Today on the show I speak will with Birth Cartographer, PhD Student and Freebirthing Mama Catherine Bell. Catherine’s concept of The Birth Map differs from a birth plan in that is allows a map of different options rather than fixed ideas or outcomes in birth. For example for freebirthers it might be an option of what does it look life if I don’t get the pool up in time? Do I land Birth? Or what does it look like if I transfer? The idea is to explore all your options and decisions very throughly so in the moment of birthing you don’t need to enter into your thinking brain at all. We also chat about Catherine’s silent 1st stage and 20 minute freebirth of the 3rd child as well as the freebirth of her 4th child when she was grieving her grandmothers passing. We talk about the power that comes with responsibility and accepting death as part of freebirth or any birth for that matter! Catherine is a delight to speak with and I love the work she is doing in the birth community. Enjoy! More about Catherine: I have been summed up in three words: Birth, Death and Playgrounds. As The Birth Cartographer and author of The Birth Map: boldly going where no birth plan has gone before, I supportpregnant women and their partners to create Birth Maps so that they can navigate the maternity landscape with confidence. I also provideBirth Cartography training to doulas, midwives and obstetricians. My PhD at the university of Canberra will evaluate The Birth Map as a wayto facilitatecommunication and informed decision making in maternity services. The death industry posed similar challenges to the birth industry. To help address this, I have joined the board of Tender Funerals Canberra Region. Tender Funerals is a not-for-profit, community-led approach to funerals. I came to this path after doing Death Walker training with Zenith Virago, who opened my eyes to the parallels between birth and death. Playgrounds fill the space between, be this the metaphorical 'playground' of a life lived in love and kindness, with peace and needs met or the physical playgrounds, I seek to fill the space in between with fairness and connection. This all began with the new playground for my town, Braidwood. This was a process of building connections, communication and fundraising. What resulted was a fabulous mutli-generational space to gather in. With this project, our community honed it's strengths and created a forum for all voices to be heard. Mostly I am a Mother.We have 4 naturally-learning children and live on Feral Farm in Sth East NSW.