View the full resource Preparing for Birth and Beyond: Postpartum Checklists for Parents Living with HIV
Understanding how your body works to move your baby out into the world can help the birthing process feel more manageable – and even empowering. The questions and resources below can help guide conversations with your provider.
Click the image to the right to save as a jpeg or share online; or download a printable pdf checklist as a reminder
Ask yourself:
☐ What are my wishes for my labor, birth, and right after?
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More about this: Sample Birth Plan Template (resource from ACOG - The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Beyond Delivery: How a Birth Plan Can Prepare You for All Four Trimesters (audio and transcript from Life Kit, a National Public Radio podcast) Birth Plans for Black Moms (video from "Overdue," a doula-guided pregnancy and postpartum resource for Black moms-to-be, by mater mea) |
☐ Which people (partner, mom, auntie, friend, doula, etc.) will help me feel most safe, supported, and powerful?
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More about this: Who Should Be on Your Birth Team? (video from "Overdue," a doula-guided pregnancy and postpartum resource for Black moms-to-be, by mater mea) |
☐ How do I want to feed my baby?
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More about this: Overview of Infant Feeding Options for Parents Living with HIV (fact sheet from The Well Project) Resources to Talk to Your Provider about Breastfeeding and HIV (discussion guide from The Well Project) Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding and HIV: Supporting Informed Choices (resource collection from The Well Project) |
Ask your provider:
☐ What happens to people's bodies during labor and birth?
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More about this: Preparing for Labor and Delivery (video from "Overdue," a doula-guided pregnancy and postpartum resource for Black moms-to-be, by mater mea) The Essence of Coping in Labor (from PSfromPenny - a collection of practical, empowering videos from renowned birth professional and childbirth educator Penny Simkin) Evidence-Based Birth (collection of video courses, blogs, and other birth preparation resources) |
☐ How does my baby stay HIV-negative during birth?
- Will my HIV status affect my birth plan or experience?
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More about this: Pregnancy, Birth, and HIV (fact sheet from The Well Project) Pregnancy and HIV: A Girl Like Me LIVE (livestreamed video chat from The Well Project) |
☐ Does my clinic/hospital/birth center offer free classes to prepare for labor and birth, and/or caring for a newborn?
- Do they offer tours of the department where I will be giving birth?
☐ Who can I have with me during labor and birth?
- Are there limitations to how many people can be in the room where I am giving birth?
☐ Is there information (including but not limited to my HIV status) that may be shared in my hospital room that I am not comfortable with some people knowing?
☐ What is a doula? Is it a good idea for me to have one?
☐ How would I find a doula who is a good fit for me?
☐ Are there any free or low-cost community doula programs available in my area?
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More about this: Birth and Postpartum Support and HIV (video expert conversation from The Well Project, featuring The Afiya Center) How Doulas Help People With HIV Navigate Pregnancy and Beyond (article from TheBody) |
☐ How are my birth preferences/birth plan documented and communicated to my labor and delivery team?
☐ I am interested in exploring my choices around infant feeding. How will my decision be supported and communicated to the rest of the care team?
View the full resource Preparing for Birth and Beyond: Postpartum Checklists for Parents Living with HIV
More on:
Reproductive Options
Infant Feeding and HIV
Special thanks to Lealah Pollock, MD, MS, of the University of California – San Francisco, for her review of the 2025 first edition of this resource.
