Birth Trauma Association

Sign the petition to save babies' lives in Wales The stillbirth rate in Wales has been consistently higher than the rate for the rest of the UK. There has also been a lack of sustained progress in reducing the rate of babies dying shortly after birt...

A group of 7 bereaved parents have written a petition to the next Welsh Govt. They are calling for targets to save more babies' lives and better care for people following pregnancy or baby loss. Please add your name and help them create change in Wales. act.sands.org.uk/sign-petitio...

Coroner finds gross failings in community midwifery The coroner investigating the death of 34-year-old Jen Cahill and her baby daughter Agnes has concluded that both their deaths in June 2024 were contributed to by neglect and gross failings by hospita...

"The coroner expressed her concern that it was unlikely most women understood the more limited role and experience of community midwives who attend home births, compared to hospital midwives."
www.fieldfisher.com/en/injury-cl...

Very excited to be welcoming Dr Anita Banerjee to our conference as chair of a distinguished line-up of panellists discussing racial disparities in maternity.
We still have a few tickets available, which you can buy at: www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries in spontaneous vaginal births in nulliparous pregnant individuals: a 21-year cohort study based on real-world data In 2005, the Norwegian Directorate of Health implemented a national care bundle of education and training on correct perineal protection during childbirth to reduce increasing incidence of obstetric a...

The introducion of an OASI care bundle in Norway led to a 63% reduction in anal sphincter injuries over 21 years. A similar bundle is being rolled out in England - but are maternity units implementing it?
www.ajog.org/article/S000...

Delighted to be welcoming Rosie Duffield MP to our maternal safety conference on 18 November. Rosie will be chairing a discussion on the future of maternity policy. There are still a few tickets left at www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

We have a free legal consultation on medical negligence in birth on 4 November with Lauren Hurney of @irwinmitchell. To book your free 30-minute slot, please email Lauren at
Lauren.Hurney@IrwinMitchell.com or call her on 07740179194

We're delighted to welcome Alicia Burnett, founder of Black Baby Loss Awareness, to our panel on racial disparities in maternity at our conference on 18 November. There are still a few tickets left at:
www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

‘A medical miracle’: is period blood ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health? Period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions – including difficult-to-diagnose endometriosis

Fascinating article - lots of opportunities for more and better research into women's health. www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

Husband watched the colour drain from me... but worst was to come - Olivia Bowen LYING in hospital, her new baby girl lying on her chest, Olivia Bowen thought her pregnancy hell was finally over.  She had already been traumatised by losing one twin in the early stages and …

Olivia Bowen had a prolapsed bladder and a postpartum haemorrhage.'I kept saying to Alex ‘am I alright? What’s happening? Am I going to be okay?’ because I genuinely thought in that moment I might lose my life,” Olivia said.' www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz...

A lot of people have asked to see our conference programme - you can see our full list of speakers and topics here: static1.squarespace.com/static/645b7...

And you can buy tickets here: www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

💜 Speaker Spotlight: Dr Sindhu Natarajan
We’re delighted to welcome Sindhu to our conference. She was the senior programme manager for the E-MOTIVE trial studying early detection and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.
Tickets are available at www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

We have a free legal clinic coming up with @irwinmitchell on 4 November. To book your free 30-minute consultation, or to arrange an alternative slot, please email Lauren at Lauren.Hurney@IrwinMitchell.com.

Four weeks to go! On 18 November, we’ll gather at BMA House for a full day focused on making birth safer.
✨ Baroness Merron will open the conference as keynote speaker, setting the stage for a powerful programme of insight and collaboration.
👉 Book your place: www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

Pregnant women in England at ‘growing risk’ of serious injury in childbirth NHS figures show number of mothers sustaining third- or fourth-degree perineal tear has increased by 16% since 2020

"The number of mothers sustaining a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear while delivering their baby has risen from 25 in 1,000 in June 2020 to 29 in 1,000 in June this year." Worrying, given the introduction of the OASI care bundle.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Mum, 34, and baby die after home birth as chilling warning 'not passed on' Jennifer Cahill's husband Rob said his wife’s medical notes never stated that her choice to have a home birth was 'out of guidance', a court heard

"All community midwives were concerned about high risk ladies having home births. That’s not what we were trained for. We were trained to look after low risk ladies in home births," Ms Nixon said. Incredibly sad case.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

This week we are thinking of everyone who has been affected by baby loss.
Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity for everyone affected by stillbirth or neonatal death to come together to remember their much-loved and missed babies.
We are holding you all in our hearts. #BabyLossAwarenessWeek2025

Disability and maternity care in the UK | LSHTM Women with disabilities face persistent and avoidable inequalities in maternity care. These include barriers to accessing care and poorer maternal and neonatal health outcomes.This webinar will share

Good to see the issue of maternity care and disability being discussed. The webinar is at 1pm this Thursday. www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

A systematic review of birth trauma in the Middle East - BMC Women's Health Psychological trauma associated with childbirth is underappreciated in the Middle East as an issue that can significantly alter a woman's perception and satisfaction with her birth experience, increasing risk of postpartum mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), impacting her ability to fully engage in motherhood and bond with and care for her newborn. This study reviews published literature on birth trauma and PTSD in the region to identify links to current maternity care practices, maternal mental health, and other health and social outcomes and offer insight into areas for further research and action. A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles published in English 2000-2025, using CRD reporting guidelines. Pre-determined inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, selected articles were evaluated using CASP checklists. Eighteen articles report women in the Middle East find giving birth stressful, with notable rates of childbirth anxiety, trauma and PTSD symptoms. This is influenced by maternity care practice issues, routine medical interventions, limited pain management, lack of support, and communication challenges with care providers, linked to women’s perceptions of having negative birthing experiences. Social norms, women’s cultural beliefs, perceptions and satisfaction with labour and birth are intertwined with fear of childbirth, pain tolerance, ratings of traumatic experiences,symptoms of PTSD, and other maternal and infant health and outcomes. Strategies for prevention, management of birth trauma and enhancement of the birth experience are outlined. This study highlights the importance of consideration of women’s birth experiences, needs for enhanced empowerment, support and resources in maternity care and options for pain management and relief during childbirth in Middle Eastern birth settings. Links to postpartum maternal mental health, ability to breastfeed and bond with the newborn, potential for recovery, subsequent pregnancies and wider impact on infant development, relationships and families should not be underestimated. It is crucial to comprehend the fundamental impact birth experiences have on women’s mental health and wellbeing, and their perceptions and capacity for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and motherhood. Further research on maternal mental health, birth trauma, PTSD and development of corresponding policy, strategies and interventions in maternity care in the Middle East is necessary.

'I still cannot to this day enter a maternity ward for any reason. I often find myself going back to the events that happened that day and wondering if I could have done anything and did I do everything I could.' Birth trauma in the Middle East. bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Colleen is one of our highly valued team of peer supporters, and she'll be speaking at our conference about her own experience of traumatic forceps birth. You can buy your ticket here: www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

Actually empowering women during childbirth The Lancet Editorial1 on empowering women during childbirth is intended to reflect a caring approach that proposes avoiding both overmedicalisation and dogmatic natural birth pundits. The Editorial ca...

"Women need information and realistic expectations about the risks of such outcomes and how to mitigate them. Caregivers should inform women of warning signs and when to seek professional care, and then listen to, and believe, women when they do so." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

We're delighted to welcome Baroness Merron as a keynote speaker to our conference on improving maternal safety. Buy your ticket at: www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

Speaker spotlight: Jenny Clough
Jenny Clough is a peer supporter at the charity Peeps-HIE. At our session on reducing hypoxic brain injury, she will talk about her experience of being a full-time carer to a child with HIE.
Buy your tickets now. www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

We’re pleased to welcome Marcus Cabrera-Dandy, research fellow at QMUL, to our Improving Maternal Safety conference, for a session on alternatives to instrumental births.
Join us at BMA House, London. www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

Thanks to Joe Pick for the opportunity to discuss birth trauma on the Coffee and a gas podcast coffeeandagas.podbean.com/e/coffee-and...

We're delighted to welcome Dr Chris Dewhurst to our conference on 18 November.

Chris is a neonatologist and medical director at Liverpool Women's Hospital with a specialist interest in neonatal ventilation.

You can buy tickets now:
www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...

A research request for new mothers: please email c.taylor26@lancaster.ac.uk if you're interested in taking part.

What are investigation reports – and how do they work? | Birth Trauma Association (UK) When something has gone seriously during a birth, there may be an investigation. There are so many types of investigation report, however, that it can feel confusing. Maria Repanos and Elizabeth Malia...

Thanks to Maria Repanos and Elizabeth Maliakal of our Trusted Legal Partner Hudgell's for this explanation of how investigation reports work in healthcare. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Thanks so much to Louise Thompson for recommending the BTA's support services on Theo Clarke's podcast #BreakingTheTaboo. You can listen to the full episode here: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

Damning piece from Hannah Barnes on maternity failings at Leeds. www.newstatesman.com/politics/hea...

Join us for a day of discussion with policy makers, clinicians and those with lived experience. Let's work together to make birth safer for mothers and babies. www.tickettailor.com/events/birth...