BP is essential, but it’s unknown if shared decision making (SDM) is effective in birth plan counselling. We hypothesized that women who receive counselling based on SDM during their pregnancy are more likely to present their BP to the hospital, more satisfied with the childbirth experience, and have better obstetric outcomes than women who receive standard counselling. We also aimed to identify if women who presented BP to the hospital have better obstetric outcomes and more satisfied with the childbirth experience. Methods This was a randomised cluster trial involving four Primary Care Units. Midwives provided BP counselling based on SDM to the women in the intervention group (IG) during their pregnancy, along with a leaflet with evidence-based recommendations. Women in the control group (CG) only received the standard birth plan counselling from midwives. The primary outcomes were birth plan presentation to the hospital, obstetrics outcomes and satisfaction with childbirth experience. The Mackey Satisfaction with Childbirth Scale (MCSRS) was used to measure childbirth satisfaction. Results A total of 461 (95.5%) pregnant women received BP counselling (IG n = 214 and CG n = 247). Fewer women in the intervention group presented their BP to the hospital compared to those in the control group (57.8% vs 75.1%; p <0.001). Mean satisfaction with childbirth experience was high in the IG as well as the CG: 150.2 (SD:22.6) vs. 153.4 (SD:21.8); p = 0.224). The information received about childbirth during pregnancy was high in both groups (95.1% vs 94.8%; p = 1.0). Fewer women in the IG used analgesia epidural compared to those in the CG (84.7% vs 91.7%; p = 0.034); women who combined non-pharmacological and pharmacological methods for pain relief were more in number in the IG (48.9% vs 29.5%; p = 0.001) and women who began breastfeeding in the delivery room were more in number in the IG (83.9% vs 66.3%; p = 0.001). Women who presented their BP had a greater probability of using combined non-pharmacological and pharmacological methods for pain relief aOR = 2.06 (95% CI: 1.30–4.30) and early skin-to-skin contact aOR = 2.08 (95% CI: 1.07–4.04). Conclusion This counselling intervention was not effective to increase the presentation of the BP to the hospital and women’s satisfaction with childbirth; however, it was related to a lower usage of analgesia epidural, a higher combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods for pain relief and the initiation of breastfeeding in the delivery room. Presenting the BP to the hospital increased the likelihood of using pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods for pain relief, and early skin-to-skin contact.