Whether this is going to be your first birth or you’ve been through it before, you’re probably well aware that birth plans often don’t go to…plan. They typically prepare for the ideal and don’t leave too much room for the unexpected.
A birth map, however, prepares for every direction that your labour and birth may go in. Writing a birth map instead of a birth plan can help you to feel much more in control of your birth experience - making it more likely that you’ll look back on your birth positively. Whether you’re hoping for a natural home birth, end up wanting or needing a c-section or things end up taking a detour from your initial plan - a birth map can enable your team to know which step to take next.
It’s not a plan - it's a series of informed decisions laid out for your birth team in advance so that you can enter labour knowing that, whatever happens, you'll be cared for and respected.
What are birth plans in pregnancy?
Birth plans originated in the 1980s as a communication tool between women and their care providers. They’re usually discussed in the third trimester of pregnancy. Birth plans typically include information about where a woman wants to give birth, who they want present and pain relief preferences. While these are all important things to note leading up to a birth, they can create rigid expectations that, if not met, may lead to feelings of disappointment post-birth.
Are birth plans worth it?
How effective are birth plans? Well, while it’s definitely important that your team understands what you want for your birth, there are limits to how helpful a birth plan can be. They’re great if your birth ends up being aligned with what you have written down - but what about when your birth doesn’t go to plan?
Research shows that feeling in control of your birth can have a massive impact on your birth experience. Whether women consider their birth a positive or negative experience is very much linked to how much control they have over their birth choices, as well as their social support and pain management. A lack of control is often associated with a negative birth experience, while a positive experience is related to feeling in control of the decision-making process throughout the birth. In terms of birth plans, this can be problematic.
When you create a birth plan, you’ll typically look at your options and note down your ideals: where you ideally want to give birth, the birth positions you want to try, how you want to manage pain, and who you want present at your birth. The problem here is that labour and birth don’t always go to plan - and birth plans rarely account for this. If, on top of your birth not going to plan, you don’t feel supported by your birth team and healthcare provider in how you want to approach your birth as it progresses, you’re likely to feel like your birth is no longer in your control - which is exactly what we don’t want. We know from research that women who feel supported and informed during the birth decision-making process tend to have a much more empowering birth experience. This is exactly why, rather than using birth plans - I’m a huge advocate for birth maps.
What is a birth map?
A birth map enables you to plan for every scenario ahead of time so that, whatever direction your birth goes in, you’ve already got a plan in place that you’ve pre-approved. This means that, whatever twists and turns your birth might take, you’re still the one in control, making the decisions that feel right for you and your baby. It’s an approach that sets you up for a much higher chance of a positive birth experience - because you get to be in charge no matter what.
Created by Catherine Bell, birth maps move past a plan that simply states a woman’s birth “wishes” and “preferences”. Instead, it enables women to design multiple birth pathways based on a detailed understanding of what their options are in any given situation. Feeling confident before going into labour is the “single strongest predictor of confidence while giving birth” - and this is something that birth mapping can significantly help with.
How to birth map
If you’re new to birth mapping, I can help. I’m an experienced birth and postpartum doula and certified birth cartographer, trained by Catherine Bell - the creator of the birth map. Whether you’re hoping for a natural home birth, to give birth at a birth centre, a hospital birth with medical pain relief or something different - I can help you to create a birth map that factors in these ideals while also helping you to clearly state your decisions surrounding any detours from these preferences e.g. if induction is necessary, I will ensure you know all of your options and that your choices are clearly stated on your birth map. The same goes for if you’d like a water birth, require a C-section or if any complications arise. We can explore all of your birth possibilities together, enabling you to go into labour feeling calm and confident that - regardless of which route your birth goes in - you can know what to expect.
Studies have shown that when pregnancy care providers offer “thoughtful, deliberate attention” to a woman’s communication during pregnancy and childbirth and “to factors at either the individual or health systems levels that are related to positive labour and delivery experiences” it can help to enhance the quality of obstetric care as well as outcomes for mothers and babies. In short: when a woman goes into labour feeling informed, heard and respected - her experience is likely to be a positive one.
This is the experience I hope every mother is given during pregnancy, labour and childbirth - I would love to support you in achieving it. I offer 2-3 hour sessions both in-person and via Zoom where I can guide you through the process of mapping out your birth - so that you can enter labour feeling confident.