How to Prepare for Birth Without Loosing Yourself (Miami Guide)
The moment you pee on the stick and it turns positive, something shifts. Not just in your body, but in your sense of self. You're still you—creative, capable, cool-as-hell—but suddenly, you're expected to prepare for the biggest transformation of your life with a bunch of clinical checklists and hospital scripts that are unfamiliar and likely don't reflect your values, your voice, or your vibe.
Let's change that.
This isn’t just about contractions and cervical checks. This is about preparing for birth, the most life changing of life changing experiences, without handing over your autonomy. It’s about walking into your labor with clarity, confidence, and your sense of self intact.
Step 1: Ditch the Scripts, Keep the Vibe
There’s a difference between preparing for something and trying to control it. Birth isn’t a performance—it’s a portal. But that doesn’t mean you should wing it.
Instead of: Memorizing textbook breathing patterns, rigid timelines, or creating a birth “plan” with the expectation that it has to go a certain way or you’ve failed.
Try: Building a flexible, embodied birth preference sheet as a guiding “birth compass” of sorts, that reflects your values, preferences, and boundaries and keeps you aiming toward your wide angle vision of how you want this birth to feel. The vibe is the vision.
Use this time to clarify:
What story do you want to tell about this experience—months or years from now?
What kind of vibe supports you (quiet? music? dim lighting?)
What qualities and feelings (not outcomes) would make this birth feel powerful to you?
A good birth plan isn’t about checking boxes, and it’s really not a “plan” at all. You can’t plan birth. But, you can and should (and I don’t use “should” often!) prepare. In the end it’s about defining what matters most to you so your team can support you in staying centered and walking away feeling like the total badass that you are.
Step 2: Move in a Way That Feels Like You
Let’s be real—not every prenatal yoga class hits. Some are magic, some are boring AF. The point isn't to slot into a cookie-cutter "pregnancy workout” just because you find yourself pregs.
It’s about learning what your body is doing in pregnancy and moving in a way that supports its transition. Get educated on that and you can apply it to whatever movement practice is for you. Suddenly your birth prepping your current workout.
It’s not so much about what you do. It’s about how you do it and why you’re doing it.
If you're a mover who's been told to stop lifting weights, running, or flowing through your power vinyasa just because you're pregnant? Hold on.
Sure, there will be limitations and smart adjustments. But unless there’s a legit medical reason not to, move in the ways that you love. Move with knowledge, intentionality, and integrity. Move in a way that makes you feel alive, not limited.
You are not relegated to slow, boring (okay, not all are boing, but the one I went to was a snooze fest) “prenatal” classes if that’s not your vibe. Do what supports your body, lights you up, and makes you feel connected.
Step 3: Choose a Doula Who Feels Like a Birth Bestie
The right doula doesn’t just bring birth balls and essential oils. They bring presence, perspective, and panache. They vibe with you in a way that feels like you brought your girl friend along who happens to know everything about birth AND exactly when you’re ready for that next bite of ice. (Which, at the hospital is the best. Seriously, it’s Michelin rated.)
Look for someone who:
Feels like someone you could cry, curse, and laugh with—sometimes all at once
Respects your autonomy
Offers evidence and intuition
Welcomes your questions—especially the messy or “too much” ones
If you’re in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, I offer in-person doula support that includes 24/7 text support, one-on-one prenatal visits, full labor care, and a postpartum session to integrate everything that happened.
We make it sacred. We make it yours. Learn more here.
Step 4: Prepare Your Mindset (Not Just Your Go Bag)
You can pack all the honey sticks and cozy socks you want—but if you’re carrying fear, that bag is heavier than you think.
Start now by:
Unlearning fear-based birth stories that are NOT yours and recognizing that we’ve never actually been taught about birth. We’ve been shown it in movies and shows, and mama… that ain’t it! Learning about it is soooo much cooler than the movies.
Practicing affirmations that feel authentic (not cheesy) and that remind you of your magic and power.
Asking: What do I believe about my body, birth, and motherhood, and where did that belief come from?
Birth doesn’t ask you to be fearless. It asks you to be honest, open, and courageous.
Step 5: Let Your Preparation Reflect Who You Are
You're not a statistic. You're not a patient. You're a whole person moving through a sacred threshold. And maybe you’re not as woo woo as the lady on IG birthing in her backyard. But, maybe you’re not the woman tied up to IV drips in the hospital either. Whoever YOU are, explore your options. Choose a birth class and instructor that resonates with you and gets you excited about YOUR birth… not the birth that’s in vogue or the hot shit on group chats.
So as you prepare, keep asking:
Does this feel like me?
Is this preparing me to advocate, soften, pivot?
Is this class preparing me for my birth—or an idealized version someone else designed?
You Don't Have to Do This Alone
Whether you’re fine-tuning your movement practice, choosing your doula, or just trying to quiet the noise—you don’t have to figure it all out solo.
✨ If you're in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale and want real, grounded support, my in-person doula services are here.
✨ Want to feel confident and connected to your body through it all? Let’s talk about what that can look like for you with a movement focused coaching call.
Let’s get you birth-ready—in a way that actually feels like you.
🙌🏼❤️✨✨✨
Birth Class Vibe Check in…
Is this prep class right for YOU?
✅ Checklist: Ask Yourself During or After the Class
Did this class help me feel more connected to my body and choices?
Did I feel safe to ask questions without being dismissed or corrected?
Was I invited to explore what feels true for me—not just follow a script?
Did the instructor create space for nuance and complexity?
Were diverse birth experiences acknowledged and respected?
Did I leave feeling more prepared—or more pressured?
Did I feel honored as a full person—not just a patient or uterus?
Did the tools support adaptability (not perfectionism)?
Could I imagine myself using what I learned during labor?
Did this class give me space to define my own version of a powerful birth?
🌀 Journal Prompts for After Class
What surprised me about what was taught today? Did it land—or raise flags?
What parts of the class felt aligned with who I am and how I want to birth?
Was there anything that made me shrink, feel unseen, or start second-guessing myself?
What am I still curious about or want to explore differently?
What do I want to carry forward—and what am I giving myself permission to release?
