The horrific birth stories from Shrewsbury NHS trust are haunting. Sadly, they’re not unique | Gaby Hinsliff

More than 200 babies died through lack of care. Why are women in childbirth repeatedly treated so badly?

Had she lived, Kate Stanton-Davies would have just turned 13. She should have been a teenager with her whole life before her, yet as it was she survived for only six short hours. The legacy of that brief time is a harrowing report published this week into the failure of maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals trust, where her mother, Rhiannon, gave birth to her.

The senior midwife leading the inquiry, Donna Ockenden, said that after talking to some of the hundreds of bereaved families who gave evidence she would sometimes go home and cry. I did too on reading the report, which concludes that no fewer than 201 babies and nine new mothers who died over a period stretching back to the millennium could or would have lived with better care.

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Sajid Javid vows to ‘go after’ those responsible for NHS maternity scandal

Health secretary says he wants people held to account for Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust failings

Sajid Javid has vowed to “go after” the people responsible for the biggest maternity scandal in the history of the NHS, saying he will “leave no stone unturned” to ensure they are held to account.

An independent inquiry led by Donna Ockenden found that 201 babies and nine mothers could have or would have survived if Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust had provided better care. Not a single staff member or health leader in charge was identified in the damning 234-page report published on Wednesday, despite presiding over catastrophic failings.

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Mothers were shamed and traumatised at Shrewsbury hospital. I was one of them

I had two babies there and my experience was so terrible that the memory haunts me 20 years later. Even now I feel a deep, scorching rage

I have been having so many baby dreams recently. Nonsensical images of babies sliding down chutes and falling into deep water below. Dreams where I dive in and swoop the babies to safety, pushing the water from their lungs and wrapping them in soft blankets, lined up as I watch over them. I know why. There is no deep Freudian meaning to find – the publication of the Ockenden report into failings in maternity services in England has meant that the events of nearly 20 years ago, yet again, have begun to stalk both my conscious and unconscious mind.

I gave birth twice at Royal Shrewsbury hospital. “Gave birth” sounds so everyday, so ordinary, so gentle, but in reality both of my experiences were visceral, violent and have stayed with me for two decades. For the birth of my first child, a son, I arrived at the ward, contracting regularly and close to needing to push. The baby was back to back so I was in lots of pain. I was given pethidine, a drug that rendered me drunk and forgetful, my agency gone. Perhaps it is a blessing that I can only remember snapshots of the next four hours; the abject terror on my partner’s face, the hastily inserted drip to restart my contractions and the fretful scribbling of the CTG machine showing them rising off the scale. After interminable hours, a doctor was called and then another. They attempted a ventouse delivery and I can remember the cup popping off the baby’s head and the doctor reeling backwards. Next the forceps were used and finally after hours of pain my son was delivered. He was big for a first baby and bore the scars of the forceps blades down both sides of his face.

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Baby deaths inquiry: police look at 600 cases linked to Shrewsbury NHS trust

Report says ‘systemic change’ needed after blunders ignored and mothers blamed when babies died

Police are examining 600 cases linked to the biggest maternity scandal in the history of the NHS, Sajid Javid has said after a damning report into baby deaths condemned health staff for blaming mothers while repeatedly ignoring their own catastrophic blunders for decades.

The independent inquiry into maternity practices at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust uncovered hundreds of cases in which health officials failed to undertake serious incident investigations, while deaths were dismissed or not investigated appropriately.

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Shropshire baby deaths report: parents express relief and anger

Campaigners hope damning report on inadequate maternity care at Royal Shrewsbury hospital will bring lasting change

• Shrewsbury NHS trust condemned for ‘repeated failures’

In the months after the birth of her son Adam at Royal Shrewsbury hospital in 2011, Charlotte Cheshire just felt grateful that the NHS had managed to save his life after he contracted group B streptococcus meningitis (GBS) and was placed in an induced coma.

“My husband did a 23-mile sponsored walk for the hospital, raising just over £4,000, six months after Adam was born. We sent the money to them and had a photo op in the ICU with all the staff. We just didn’t know,” she said.

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Women and babies remain at risk of unsafe NHS care, experts warn

Exclusive: health leaders say they cannot meet recommendations in review into failures at Shropshire hospitals because of midwife shortage

A shortage of more than 2,000 midwives means women and babies will remain at risk of unsafe care in the NHS despite an inquiry into the biggest maternity scandal in its history, health leaders have warned.

A landmark review of Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust, led by the maternity expert Donna Ockenden, will publish its final findings on Wednesday with significant implications for maternity care across the UK.

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Female former inmates protest against UK imprisonment of pregnant women

Two babies have died in women’s prisons in UK in the past three years, when their mothers gave birth without medical assistance

Fifty babies, accompanied by their parents, have gathered outside parliament as part of a protest calling for an end to custody in prison for pregnant women.

The protest on Monday, attended by women who had previously been in prison when pregnant or after having given birth, or who had been threatened with custodial sentences, along with midwives and advocates for an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women, was organised by Level Up, a feminist organisation fighting gender injustice in the UK, and the campaigning organisation No Births Behind Bars.

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I gave birth in a British prison – no woman should suffer what I went through | Anna Harley

Jail can never be a safe place to be pregnant but the flouting of rules makes things worse. No woman should suffer as I did

When I was six months pregnant with my first child, I stood in court for the first time in my life and heard the words “remanded into custody”. This meant that I would be held in prison for six months as I waited for my trial date. It didn’t sink in until I was waiting to be transported that I was probably going to be in prison when I gave birth to my first child. It was my first pregnancy, and fear overtook me. What was going to happen to me? What would happen to my baby?

Prison will never, ever be a safe place to be pregnant. Two babies have recently died in women’s prisons when their mothers gave birth without medical assistance. One woman in HMP Styal gave birth in the prison toilets, and another woman in HMP Bronzefield gave birth alone at night in her cell. Yet still the government is sending pregnant women to prison, knowing the risks. My heart broke with grief and anger when I heard of these baby deaths, and I can understand how they happened because, in prison, you’re completely powerless and locked up at the mercy of prison guards. Anything can happen to you.

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Stop charging migrant women for NHS maternity care, RCOG urges

Exclusive: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says policy is harming health of pregnant women and babies

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has called for the immediate suspension of charging for NHS maternity care for migrant women because members say this government policy is harming the health of pregnant women and their babies.

The RCOG has urged the government to change its policies towards charging some migrant women for maternity care and to carry out an urgent review of how maternity care is provided to the group. It is the first time the health professionals’ body has issued a position statement on this issue.

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Shropshire maternity scandal: 300 babies died or left brain-damaged, says report

Five-year investigation to conclude mothers forced to suffer traumatic births because of targets for ‘normal’ births

Three hundred babies died or were left brain-damaged due to inadequate care at an NHS trust, according to reports.

The Sunday Times has reported that a five-year investigation will conclude next week that mothers were denied caesarean sections and forced to suffer traumatic births due to an alleged preoccupation with hitting “normal” birth targets.

The inquiry, which analysed the experiences of 1,500 families at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust between 2000 and 2019, found that at least 12 mothers died while giving birth, and some families lost more than one child in separate incidents, the newspaper reported.

Donna Ockenden, an expert midwife who led the inquiry with the input of more than 90 midwives and doctors, said her team had been “shocked and saddened” by the scale of the tragedy.

The Ockenden report is expected to reveal that hundreds of babies were stillborn, died shortly after birth or were left permanently brain-damaged while many had fractured skulls or broken bones, or were left with life-changing disabilities.

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Pregnant women to be offered NHS test for pre-eclampsia diagnosis

New draft guidance from Nice recommends four blood tests to pick up the potentially fatal condition

Pregnant women with suspected pre-eclampsia will now be offered a test on the NHS to detect the condition.

Pre-eclampsia affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy or soon after their baby is born.

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When it comes to delivering would-be parents the worst news in the world, we can and must do better | Isabelle Oderberg

New guidelines for ultrasound sonographers in Australia and New Zealand prioritise patient-centred communication

“I can’t find a heartbeat. The foetus is dead.”

Imagine walking into an ultrasound suite, filled to the brim with excitement, ready to see your new baby on screen, maybe even in 3D. Instead, the worst minutes of your life unfold before your eyes. As you look back, what you remember isn’t how you felt, it isn’t the last time you saw your baby lying there, motionless, on the screen. The thing you remember most was the feeling of the sonographer’s words hitting you like a slap across the face. The brutal blow of each phrase. Even now, years later, they still feel sore, like a bruise. As an advocate and journalist investigating early pregnancy loss in this country, I hear this story, or variations of it, every single day.

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Home births cancelled at short notice due to Victoria’s ambulance crisis

The state’s two publicly funded home-birth programs are suspended, with some expectant mothers not told until weeks before due dates

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Expectant mothers are having planned home births cancelled within weeks of their due dates, with Victoria’s ambulance crisis putting intense strain on the state’s maternity services.

Victoria has just two publicly funded home-birth programs at Sunshine and Casey hospitals – both of which are now temporarily suspended. Assisted home births require ambulances to be available in case of any complications during the procedure.

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My brilliant brother has Down’s syndrome. Is it wrong to fear getting pregnant myself?

I’ve always wanted to start a family, but I’m paralysed by the idea of having a disabled child – and diagnostic tests feel like a betrayal

Until three years ago, I thought I was brave. After all, I’m a girl who has trekked all the way across the Andes without a map. But there’s one thing that scares the hell out of me: getting pregnant.

It’s late 2018 and I’m 38 years old. I have always wanted to start a family, and I’ve reached a stage in life when doing so would make sense. I’ve established a career as a freelance journalist, and I’ve finally found the right man. We’ve been together for a year now; family and friends have begun watching closely to see if I’m still drinking alcohol.

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I’ve gone off sex since our child was born, and fear this will hurt our marriage | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

How do you rebuild intimacy when your body and your life have changed? Start by taking the pressure off

My daughter is 15 months old, and since I gave birth, my libido has been very low. Sex is the last thing on my mind, which frustrates my husband and makes him feel unwanted. He is understanding and very loving, but I do sense his frustration.

Of course, there is intimacy between us and I still feel attracted to him, but caring for our child 24/7 leaves me quite drained, emotionally. I fear that our relationship will be affected and we might get distanced if this carries on for a while.

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‘Will the babies be left in a war zone?’ The terrified Ukrainian surrogates – and the parents waiting for their children

The Russian invasion has put surrogate mothers in a desperate position – and left foreign couples fearing the worst

Since Russian tanks began rolling over the Ukrainian border, the international media have reported on the plight of foreign couples using paid Ukrainian surrogate mothers. Usually, these articles make scant reference to the surrogates’ wellbeing, instead being written up as breathless tales of derring-do, as plucky couples launch daring raids to bring their babies to safety.

The Irish Independent, for example, reported on a County Kerry couple who had brought their son back from Ukraine without making any reference to their surrogate, presumably left postpartum in a war zone. Sometimes, the couples appear indifferent to the plight of the women left behind: one American parent recently wrote a 1,257-word Instagram post about getting her newborn out of Ukraine in which she thanked her gym for keeping her “fit enough” to make the journey and the travel agent who had arranged her hotel, but did not make any reference to the woman who had carried her baby.

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‘Infertility stung me’: Black motherhood and me

I assumed I would be part of the first generation to have full agency over my reproduction – but I was wrong

I detest clinics. Sometimes, it’s the forms I have to fill out, other times it’s the harsh lighting – but the thing I hate most is the television, which is often harnessed in a corner near the ceiling. It is meant to be a distraction, but it never manages to take my mind off why I’m in the clinic in the first place.

Early one morning in May 2021, I was sitting in a health facility in central Berlin. It was different from the aseptic ones I had visited when I lived in New York City: this was higher-end, with mild luminescent lighting and a floral smell wafting throughout. In the far corner of the waiting room, a TV was showing a family of penguins in Antarctica waddling along an icy shore. I was unconvinced by its message of optimism, of nature triumphing against the odds.

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Harry Potter star Jessie Cave in hospital after catching Covid while pregnant

The actor, best known for her role as Lavender Brown, says her symptoms have lasted for weeks

Harry Potter star Jessie Cave has been admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 while pregnant with her fourth child.

The actor, best known for her role as Lavender Brown in the film adaptations of the hit books, said the virus had hit her hard and her symptoms have lasted weeks.

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Revealed: scandal of NHS charges putting pregnant migrant women at risk

Racial inequality is behind the huge maternity care bills affecting vulnerable mothers and their babies, campaigners say

The health of pregnant migrant women and their unborn babies is being put at risk due to fears around NHS charging, with some trusts demanding upfront fees for maternity care or wrongly charging those who are exempt, it has been claimed.

Vulnerable migrant and asylum-seeking women with no recourse to public funds are frequently being issued huge bills ahead of giving birth or aggressively pursued for payments during their pregnancy against current guidance, maternity rights groups have warned.

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‘A radiant expectant mother’: Rihanna and the rise of the power bump

Pop star challenges perceptions of pregnancy by wearing black negligee to Dior show at Paris fashion week

It was a moment of pure joy at a Paris fashion week sobered by the shadow of war. Rihanna sailed into the Dior show like a galleon in full sail, pregnancy bump lightly veiled in a sheer black negligee of lace-trimmed dotted Swiss tulle. The veteran fashion critic Tim Blanks, who quizzed the pop star backstage as to whether she was expecting a boy or a girl – she wasn’t telling – described her as “the most radiant expectant mother … a real ray of light on a dark joy.”

In the month since the unofficial new “Queen of Barbados” announced her pregnancy by posing for the paparazzi photographer Miles Diggs on a snowy New York street with a vintage Chanel pink coat unbuttoned to reveal a naked bump crowned with a cascade of gold and gemstone jewellery, Rihanna has done more than push the boundaries of maternity wear. In characteristic form, she is challenging expectations of how women in the public eye should look and behave.

Rihanna, who wore a fluffy lavender coat over a black latex crop top at Gucci and a peach leather mini dress for the Off-White show, has not been the only expectant mother in the spotlight at this month of fashion shows. At the young designer Nensi Dojaka’s London fashion week show, the tissue-thin sequined slip worn by the model Maggie Maurer celebrated her four-month pregnant shape. “I think it’s quite shocking – in a good way,” Maurer told Vogue. “Women’s bodies are like superpowers.”

In the age of optics, announcing a pregnancy via the medium of fashion has established itself as a power move. A timeline shift toward ever more daring takes on bump-dressing can be tracked via the maternity fashion of a thought leader in this field, Beyoncé. When Beyoncé revealed her first pregnancy in 2011 at the MTV Video Music Awards during her performance of Love on Top – by unbuttoning her sequined blazer and turning to give the audience a profile view – the bump was demurely covered-up in a white shirt and high-waisted trousers.

By the time Beyoncé was pregnant with twins in 2017, the rules of engagement had altered. This time around, Beyoncé made the reveal wearing only a bra and satin knickers, cradling her bump in front of a flower arbour with a veil falling over her shoulders as softly as the hair of Botticelli’s Venus, in an image which set a new record for Instagram likes.

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