For over 150 years women have been fighting.

For over 150 years women have been demanding their due.

For over 150 years women have been given lip service.

 

Enough is Enough

The information age shot us out of ignorance.  And this New Age, led by social media, will either see us crash and burn, victims of our own egos or it will see us soar; united in a single cause, that of the freedom to make autonomous and truly Informed Decisions.

Will you be sucked in by the semantics, arguing the finer details with those who are ‘wrong on the internet’, or will you use this incredible resource to empower yourself and rise above the ether?

 

There is an awful lot of bullshit out there

And unless you know the questions you need to ask, you will never find the answers.

Unless you have been given the keys, you will not be able to unlock the door.

 

We don’t give birth in caves any more.

We don’t live in villages or tribes of all ages, seeing birth, mothering or death.

We live in separate dwellings.  We are a segregated society.  We learn from books, not experience.

Enough is Enough

You may find that the system works for you, that your options are available and that is great.  BUT for many women the option that they want, that they NEED, is not available or is taken from them because of someone else’s fear.

We have come to a point where as pregnant women, we hand over our autonomy to Others.   The responsibility for Us, is passed over, we become again a Child.  Our care provider assumes the role of parent, and will make decisions for us, advising us with lip service to our autonomy but ruling us in the end.

This is BAD, very BAD.

Particularly for our first pregnancy, this is a time of Transition.  A Rite of Passage.  To become a Mother.  BUT it is so much more than this even.  Because PARTNERS also are being robbed of a rite of passage, Parenthood is not a passive existence, becoming a parent means finding a ‘village’ of support and fusing with your partner to care for the new person.  As long as adults try to dominate each other and deny autonomy, it is the children who are at risk.

Informed Birth Preparation means refusing to be treated as a child, refusing to be patronised, and seeking to Understand the process.  From normal biological expectations to how the medical system approaches pregnancy and birth – Informed Birth Preparation means not waiting to be told on a ‘need to know basis’ determined by someone else.  You need to know NOW, and so you shall.

This matters, because as the old idiom says: the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

A mother who feels confident and supported is a force to be reckoned with, and when she is coupled with an equal in partnership you can be sure that the Child will grow from strength to strength.

It begins with reclaiming Autonomy.  You may decide that you feel most comfortable with the routine care on offer.  That is brilliant – because it is on YOUR TERMS.

You may discover that there are routines that you are not comfortable with, and in understanding them and the alternatives, can come to an Informed Decision about what you need to feel safe and comfortable.

This brings me to the mission, the purpose, of birthmap.life

 

Mission:

To provide all women with the means to make informed decisions regarding their pregnancy care, labour, birth and parenting.

I have created The Birth Map, which reveals The Questions.  There are many answers, there is no One Way.  The map helps you find Your Way.

With The Birth Map you get information and support.  You can claim your power and rise above the bullshit to make Informed Decisions AND find your village.

Informed, Supported, Confident.

When we Know Better, we Do Better.