A recent report on NHS maternity services in England has highlighted significant failures, with claims that women and babies are being let down on a scale that "shames our society." The report also noted that racism and discrimination are "embedded throughout the system," leading to many women not being "listened to, heard or believed."
Further controversy surrounds the report's findings, as criticism of the "normal birth drive"—a campaign promoting vaginal birth without medical intervention—was reportedly removed from the document just eight days before its publication. Dr. Bill Kirkup, who chaired previous maternity reviews and resigned from the current inquiry team, stated that this criticism of the "normal birth drive" had patient safety implications for mothers and babies.
Bryony Gordon, writing for the Daily Mail, shared a personal experience from over 13 years ago where an NCT instructor refused to discuss emergency C-sections, framing it as ending on a "negative note." Gordon suggests that despite the NCT changing its name from the Natural Childbirth Trust, its founding principles remained deeply entrenched. She recounts feeling shame after her own emergency C-section, questioning if more focus on "golden-thread breathing" could have altered the outcome.
Gordon's experience and the findings of Baroness Amos's report suggest that maternity care may have regressed since her child's birth. She notes that while Caesarean births are now briefly mentioned in NCT classes, discussions about birth trauma, such as tearing and incontinence, are insufficient. Gordon posits that the drive for "natural" births may be influenced by cost, with an emergency C-section estimated to cost the NHS nearly £9,000, compared to other interventions.
The article points out that the emphasis on natural birth is not reflected in reality, as over half of UK births involve some form of medical intervention. The NHS website's statistics, which had not been updated since 2008, showed that C-sections, which were then performed in one in four births, now account for approximately 45 percent of births. This update was prompted, in part, by a social media post from former Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson, highlighting the outdated figures.
In response to the Amos report, the government has stated that NHS maternity services require a significant overhaul. The article suggests that the NCT, as a major provider of antenatal care recommended by the NHS, also needs reform. It argues that NCT instructors should prioritize teaching women how to advocate for themselves during pregnancy and labor, rather than focusing solely on hypnobirthing techniques. The author calls for an end to what she describes as "patronising, idealistic twaddle," advocating for expectant mothers to be informed about the realities of childbirth.