Is creating a birth plan worth it?

Many times I have heard people say, "Don't bother writing a birth plan. Nobody looks at it or follows it anyway." Oftentimes this is coming from someone who has experienced a traumatic birth. There are many of us who have, myself included, but this is not the way that it has to be! Actually, in recent years, care providers and hospitals are becoming more supportive of birthing people having choices. Some examples of this include immediate skin to skin and delayed cord clamping, but there are so many more! Did you know that you have always have a choice? It's true! As Cynthia Gabriel (a medical anthropologist, childbirth educator, and fellow doula) says, the doctor delivering your baby has authoritative knowledge in their medical field, but you have invaluable knowledge of your own body. If you don't want to have a hep-lock during labor, you don't have to. If you don't want antibiotics during labor, you don't have to! Of course there are still some providers out there who are adamant on what you must do in the delivery room under their protocol, but that's what us doulas are here for - to assist you in advocating for what you want!