Women’s health has too often been a taboo subject in society and certainly within parliament and government.
Issues with women’s health like birth trauma or the menopause or periods have not always been a priority or something we seem to speak of in hushed tones.
Consequently, women have not been receiving the medical support they should have across a whole range of areas. It is something myself, campaigners, other MPs and now the government are dedicated to putting right and we finally have progress.
The health secretary announced her new priorities for the Women’s Health Strategy this month to improve care across areas such as pregnancy, the menopause, contraception, periods and endometriosis. It is long overdue.
I was in the audience for the announcement because of my campaign to have birth trauma included in the strategy. It was and is a huge step forward.
I had an emotional moment right then when I looked over to mums who have suffered birth trauma and who have been a huge support in this campaign, sharing their own terrible stories. We are a ‘band of mothers’ because the reason why I launched this campaign was due to my own harrowing experience following the birth of my beautiful daughter in 2022.
Injuries women receive when giving birth can be life changing. It can mean having to give up work because of those injuries or severe PTSD. I suffered a third-degree tear after 40 hours of labour and had emergency surgery after I started bleeding heavily. It was the most terrifying moment of my life as I was wheeled into an operating theatre just at the moment I wanted to hold my daughter in my arms.
That experience and the care I received afterwards led me to set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on birth trauma and I co-chair it with Labour MP Rosie Duffield. We have support from brilliant organisations like Mumsnet and the Birth Trauma Association.
I also held the first ever debate on birth trauma in the House of Commons last year where I broke down speaking about what happened to me. As any woman who has been through birth trauma will testify, it stays with you.
But it is my intention and the intention of committed birth trauma campaigners to improve care and support both mental and physical for mums who suffer when giving birth.
The government has listened and it announced a raft of measures in the strategy.
There will be a roll out of comprehensive physical care for those who experience serious tears during childbirth by March this year. This will include support and treatment for issues like pelvic organ prolapse, perineal tears, pelvic pain and incontinence due to childbirth.
Specialist maternal mental health services will also be available to women in every part of England by March. Around 4 to 5% of women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth which translates into about 30,000 women a year in the UK.
Every woman who gives birth will also receive a comprehensive check up with their GP within eight weeks, focused solely on her mental and physical health. This is a huge step forward as before any inquiry would be about baby, and not often mum.
But we have more to do and the APPG has launched an inquiry on birth trauma that will take place in Westminster through February and March.
The aim is to collate evidence to the government for practical and achievable recommendations aimed at further improving care and support for new mothers and their partners.
It will hear evidence from doctors, experts, campaigners and most importantly from mums. I want mums from across the country to get in touch with their experiences and views. We have much more to do to make further progress and those experiences are so important.
The call for evidence can be found at: www.theo-clarke.org.uk/birth-trauma