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Birth Cartography is ​taking Australia into a new paradigm of ​birth preparation and support: a woman-led experience. This approach is for birth workers who are looking to enhance and support the decision making process with their clients in birth and beyond. This workshop will introduce the concept and provide insight into how you can incorporate it into your birth work. Taking an interactive approach, using the style of tabletop role play, we explore the Birth Journey together and look at the difference having a map can make.

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I would love to share the power of Birth Cartography and the benefits to Mothers, their partners and midwives. RETHINKING BIRTH PLANS – FACILITATING COMMUNICATION AND INFORMED DECISION MAKING ‘Birth disappointment’ and ‘birth trauma’ are risk factors for postnatal depression in both mothers and fathers and cost estimates highlight the impact of this issue. It is well known that continuity of care with a known midwife is a key element in increasing birth satisfaction, but this option is not universally available. Birth Plans have long been encouraged as a way of communicating needs and decisions, but without guidance and structure many birth plans are ‘thrown out the window’, leaving parents vulnerable and at risk. This is especially true in the absence of continuity of carer. The adhoc approach to birth plans, and lack of structure and consistency, mean that communication is often unclear and decisions are not always well informed. Birth Cartography provides structure and guidance to the birth preparation process, without increasing midwife workload, allowing for informed decision making and realistic expectations. Doulas play a central role in supporting women to discuss available options. Not unlike and Advance Care Directive, a Birth Map provides documented decisions for various possibilities. Making these decisions in advance avoids stressful, and potentially traumatic, experiences. Giving structure and consistency to the process, whilst allowing for flexibility and individuality in respectful care, Birth Cartography has the potential to: • reduce cost to the health system through less intervention, including lowering the c/s rate • aid practical preparation for physiological birth, in particular in a birth before arrival • increase positive reporting by women of their experience and reduce PND and trauma for both parents • improve working conditions for midwives and other maternity staff • improve quality and quantity of information, readily accessible, helping clarify fears, giving care providers better knowledge on individual needs The Birth Cartography approach to informed birth preparation benefits women, their partners and midwives.

About Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell is the creator of Birth Cartography and the author of The Birth Map: boldly goes where no birth plan has gone before. In 2019 she began a PhD Journey, with the view to look at what might happen if we maybe, just maybe, gave birth back to women. Or something like that. A doula since 2010, when doula was a word that still needed an explanation, she applauds how far we have come. And is prepared for how far we have to go.