This is the story of a Birth Plan that was not used. A Birth Plan that was carefully made, was informed and detailed, but was never even looked at during the birth.This is the story of a cup of tea, left to go cold. Rebecca* was determined that her birth would not ‘go with the flow’ , …
You may be familiar with Robert Frost’s “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. This pastiche looks at two options emerging in a birthing ward.
The horror of birth, in all it’s unpredictable gory, is the glee of birth skeptics and trolls across social media. The birth plan is the perfect target , scapegoat and crime; there is no point writing one.
or is there?
what if we talked about and prepared for a positive birth. No Matter What.
I saw the above doodle on the facebook. It prompted me to create the below: Not as simplistic, perhaps, or sweet even, but I still felt compelled to point out how a Birth Map, is the opposite to the first doodle. Birth Mapping (or Birth Cartography) is a powerful process of becoming aware of all …
Is there such a thing as Too Much Information? A point where overwhelm means overcome? Is it possible that blissful ignorance Protects us from being The One? The One who has a bad time, The One who gets The Lot, The One who is disappointed The one whose birth was shot. And what does it …
Whose flow is it, when you go with the flow?
Birth may be unpredictable but that doesn’t mean unpreparable.
Is it possible to to make an informed decision, let alone provide consent, in a maternity system that disregards birth plans and favours intervention over interaction?
What is the difference between birth preferences and informed decisions?
May 12 Limerick Day (UK): The Birth plan has a bad rep in some circles. Threatening professional autonomy, setting women up for disappointment…how can you plan for the unpredictable! The original intention of the birth plan was to improve communication and give women a voice. We’ve had 40 years to get it right. It seems …
Most people hear ‘birth plan’ and think of something set in stone, something that has to be followed to the letter and has no room for error. Something that is inflexible, rigid and ultimately impossible to achieve. Birth is unpredictable, so surely it is pointless to plan.
This leaves you with two options:
1. Hand over your power and be a ‘good girl’. Don’t ask complicated questions, just do as you are told, no need to worry your pretty little head with the details.
OR
2. Create a Birth MAP.
