How to Advocate for Yourself During Birth Using the BRAIN Acronym

Birth is deeply personal. Feeling heard and respected during your experience is essential. One of the best tools you can bring with you is the BRAIN acronym—a simple, powerful framework to help you make informed choices in the moment.

Here's how it works:

B - Benefits: What are the benefits of this procedure or intervention?

R - Risks: What are the potential risks involved?

A - Alternatives: Are there other options we can consider?

I - Intuition: What is your gut telling you?

N - Nothing: What happens if we wait or do nothing for now?

Example: You're in labor and your provider suggests breaking your water to "speed things up."

• Benefits: It might help labor progress faster.

• Risks: Increases risk of infection and limits mobility.

• Alternatives: Continue laboring naturally, try different positions or nipple stimulation.

• Intuition: You might feel unsure or like you need more time to decide.

• Nothing: You could wait and reassess in an hour to see how labor is progressing naturally.

Using BRAIN helps slow things down and puts the decision-making power back in your hands. Whether you’re working with a San Jose doula or exploring Bay Area doula services, having someone familiar with this tool at your side can help you feel more confident and in control.

Birth doesn’t always go exactly to plan—but feeling like you had a voice in your experience can make all the difference.