Law firm stages UK’s first conference addressing birth trauma for South Asian women

Equitable and safe maternity care should be a right for all women. 

However, stark racial and ethnic disparities in maternal healthcare have continued to persist despite advancements in healthcare and shocking statistics still persist. 

In 2024 South Asian mothers are still twice as likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than their white counterparts, have up to six times greater risk of suffering severe perineal injury, higher risk of poor health outcomes following gestational diabetes, higher risk of stillbirth and preterm birth. 

I was proud to have had the unwavering support of my firm Irwin Mitchell to put on the UK’s first South Asian Maternal Health Conference on 28 June, 2024 at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), to look behind these statistics and for a call to action to tackle these stark health inequalities.

Personal story of birth trauma

This ground-breaking event was personal for me. My journey began 16 years ago when I was one of those statistics. I sustained life-changing obstetric injuries during the birth of my first child, Maya, and those injuries still affect me every day. I hadn't been informed of my personal greater risk of OASI (obstetric anal sphincter injury) as a South Asian woman having their first child. 

In 2015 I was asked to support the start of The Masic Foundation, the only charity that is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of women with OASI. 

However, I was often the only South Asian woman talking about my experience and the often taboo subjects of birth trauma, incontinence, stomas and dyspareunia. I felt alone. South Asians make up the largest ethnic minority group in the UK - yet this lack of representation was also reflected in the support groups I attended.

Supporting others affected by birth trauma

During the years that followed I sought to support other South Asian women, that had experienced adverse maternal outcomes or birth trauma. Whilst their injuries differed, so much was familiar; the cultural language and structural barriers they had faced within their care and the impact it had on their lives; their ability to socialise and work, physical intimacy, social isolation, economic deprivation, their sense of self-worth, blame and stigma. 

To break these taboos and to truly address the disparities in outcomes there needed to be a collaboration between policy makers, healthcare providers, women’s health charities, those with lived experience and community and grassroots organisations coming together to create impactful and innovative change. As Dame Lesley Regan was quoted as saying, “You can travel a lot farther and a lot faster if you don’t mind who gets the credit. Just work with others collaboratively and all of you will benefit”. 

South Asian Maternal Health Conference a landmark moment

The inaugural and landmark South Asian Maternal Health Conference was supported by 20 women’s health charities and organisations and there was representation from across all healthcare specialities. 

The interest alone showed the urgency of the event; the 180 places were filled within weeks and a full day programme was carefully designed with 30 eminent speakers including Ranee Thakar, President of the RCOG; Baroness Shaista Gohir, CEO Muslim Women’s Network; Nighat Arif, resident GP on BBC Breakfast and This Morning; Professor Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive NHS Health and Race Observatory; Daghni Rajasingham, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; and Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador amongst others. 

The day was a mixture of key-note speeches, engaging panel discussions with leading clinicians. The power of personal testimony resonated through the conference culminating with a cultural showcase of traditional South Asian dances. 

Actions and key takeaways from the event

Powerful actions and pledges were made throughout the day included; 

• Empowering South Asian women with accessible , community led maternal health initiatives – thereby reducing barriers related to cultural or language barriers and encouraging early engagement with maternity services.
• Ensuring compassionate care and cultural safety for all South Asian mothers – ensuring quality care by mandating healthcare professionals to receive training on cultural sensitivity.
• Bridging maternal health gaps ensuring equality and support for South Asian women. 
• The new government and NHS to recognise the disparities in outcomes and support South Asian women’s health journeys through establishing an All-Party Parliamentary Group on South Asian women’s health. 
• Continue to call on the Government for a time-limited target to end the higher risk of maternal mortality among black, Asian and ethnic minority women. 

Conclusion

The conference highlighted the need for culturally sensitive care, knowledge sharing, policy, advocacy as well as tangible actions to drive momentum and real change to ensure safer and equitable maternal outcomes for all South Asian women. 

As was quoted in the conference by the charity Sands “No mother or baby should die due to the colour of their skin.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in supporting mums injured during childbirth at our dedicated birth injury to mother and childbirth trauma section.