To the Editor:

Re “Letting Go of Your Fantasy Birth Plan,” by Rosemary Counter (Sunday Review, March 8):

“Letting go of your fantasy birth plan” suggests that birthing the way you want is not only impossible but also entitled. Women must plan; too often our needs are not met in hospitals, and our unnecessary cesarean and maternal mortality rates are too high.

Preparation for birth has never been more important, considering the many additional unknowns in this wild time. All the more reason to prepare and advocate for yourself.

The more pregnant women can learn about labor, their bodies and how to give birth, the better and more confidently they can navigate the many unknowns that birth brings.

I prepared for my births, two in the hospital and one at home, carefully selecting providers, taking childbirth classes, reading books, practicing labor positions and meditating. My preparations were the foundation of three totally different, empowering experiences that eased my difficult transition into motherhood.