Listening to mums

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma was set up by then MP Theo Clarke after the difficult birth of her daughter. In January 2024, the group launched an inquiry into the reasons for traumatic birth, reporting their policy proposals to reduce the birth trauma rate (All-Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma, 2024).

The inquiry was wide-ranging, covering care antenatally, during labour and birth and postnatally, including from mental health services. It sought the experiences of more than 1300 parents, including from marginalised groups, and almost 100 maternity professionals. Seven evidence sessions heard these testimonies, which included maternity academics.

Learning from other countries was systematically reviewed. Only one of the 18 European countries whose policies were mapped had a national policy relating to the screening, treatment and prevention of a traumatic birth: the Netherlands.

Maternal outcomes in the approximately 700 000 births per year in the UK (Statista, 2023) vary widely, and most significantly in relation to ethnicity and deprivation. ‘The highest rate of litigation in clinical practice is for childbirth injuries’ and NHS payouts doubled to £1.1bn between 2016/7 and 2022/3 (All-Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma, 2024).