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Guide

Hospital plan for expectant parents

A private plan for the days around the birth. It records your wishes so the hospital, your support people and any adoptive family can follow them. You can change it at any time.

Download the PDFPDF · 3 pages · 302 KB · fillable form
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In this guide

  1. Before you start
  2. About you
  3. During labor and birth
  4. After the birth
  5. Leaving the hospital
  6. Caring for you
  7. Sign and share

Take it with you

Download the PDF to fill this plan in on screen, or print it and write on it.

PDF · 3 pages · 302 KB · fillable form

Download the PDF

Current as of September 2026 · General information for families in California, not legal advice.

Before you start

This plan is not a consent to adoption. Filling it in does not commit you to anything, and you can change it at any time, including at the hospital. In an independent adoption in California, a birth mother cannot sign a consent until she has been discharged from the hospital (Cal. Fam. Code § 8801.3).
  • Share it only with people you choose. Bring two copies to the hospital and give one to your nurse when you arrive.
  • You are the patient. Hospital staff will follow your instructions about who may visit you and what information is shared.
  • Leave anything blank that you are not sure about. “I will decide at the time” is always a good answer.
  • Prescott’s Family Law never charges expectant or birth parents.

About you

Your name
Due date
Hospital or birth center
Doctor or midwife
Main support person
Their phone number
Adoption professional or social worker
Their phone number
Your own lawyer or advocate, if any
Their phone number

During labor and birth

Who I want with me during labor and birth
People I do not want to visit me or be given information
Listing in the hospital’s patient directory
List meKeep my stay private
The adoptive family, if there is one
Welcome to visitWaiting room onlyNot at the hospitalI will decide at the time

After the birth

Holding the baby
I want to hold the babyNot at firstI will decide at the time
Time with the baby
Baby stays in my roomVisits when I askBaby stays in the nurseryI will decide at the time
Feeding
I will breastfeedI will pump milk for the babyFormulaI will decide at the time
Who I would like to hold the baby after me
Who chooses the baby’s first name, and any name I would like
Photographs
Please take photos for mePhotos of the baby onlyNo photosI will decide later
Keepsakes I would like
Hand and footprintsHospital braceletA blanket or hatThe crib card
Anything else about my time with the baby, such as religious or cultural traditions

Leaving the hospital

When I leave
Say goodbye privatelyWith my support personWith the adoptive familyI will decide at the time
Who the baby will leave the hospital with, and my wishes for that moment
The contact I hope for after the birth, such as letters, photos or visits

In California, a promise of contact after adoption can be enforced only if it is in a written agreement approved by the court (Cal. Fam. Code § 8616.5).

Caring for you

I would like
A counselor at the hospitalCounseling after I leaveA follow-up callHelp getting home
Health needs, medications or allergies my support people should know about
Emergency contact
Their phone number

Support at any hour: call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In an emergency, call 911.

Sign and share

Your name
Date
I have given a copy to
My nurseMy support personMy adoption professionalThe adoptive family

Sources

This is general information about California law as of September 2026. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. The law changes and every family’s situation is different, so please get advice about your own circumstances before acting on it. Book a free consultation for advice about your own situation.

Next step

Talk it through with someone who does this every day.

Consultations are confidential and there is no obligation to hire us. Bring your questions, your paperwork and your timeline — we will tell you plainly what the process looks like, what it is likely to cost and how long it should take.

Request a consultation Call (213) 555-0140