The Plan compared to The Reality

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 the pathways, so that we can confidently determine which way is best for us.  Birth Mapping is about knowing the questions we need to ask, my book The Birth Map: boldly going where no birth plan has gone before, came about after I started documenting all the questions I wish I had know to ask, and those my mother-friends had wished they’d ask. I accidently wrote a book!  The book also draws on my experiences as a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and science communicator to give insights into decision making and taking you beyond the birth.  If you are feeling overwhelmed (or underwhelmed) by the information bombarding you once pregnant, the book is a great tool to help you centre and find Your Way.  The book, as a tool for decision making and communication, is being evaluated in The Birth Map Study. 

In addition to the book, I developed The Game of Birth.  This game is based on a ‘choose your own adventure’, and demonstrates the aspects of labour and birth that we can control (the decision points) and the aspects we can’t control.  It is often said that birth is unpredictable (not entirely true) and that means there is no point planning (definitely not true).   When we know the various pathways, and understand what leads to them, and where they go, we are better able to make informed decisions.

The Birth Mapping Kit contains a copy of The Birth Map and The Game of Birth.