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 a big part of the problem is the word Plan. As ridiculous as this seems, it is hardly surprising in a patriarchy, where the voices of women are seemed unimportant by some, dangerous by others and despised by those who don’t even try to hide their misogyny.
The Birth Map evolved to take birth plans into a realistic sphere. One that stares the patriarchal medical system in the face and demands better. One that works with the care providers who genuinely seek to support and respect those in their care, and break free of the shackles of the insurance-driven system to provide the full scope of their skills.
The Birth Map celebrates the journey into Mothering and honours the uniqueness of each pregnancy and birth. There is No One Way.
