Press toolkit
We encourage all press to email us at hello@makebirthbetter.org. We’re here to answer questions or refer to additional information around birth trauma, maternity services and maternal mental health, or we can help source for case studies too.
About Make Birth Better
Make Birth Better is a collective of experts who bring together lived experience and extensive professional knowledge of birth trauma and vicarious trauma.
Research shows at least 1 in 3 women find some aspect of their birth traumatic. This translates to 225,000 new mums in the UK each year. There is very limited research on the prevalence of birth trauma in trans and non-binary folk but we know that their experiences of perinatal care are consistently worse across the board compared with cisgendered women (see more here). We know from a study we did in 2019 that 73% of women had never been asked about their birth experience. The thousands of parents we support tell us time and time again that they weren’t given the support they needed to cope with their birth trauma.
To fight these statistics, Make Birth Better was founded in 2018 by Perinatal Psychiatrist Dr Rebecca Moore and Clinical Psychologist Dr Emma Svanberg. Our mission is to make birth - including the road before and the journey beyond - better for all. Ultimately, we exist to end all suffering from birth trauma.
We support both parents and professionals impacted by birth trauma, we offer a wide range of training and we raise our voices through campaigning.
Make Birth Better model
Our Make Birth Better model shapes our entire approach when we look at solving birth trauma, which we believe can only be done holistically and systemically.
We cannot understand birth trauma unless we look at the impact trauma has on the wider system and how everyone within that system has a role to play in reducing the impact of birth trauma.
Currently, we are looking at a system that is failing everyone involved in it - babies, parents, wider families and professionals. Imagine what we could achieve if we would address each layer in the system to make sure everyone feels looked after, safe and supported. This is what our Make Birth Better model is all about. Watch the explanation of our model below.
Birth trauma: key statistics
GENERAL STATISTICS
The Circle Of Trauma For Parents And Professionals, see report here (2019)
73% of women has never been asked about their birth experience, see our Make Birth Better 2019 study here
73% of professionals had never had any specific training on birth trauma, see our Make Birth Better 2019 study here
Only 13% of women who had psychological help felt it resolved their birth trauma, see our Make Birth Better 2019 study here
Birth injuries: the hidden epidemic (joint study with Birth Trauma Association UK & Australasian Birth Trauma Association), see report summary here (2022)
84% said their injury had impacted their body confidence and self-esteem
83% said their injury had impacted their sex life
74% said their injury had impacted their ability to exercise
73% said their injury had impacted their decision to have another baby
65% said their injury had impacted the relationship with their partner
3 in 4 women (73%) said they received treatment for their condition, yet 6 out of 10 women (60%) mentioned treatment had only partially been effective; and 1 in 4 (24%) said they still have a problem
Only 16% said treatment had been completely effective so 84% are living with the problem without a solution
COVID-19 STATISTICS: THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON BIRTH TRAUMA
The Impact of COVID-19 on Women’s Maternity Choices, see report here (2020)
Over 90% of mothers reported their maternity choices had changed
Over 51% of women said they had to change their birth plan
Almost half of women who are seen by a specialist mental health midwife reported their support had stopped
Maternity Service Changes during Covid-19: Staff Perspectives, see report here (2021)
93% of healthcare professionals reported changes to maternity choices due to Covid-19, see our Make Better Better 2021 study here
49% of healthcare professionals said the only emotional support has been peer support from colleagues, see our Make Better Better 2021 study here
31% of healthcare professionals shared they have not received any emotional support at all, see our Make Better Better 2021 study here
Press releases
Birth injuries: the big strain on daily life
20 July 2022
It's Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2022 (18-23 July), the theme this year is Physical Birth Injuries: diagnosis and treatment. Together with Birth Trauma Association UK (BTA) and Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) we conducted a survey, which focuses on diagnosis, treatment and impact of physical birth injuries. Our findings illustrate the major impact birth injuries can have on daily life, mental and physical well-being, relationships and intimacy.
A cry for help: ‘I have never wanted to leave the profession more’
11 January 2021
Another lockdown. The relentlessness of 2020 continues in 2021. But how are we still not listening? When maternity staff are shouting for help: ‘this way of working is alien to what we strive to provide’, ‘I have never wanted to leave the profession more’, ‘showing compassion from behind a mask is extremely hard.’ These are quotes from our latest research that we are launching today, in which maternity care professionals share how Covid-19 is impacting them. And it pains us to admit it. But we were right.
Pregnant women hit hard by Covid-19: mental health at risk
11 September 2020
‘How are Covid-19 restrictions impacting you?’ This is what Make Birth Better asked parents(-to-be) over the last few months. 458 shared their story. They feel: ‘Devastated’, ‘Frightened’, ‘Powerless’, ‘Helpless’, ‘Shocked’. Over 90% of mothers report their maternity choices have changed.
