If you’ve started thinking about your birth, chances are you’ve opened a notes app, downloaded a template, or pinned a “dream birth plan” on Pinterest. And while I love a clear vision for your birth—what most people don’t realize is this: A birth plan isn’t the thing that creates a positive, empowered experience. It’s the preparation behind it. Because birth doesn’t follow a script. It unfolds. It shifts. And sometimes, it asks you to make decisions in moments you didn’t expe