National Survey on Obstetric Violence and Birth Trauma in the UK: The Birth Experience Study (BESt)

“I felt like I was on a conveyor belt of labour. Just people walking through the steps to deliver a baby without considering I was involved.” 

 “My birth experience was like being raped repeatedly over a 25h [hour] period.” 

These are just two quotes from participants who completed an Australian survey which aimed to understand women’s experiences of obstetric violence and birth trauma. Named the Birth Experience Study (BESt), the survey has been replicated in 13 countries all over the world, including Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, China and Zambia. The idea behind this network of research is to not only gather national data, but to compare experiences internationally and to gain a global understanding of the phenomena. 

Although there have been previous national birth experience studies in the UK, (see for example, The National Maternity Survey), as yet, there has not been one that focusses specifically on obstetric violence and birth trauma. As a result, our team of researchers (Dr Claire Feeley, Dr Gemma McKenzie, Dr Rebecca Moore, Josephine Ash, Dr Camilla Pickles, Dr Amali Lokugamage, and Prof Elselijn Kingma), is currently adapting the survey for the UK arm of the project. Launching in the spring of 2024, we will tailor the survey to a UK audience via input from service users, third sector organisations, advocacy groups and health care practitioners.  

Importantly, the survey aims to draw on the experiences of diverse groups of service users. Consequently, it will appear in multiple languages, which will be determined by consumer group engagement. There is also opportunity within the survey for people to talk into a Voice Note app to provide their answers, which will allow us to capture as much detail as possible.  

Learning from the experiences of women and birthing people is crucial to our understanding of obstetric violence and its traumatic effects. Not only will this study enable us to determine prevalence, but it will also allow us to use the lived experience as a way of understanding how this form of gender-based violence manifests. Moreover, this is an opportunity to capture positive experiences of maternity care and explore the contributing factors that facilitated good experiences. With both types of data emerging from this study, we can compare what works well with what is not working, thus, providing recommendations informed by both important aspects. In addition, the survey enables participants to describe the type of maternity system they wish to see, therefore offering insight into how the service could be improved in the long-term.  

For more specific questions or if you are part of an organisation that would like to assist in shaping or promoting the survey, please contact Dr Claire Feeley at claire.feeley@kcl.ac.uk and/or fill in this expression of interest form – link here. . General information about the international network of research can be found here.