Inside My First Doula Appt: Full Birth Plan
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 27
Carrying a Fairytale
A Prenatal Series by Pynnderella
Before I had an unplanned x unassisted home birth, in the bath tub, all by myself, with my eight-year-old sleep on the couch, I created a full proof birth plan with my doula that would allow me a peaceful labor and delivery. And actually expected to follow it.
(We’ll get into that later in the series.)
This is not just a personal reflection, it’s the second article in my ongoing series, Carryin’ a Fairytale, where I built my real-time pregnancy experience through wellness, maternal health care, and intentional birth planning.
This was important to me after a dreadful hospital birth where I had no advocacy. The family who came to support me actually kept siding with the damn nurses! My water broke and I drove myself to the hospital, feeling great. When I arrived, the nurses immediately started saying my contractions were pretty close together and that I’d need to be induced if I didn’t start feeling pain soon.
Well, I knew it was bullshyt x actually declined their offers for medication and unnecessary interventions. But the family I had in the room kept siding with the nurses. Well, I woke up from a nap hooked up to an IV, being administered pitocin… In pain like HELL. And obviously, that induction medication made my baby’s heart rate drop. So, yeah… never again. I knew if I’d ever brought life into the world again, someone who actually cared about my birth experience being calm and peaceful would need to be by my side!
A key part of my experience is that my doula was a Black woman, which adds a layer of cultural alignment, safety, and ease in communication that matters deeply in high-stress medical environments.
My first doula appointment at 26 weeks marked the moment my birth preparation shifted from abstract to structured.
I joined a Zoom meeting with my doula, Marquita, to begin building what most people call a “birth plan,” but what we actually developed is more accurately described as birth preferences, support systems, and labor preparation strategy.
We went through how I wanted to experience labor, what kind of emotional and physical support I needed, how decisions will be approached in real time… and most important of all my NO’s. This is one of the key benefits of working with a doula during pregnancy because it helps translate medical possibilities into understandable, supported choices.
My doula also walked me through her role as a continuous support person during labor: emotional grounding, physical comfort techniques, advocacy support, and helping me stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.
When Marquita asked me to tell her my birth plans I grabbed my journal and jumped right into it. I knew exactly what my environment to feel like.
(Here’s a short clip from my 30 minute birth planning call with my doula.)
At around 30 weeks and 4 days, I also started seeing a Black OB-GYN, which further aligned my care team in a way that felt grounded and intentional during that stage of pregnancy.
Through Kaiser Permanente, I also learned that depending on coverage, prenatal chiropractic care and acupuncture may be included in maternity wellness benefits, which expanded how I approached building my care system, holistically. So make sure you check that out.
This appointment also marked the beginning of documenting my full birth preparation process.
I will also be uploading the full video on my YouTube channel, Pynnderella. You can watch the full video there.
Catch up on more articles in my ‘Carryin’ a Fairytale’ prenatal series and subscribe so you don’t miss flu multimedia entertainment, cultural news, and more luxury lifestyle vibes.
Also, don’t forget to get your $7 digital copy of my exclusive birth planning guide.
It includes my personal birth plan and a blank sheet to create yours, Kaiser benefits I used that covered my holistic prenatal desires, meal preps that make pregnancy easier, the benefits of prenatal chiropractic care and acupuncture to save your back and pelvic bone from pain while carrying your baby, what you actually NEED for your newborn so you don’t go broke before bringing your little one earthside, and more.
Holler.
Pynnderella, thee Fairytale Connoisuer
