A 7-Day Guide to Reclaiming Your Story After Birth
by Michael Jerome Hervey and MD
A birth plan prepares you for the day. This book prepares you for everything after.
Whether you’re expecting your first baby or preparing for another, Beyond the Birth Plan is the compassionate companion every mother deserves. This guided journal and seven-day healing journey helps you explore your hopes, name your fears, and build emotional resilience long before labor begins.
Inside, you’ll find grounding exercises, reflective prompts, body-centered healing tools, and gentle psychology-informed practices that strengthen your voice and protect your sense of self during childbirth. You will learn how to advocate for your needs, recognize your boundaries, and stay connected to your inner wisdom—even when birth takes unexpected turns.
For every pregnant mother who wants to feel informed, empowered, and emotionally supported, this book offers a safe space to slow down, listen inward, and prepare your heart as much as your birth plan.
You deserve a birth experience anchored in clarity, confidence, and care. Let this be your guide.
A Gentle Invitation Into Your Healing
This seven-day journey was created to support you as you process and reclaim your birth story—especially if parts of it left you feeling unseen, unheard, or overwhelmed. You do not need to be fully healed to begin. You only need to arrive as you are.
Each day offers a single focus, a reflection prompt, an affirmation, and a grounding quote. Together, they guide you toward understanding your feelings, honoring your body’s memories, releasing unspoken truths, and gradually reshaping the meaning of your experience.
You will revisit the intentions you carried into birth, explore the moments that shifted, acknowledge the people in the room, and listen to what your body still holds. You will also begin reframing your story in a way that honors both your pain and your resilience.
By Day 7, the goal is not completion but integration—a sense of returning to yourself with more clarity, compassion, and strength. This work gives you a framework you can revisit whenever memories arise, and it offers grounding tools and community resources for ongoing support.
Above all, this guide affirms one truth:
You are not alone, and your healing matters.
Begin gently. Begin bravely. Your next chapter starts here.
Dr. Michael J. Hervey II, a U.S. Navy veteran, earned a Bachelor of Science from Morehouse College, and a Master’s in Biology from Harvard. He trained at the University of Virginia and University of Minnesota, excelling in leadership and research. After completing his OB/GYN residency, he focused on high-risk women’s health and inclusive care. Dr. Hervey now practices at Premier OBYGN LLC with his wife, Ellie Tan CNM, MSN, WHNP.
🌸 From the Patient’s Perspective (Expecting Mothers & Families):
“How much of my birth experience is really my choice—and how do I tell the difference between hospital rules and my own rights?”
“What happens when women say no to interventions, and yes to their own instincts?”
“Can I truly have a safe birth that reflects my values, even if it doesn’t match my doctor’s preferences?”
🩺 From the Provider’s Perspective (OBs, Midwives, Nurses, Doulas):
“What do real patient stories reveal about the gap between standard protocols and individualized care?”
“How can honoring autonomy reduce conflict, build trust, and actually improve patient outcomes?”
“What happens when we stop asking, ‘What’s wrong?’ and start asking, ‘What matters most to this patient?’”
The Role of Midwifery and Physician Collaboration in Modern Maternity Care
by Michael J. Hervey II MD and Premier Midwife Team
🌿 For Midwives
“How can midwives protect physiologic birth while building stronger partnerships with physicians who may see birth differently?”
“What does true collaboration look like when midwives are respected as equal voices in maternity care?”
🩺 For Physicians
“How can physicians honor patient autonomy and still feel confident that safety standards are met?”
“What shifts when doctors and midwives move from competition to collaboration in the birthing room?”
🌸 For Patients
“What kind of birth experience is possible when your providers actually work together instead of pulling apart?”
“How does respectful teamwork between midwives and doctors change not just outcomes—but how mothers feel about their birth?”