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.

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

• BIRTH TRAUMA AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FROM GPs AND HVs

  National Birth Trauma Survey for Parents, see report here (2025) | National Birth Trauma Survey Assessing Knowledge in GPs and HVs, see report here (2025)

  • Our data show a growing awareness of birth trauma and its symptoms on a national level in the UK, for parents as well as GPs and HVs. 

  • Yet worryingly, parents report that they are not feeling supported by GPs and HVs, with only 14.88% of respondents saying they were asked about the emotional impact of their birth by GPs, and only 31.52% by their HV.

  • Delving deeper into the birth trauma support parents are getting from GPs and HVs, and looking into how equipped these professionals feel by their training, their levels of confidence in signposting and knowledge of support services, we find sobering statistics, mainly with GPs.

  • Over half of GPs (55.22%) do not feel equipped by their birth trauma training, half do not feel confident in signposting (50%) and nearly half (48%) feel they lack the knowledge of the right support services.

  • A majority of HVs (73.87%) felt equipped by their training, most HVs (89.26%) feel confident in signposting and most HVs (88.7%) feel knowledgeable about birth trauma support services.

  • We suspect the difference in statistics between GPs and HVs can be explained by the fact that GPs wear multiple hats, and HVs play a more dedicated role with parents in the postnatal period.

  • Overall, GPs and HVs report their training should be more sufficient, local support services are overstretched or do not know how to support those impacted by birth trauma and birth trauma remains a taboo (also the impact on partners and babies).

  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 

BIRTH TRAUMA AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FROM GPs AND HVs

National Birth Trauma Survey for Parents, see report here (2025) | National Birth Trauma Survey Assessing Knowledge in GPs and HVs, see report here (2025)

• Our data show a growing awareness of birth trauma and its symptoms on a national level in the UK, for parents as well as GPs and HVs. 

• Yet worryingly, parents report that they are not feeling supported by GPs and HVs, with only 14.88% of respondents saying they were asked about the emotional impact of their birth by GPs, and only 31.52% by their HV.

• Delving deeper into the birth trauma support parents are getting from GPs and HVs, and looking into how equipped these professionals feel by their training, their levels of confidence in signposting and knowledge of support services, we find sobering statistics, mainly with GPs.

• Over half of GPs (55.22%) do not feel equipped by their birth trauma training, half do not feel confident in signposting (50%) and nearly half (48%) feel they lack the knowledge of the right support services.

• A majority of HVs (73.87%) felt equipped by their training, most HVs (89.26%) feel confident in signposting and most HVs (88.7%) feel knowledgeable about birth trauma support services.

• We suspect the difference in statistics between GPs and HVs can be explained by the fact that GPs wear multiple hats, and HVs play a more dedicated role with parents in the postnatal period.

• Overall, GPs and HVs report their training should be more sufficient, local support services are overstretched or do not know how to support those impacted by birth trauma and birth trauma remains a taboo (also the impact on partners and babies).

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