Small but mighty
We’re making the experience of birth better, and supporting families who need us.
Our impact
Since 2004, we’ve been supporting women and their families experiencing birth trauma – the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to doing this. We campaign, we educate, and contribute to research as we work towards a world where fewer parents are traumatised by the experience of birth.
Our expanding group of peer supporters work across our email and phone line support, and our Facebook group of more than 20,000 people, to offer support and guidance to women and their families who are traumatised and looking for answers.
We run online workshops for women and their families, signpost professional help, and support people in their recovery.
And we work tirelessly on campaigning, awareness, and education – from conducting in-person training with health professionals to working with government groups on research and policy changes.
Here are some of the things our service users have said about us:
“BTA provide the safe, compassionate and empathetic space and point for advice and consultation that is missing – and has been missing – from NHS maternity services for too long. BTA are a community of support where compassion and help for mothers, children and families is at the centre of everything they do.”
“Here I am able to speak openly about what happened to me knowing there is no judgement. There aren't many people how know about what happened to me so being able to speak opening without having to censor what I say is so freeing.”
“It's a life-saving charity.”
“As well as providing me with legal advice and support, they have created a community which is supportive, empowering and inclusive. I felt very lost and lonely after my birth trauma but the BTA have helped to begin to heal this and I feel very lucky to have found them.”
“The BTA and its members made me feel so much less alone with my trauma. It validated my experience and feelings and helped set me on the road to recovery.”
“The Facebook support group has really been so helpful. I’m sure I have/had PTSD but still feel uncomfortable visiting or speaking to GP as I attempted once but felt brushed off. They also didn’t have any details of my birth. So thank you for the safe, kind and informative space you have created.”
— BTA Survey Respondent, 2020
Awareness
In 2017, we introduced an annual Birth Trauma Awareness Week. Since then, we’ve held it every year in July (apart from 2020 when, because of lockdown, we held it in September).
Through our activities during that week, we have reached thousands of people every year who might have otherwise been unaware of birth trauma. Each Awareness Week leads to around 15% more people contacting us about our services and accessing our content.
Our efforts over the years have made a difference to public awareness of birth trauma. In 2004, there were still many health professionals who refused to believe that women could be traumatised by birth, let alone experience PTSD. That has now completely changed, as we can see in the fact that in 2018, NICE reviewed its guideline on PTSD to recognise birth as a cause of PTSD for the first time. Since then, NHS England has rolled out maternal mental health services across the country that include support for birth trauma.
Although many others have played a part in bringing about this change, including some excellent academics and dedicated health professionals, we believe that our awareness-raising work has been instrumental in increasing understanding of birth trauma, and the debilitating effect it can have, amongst the public in general and amongst health professionals in particular.
20,000
(and counting) members use our Facebook support group
50
Zoom support and information sessions since 2020
30
face-to-face training sessions completed with health professionals (so far)
Policy and research
We have worked on several groups developing NICE guidelines, and have been key participants in framing guidance to make sure that consent and kind, supportive care are central to the final recommendations. We have also commented on many other guidelines and have frequently been successful in achieving improvements.
We have been involved in a variety of research projects and have been able to help make sure that research focuses not only on clinical outcomes but also on the experience of women and families.
We have been a stakeholder in the government’s Maternity Transformation Programme and, alongside others, have been able to highlight the importance of better care for maternal injuries and maternal mental health at national level.
News & Campaigns
