May the Journey be Yours
There is No One Way: The Birth Map helps you find Your Way
History of The Birth Map
The term ‘birth map’ was coined by Catherine Bell in 2014 to better describe the process she was using for her birth preparation. She found that using the term ‘plan’ was problematic, and the alternatives offered, such as ‘wishes’ and ‘preferences’, were diminishing her intent. In preparing for her fourth birth, in 2016, she actively used the term and the process she had devised to prepare. She found that communication was easier and her decision making more confident. Her care provider was more open to discussing her needs, and she was able to receive information specific to her circumstances. In 2018, she published her book, The Birth Map, to help others use this process. The Game of Birth was first published in 2021 as a tabletop game and a simple online ‘adventure’. Catherine has been training Birth Cartographers since 2021.
In 2025 she completed the birth map study, evaluating the resource across different models of care in Australia. The evaluation has helped further develop the birth map approach into a tool that can bridge the communication gap in maternity services, supporting women, their partners and their care providers towards an informed, supported and confident experience.
Future of The Birth Map
Catherine is partnering with Maternity Choices Australia to see a national rollout of The Birth Map approach across Australia…and then the world! An online multilingual birth preparation experience is being developed into a more sophisticated format that combines book content with a game. The vision is for the concept to be embedded into the system, including at the undergraduate level. A prototype of the birth preparation experience is available in the Full Member Access, your feedback will help shape the resource.
How can care providers integrate The Birth Map?
Catherine provides lectures and presentations on effective communication, birth mapping and decision making:
- University health and medical Students
- Workplace Professional Development
- Education days
- Conferences
- Seminars/webinars
Birth Cartographer Training is a full day for those birth workers and health professionals looking to enhance communication and support the decision making process with their clients in birth and beyond. This comprehensive training covers:
- How information is processed and can be understood differently for different people
- How decisions are made, and why people draw different conclusions
- How to implement compassionate care, even in a fragmented system
- How to use The Game of Birth to support your clients’ sensemaking
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