Our mission
We are here to make birth - including the road before and the journey beyond - better for all. Ultimately, we exist to end all suffering from birth trauma.
No one can better explain the reason why we exist than the people who we are here for: parents and professionals. Our Make Birth Better video tells the story of a mum, a dad and a midwife. These stories clearly illustrate what people need to feel supported on their individual journeys. Understanding exactly that, is the only way to make birth better for all.
Our approach
“People are coming into a traumatised system which is often firefighting with little space for individual needs”
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 far too often - 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.
Our core values
As an organisation we hold five core values which guide everything we do. We are:
COLLABORATIVE: Bringing together a diverse collective with an equitable division of work shared between us. This means we look at the individual needs and capacity of our team members in the way we divide our work*.
KIND: Keeping compassion at the forefront of all of our interactions.
LEARNERS: Curious, evolving and aware that we don’t have all the answers.
ACTIVISTS: Unafraid to campaign for sustainable, meaningful and systemic change.
EVIDENCE-BASED: Rooted in clinical expertise, lived experience and solid evidence.
*we know equity is often wrongly used interchangeably with equality. Our video here explains beautifully what the difference is and also what equity looks like in maternity care.
Our Inclusivity Statement
We are here to make birth better for all. However you identify, whatever your individual circumstances are, whether you are giving birth or witnessing birth. Whether you are trying to conceive, are pregnant or facing fertility struggles. Our support for one person does not diminish our support for the other. We believe that everybody deserves to be empowered, to be supported and to be listened to.
On 21 March 2021, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we launched our Make Birth Better Inclusivity Statement.
Our 10 Inclusivity Principles are our anchors to ensure we consider everyone’s individual needs.
We want the Make Birth Better space to feel accessible, inclusive and safe.
We are committed to making the maternity system safer and less harmful particularly for marginalised groups.
We advocate for anti-racism within Make Birth Better and the systems we work in. We are listening, learning and changing and will be held accountable for the work ahead.
We are available for all those who are affected by birth trauma or vicarious trauma, regardless of how they identify.
We use the words ‘birthing women and people’ and ‘partners’ to describe individual experiences.
We respect pregnant non-binary and trans people and do not believe this diminishes women’s rights.
Inclusion and anti-discrimination are core to our values.
We are committed to supporting those who are most affected by discrimination including neuro-diverse people, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ communities, those facing complex disadvantage and Black, brown and racially minoritised groups.
Any behaviour which we believe to be abusive or discriminatory will be challenged either publicly or privately.
We will take appropriate action to remove individuals or organisations from our networks if their behaviour does not match our values.
