It’s vital that Yvette Cooper’s taskforce acts on the Amos and Ockenden reports – and puts the needs of women and families at the heart of maternity servicesIt is hard to find the words to describe the agony for those who have...
Read MoreYvette Cooper’s maternity reforms must change a system that too often fails women when they’re at their most vulnerableOn the third day of being in labour with my first child, I entered a new state of being. It was time to dig...
Read MoreExclusive: New health secretary promises root-and-branch reform after damning maternity scandalsWomen should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a...
Read MoreThis isn’t an argument against vaginal birth, and caesareans aren’t without risk. But in the context of failing maternity services, it gives me the greatest sense of calmSharon Gaffka is a reality TV star and political...
Read MoreThis isn’t an argument against vaginal birth, and caesareans aren’t without risk. But in the context of failing maternity services, it gives me the greatest sense of calmSharon Gaffka is a reality TV star and political...
Read MoreAfter the birth of her son during lockdown, the Welsh actor was flooded by disturbing thoughts she couldn’t shake, a plunge into darkness and isolation. She discusses how it changed her and what helped her recoverKimberley...
Read MoreI had presumed I would love her instantly – but a traumatic birth led to devastating numbnessIt wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was waiting for an overwhelming rush of love, but when I looked at my newborn baby what I felt...
Read MoreIn a few isolated communities in central Nigeria, some babies are believed to be bad omens. Olusola and Chinwe Stevens run a thriving home for babies at risk. But what happens when the families want them back?Esther Stevens’...
Read MoreIn holistic communities and midwifery deserts, women are turning to the Free Birth Society for information and unlicensed providersWhen the holistic practitioner Emma Cardinal, 32, became pregnant in May 2023, she planned to...
Read MoreThe Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message. They could exit the medical system and take back their power. By free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is...
Read MoreCommons committee finds women’s concerns not taken seriously due to bias, stereotyping and racist assumptionsBlack women in England are still facing poorer outcomes in their maternity care due to systemic racism, alongside...
Read MoreExclusive: Marie Tidball tells of her experiences with NHS as report finds 44% higher risk of stillbirth for disabled womenWhen doctors tried to work out whether Marie Tidball would need a specially designed birth plan, one...
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